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Missouri background check laws for employers
Missouri has no statewide ban-the-box or fair-chance law for private employers; a 2016 executive order covers only state agencies. Kansas City, St. Louis, and Columbia have their own rules for private employers. Missouri also lets people with expunged records answer 'no' to most employer questions, and nursing homes and similar providers must run state background checks.
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Fair-chance hiring (criminal history)
- No Missouri statute limits when private employers may ask about criminal history or requires a fair-chance assessment.
- Executive Order 16-04 told executive-branch state agencies to remove criminal history questions from initial job applications; it does not cover private employers (Mo. Exec. Order 16-04).
City and county rules
- Kansas City: employers with 6 or more employees may not ask about criminal history until the applicant is found otherwise qualified and has been interviewed, and may base a decision on a record only if it is reasonably related to the job after weighing how often, how recent, and how serious it was (Kansas City Code 38-1(14), 38-104).
- St. Louis city: employers in the city with 10 or more employees may not ask about criminal history until after an interview, may not put it on initial application forms, may not exclude people with records in job ads, and may not search public records about it early, effective Jan. 1, 2021 (St. Louis Ord. 71074, Sec. One).
- Columbia: employers may not ask about arrests, charges, or convictions on an application or until after a conditional job offer, with exceptions for legally required checks, bonded jobs, and EMS jobs (Columbia Code 12-90).
- Columbia's ordinance defines employer as anyone with one or more employees in the city (Columbia Code ch. 12, definitions).
State consumer report rules
- No Missouri law was found that adds disclosure, consent, or copy-of-report steps for employment background checks beyond the federal FCRA.
How far back a report can go
- No Missouri limit was found on how many years back a background report may go for convictions.
- A person whose record was expunged may answer 'no' when an employer asks about arrests, charges, or convictions, unless the employer is a bank, insurer, or other employer that must exclude people with certain convictions by law (Mo. Rev. Stat. 610.140.10-11).
- When an expunged offense must be disclosed, it may not automatically disqualify the applicant, though it may be one factor in the decision (Mo. Rev. Stat. 610.140.10).
- Records of cases that were dismissed, nolle prossed, ended in acquittal, or ended with a suspended imposition of sentence become closed records (Mo. Rev. Stat. 610.105).
- People with certain past marijuana offenses can get them expunged, and no inquiry may be made about an expunged marijuana offense (Mo. Const. art. XIV, sec. 2).
Credit checks
- No Missouri law was found that limits employer use of credit reports beyond the federal FCRA.
Also good to know
- Nursing homes, in-home service providers, hospitals, mental health facilities, adult day care, and health care staffing agencies must request a state criminal background check before a new hire has contact with patients or residents (Mo. Rev. Stat. 192.2495).
Common questions
Can Missouri employers run a background check?
Missouri has no statewide ban-the-box or fair-chance law for private employers; a 2016 executive order covers only state agencies. Kansas City, St. Louis, and Columbia have their own rules for private employers. Missouri also lets people with expunged records answer 'no' to most employer questions, and nursing homes and similar providers must run state background checks.
Does Missouri have a ban-the-box law for private employers?
No Missouri statute limits when private employers may ask about criminal history or requires a fair-chance assessment.
How far back does a background check go in Missouri?
No Missouri limit was found on how many years back a background report may go for convictions.
Can Missouri employers run credit checks on applicants?
No Missouri law was found that limits employer use of credit reports beyond the federal FCRA.
Sources
- Mo. Rev. Stat. 610.140 expungement, employer inquiry (revisor.mo.gov, eff. 1-1-25)
- Mo. Rev. Stat. 610.105 closed records (revisor.mo.gov)
- Mo. Rev. Stat. 192.2495 provider background checks (revisor.mo.gov)
- Mo. Const. art. XIV sec. 2 marijuana expungement (revisor.mo.gov)
- Missouri Executive Order 16-04 (Secretary of State)
- Kansas City Code ch. 38, Secs. 38-1 and 38-104 (Municode)
- St. Louis Ordinance 71074 page (stlouis-mo.gov)
- St. Louis Ordinance 71074 text PDF (stlouis-mo.gov)
- Columbia Code ch. 12, definitions and Sec. 12-90 (Municode)
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.