Home › Employment background check laws › Kansas
Kansas background check laws for employers
Kansas has no ban-the-box law for private employers. Its state credit reporting act bars reporting convictions and arrests older than seven years, but that limit does not apply to jobs paying $20,000 a year or more, so it rarely matters. People with expunged records may say they were never arrested or convicted, except for listed jobs.
Have a whole roster to keep current every month? DOT fleets: Pact's monthly DOT program, $25 a driver a month ($99 minimum), or $19 a month for an owner-operator. Nursing homes, hospice and home care: staff credential tracking, $10 a staff member a month ($250 minimum). First month free.
Fair-chance hiring (criminal history)
- No Kansas statute limits when private employers may ask about criminal history.
- Employers may have applicants sign a release so the employer can get their Kansas criminal history record (K.S.A. 22-4710(c)).
- It is a crime for an employer to make an applicant inspect or challenge their own state criminal record just to get a copy for the job (K.S.A. 22-4710(a)-(b)).
- An employer is not liable for a hiring decision based on criminal history that reasonably bears on the person's trustworthiness or the safety of employees or customers (K.S.A. 22-4710(f)).
City and county rules
- No Kansas city ordinance reaching private employers was found; the well-known Kansas City ban-the-box ordinance is in Kansas City, Missouri, not Kansas.
State consumer report rules
- Kansas has its own credit reporting act that limits consumer reports to listed purposes, including employment (K.S.A. 50-703).
- A user who orders an investigative consumer report must give written notice within three days of requesting it, unless the report is for a job the person did not apply for (K.S.A. 50-705(a)).
- On written request, the user must disclose the nature and scope of the investigative report within five days (K.S.A. 50-705(b)).
- A CRA reporting adverse public records for employment must either notify the person at the time, with the employer's name and address, or use strict procedures to keep the record complete and current (K.S.A. 50-712).
- When employment is denied because of a consumer report, the employer must tell the person and give the name and address of the CRA (K.S.A. 50-714(a)).
How far back a report can go
- A CRA may not report arrests, indictments, or convictions more than seven years past disposition, release, or parole (K.S.A. 50-704(a)(5)).
- The 7-year limit does not apply to jobs with an annual salary of $20,000 or more (K.S.A. 50-704(b)(3)).
- After expungement, a person may state they were never arrested, convicted, or diverted for that crime (K.S.A. 21-6614(k)(1)).
- People with expunged records must still disclose them when asked for certain jobs, such as private detective or security work, law enforcement, lottery and gaming, commercial driver's licenses, and KDADS institutions (K.S.A. 21-6614(i)(2)).
Credit checks
- No Kansas law was found that limits employer use of credit reports beyond the federal FCRA and the Kansas act's general rules.
Also good to know
- Adult care homes and home health agencies must run criminal history checks on applicants, and people with certain convictions may not work there (K.S.A. 39-970; K.S.A. 65-5117).
Common questions
Can Kansas employers run a background check?
Kansas has no ban-the-box law for private employers. Its state credit reporting act bars reporting convictions and arrests older than seven years, but that limit does not apply to jobs paying $20,000 a year or more, so it rarely matters. People with expunged records may say they were never arrested or convicted, except for listed jobs.
Does Kansas have a ban-the-box law for private employers?
No Kansas statute limits when private employers may ask about criminal history.
How far back does a background check go in Kansas?
A CRA may not report arrests, indictments, or convictions more than seven years past disposition, release, or parole (K.S.A. 50-704(a)(5)).
Can Kansas employers run credit checks on applicants?
No Kansas law was found that limits employer use of credit reports beyond the federal FCRA and the Kansas act's general rules.
Some rules for Kansas weren't confirmed from an official source. Check with the state before relying on this page.
Sources
- K.S.A. 50-703 (official)
- K.S.A. 50-704 (official)
- K.S.A. 50-705 (official)
- K.S.A. 50-712 (official)
- K.S.A. 50-714 (official)
- K.S.A. 22-4710 (official)
- K.S.A. 21-6614 (official)
- K.S.A. 39-970 (official)
- K.S.A. 65-5117 (official)
This page summarizes state law in plain words, with links to the law itself. It is not legal advice, and laws change: check the linked source, and talk to a lawyer about your own policy. Federal DOT testing rules are separate and override state limits for DOT-covered jobs. Checked October 2026.