Fingerprinting

Current law requires that school districts and county offices of education obtain Department of Justice fingerprint clearance for all new employees. To assist districts in meeting this requirement, the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) operates a LiveScan Fingerprinting machine to electronically transmit fingerprint impressions to the Department of Justice.

The LiveScan Fingerprinting service is available by appointment at the Sonoma County Office of Education, 5340 Skylane Boulevard, Santa Rosa. The phone number for scheduling fingerprinting appointments is (707) 524-2812.

Except during periods of high demand, appointments are generally available within two days. During periods of high demand (especially July through September), there may be a one-week wait for an appointment. Note that Tuesday morning slots are reserved for substitute teachers.

Procedure

1. Contact the Fingerprint Technician at (707) 524-2812 to schedule an appointment.
2. Bring the following three items to your appointment. Request for LiveScan Services form: This form is provided by the district/agency requesting your fingerprints. A valid photo ID: Applicants must present valid photo identification, such as a driver’s license, when being fingerprinted. Expired identification will not be accepted. The exact fee: Payment can be made by credit card (Visa or MasterCard), debit card, cash, or money order/cashier’s check made payable to SCOE for the exact amount. Personal checks are not accepted. The fee amount is available from the agency requesting your fingerprint clearance.
3. Your fingerprints will be submitted electronically to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and, if applicable, to the FBI. It may take up to seven working days to receive the DOJ clearance. During the busiest times of year – July, August, and September – it may take longer to receive a clearance. If you have not lived in California for the past year, were born prior to 1945, or require FBI clearance, results may take much longer.
4. If you are being fingerprinted for the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, you will receive two copies of the Request for Live Scan Services. One copy is for your records. The other copy is your proof that a request for a fingerprint clearance has been filed and must be submitted with your application for a credential or permit. Please retain a copy for your records. We cannot replace your copy.
5. If the clearance is for SCOE, you will receive a postcard when your clearance is received, usually within seven working days of the date you were fingerprinted. Please bring this postcard with you when coming to the office to complete your application process. A Substitute Card, Temporary County Certificate (TCC), or Emergency Credential will not be issued until your fingerprints have cleared.
6. All other clearances will be sent directly to your district or agency. Please do not call our office for clearance results. If the results are forwarded to SCOE, you will be notified by postcard when clearance has been received.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make an appointment?
Contact the Fingerprint Technician at (707) 524-2812 to schedule an appointment. We will schedule your appointment as soon as possible, normally within a couple of days. However, during our busiest times (July through September), you may have to wait up to a week for an appointment.

What do I need to bring to my fingerprinting appointment?
Please bring the following items:

• Request for LiveScan Services form;
• A picture identification (such as a driver’s license); and
• The exact fee. Payment can be made by credit card (Visa or MasterCard), debit card, cash, or money order/cashier’s check made payable to SCOE for the exact amount. Personal checks are not accepted. The fee amount is available from the agency requesting your fingerprint clearance.

How do I get the Request for LiveScan Services form?
Applicants get instructions and the Request for LiveScan Services form from the agency requiring the fingerprint check. Substitute teachers may obtain this form at the substitute orientation meeting.

What if I can’t keep my appointment?
If you cannot keep your scheduled appointment, please contact us immediately by calling (707) 524-2812.

Can I use the same set of fingerprints for different agencies?
No. Since criminal history information provided to an agency is confidential and cannot be shared with any other agency unless authorized by law (Penal Code Section 11142), an applicant must be fingerprinted each time he or she applies with another agency for a license or job.

How are fingerprint fees determined?
The fee total varies depending on the type of clearance required, whether it is for DOJ clearance only or for both DOJ and FBI clearance, and if clearance is needed for more than one agency. For specific information about your fee amount, call (707) 524-2812.

Fingerprint fees are sometimes paid by the district/agency requesting a criminal history review, but applicants may have to pay themselves. Please check with your requesting agency to find out about the payment process.

How long will it take to get fingerprint clearance?
On the day of your appointment, your fingerprints will be submitted electronically to the DOJ and/or FBI. It generally takes about seven working days to receive DOJ clearance, except during busy times of year (July, August, and September). If you have not lived in California for the past year or were born prior to 1945, clearance results are often delayed. Fingerprint processing time for the FBI takes much longer – 30 to 60 days. Note that the FBI does not offer an expedited service.

Why does clearance time vary so much?
Processing time may vary significantly whether or not a criminal record exists. To provide the most complete information, a response may be delayed while the DOJ or FBI contacts other agencies for additional data. A delay may also occur if a record is temporarily unavailable. A delay in processing does not necessarily imply the existence of a criminal record.

If you were born in 1945 or before, there will be a delay because those records are not in the electronic system and require a manual review. There may also be a delay if you have recently submitted hard-copy fingerprint cards for another agency.

How will I be notified when my fingerprints are cleared?
If the clearance is for SCOE’s use (for employment at SCOE, inclusion in the Central Substitute System, or a Temporary County Certificate application), a postcard will be mailed to you when your clearance is received. Please bring this postcard with you when coming to the office to complete your application. The Substitute Card or Temporary County Certificate cannot be issued until we receive clearance, because they serve as verification that you have received DOJ clearance to work in our local school districts.

All other clearances will be sent directly to your district, agency, or the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

Who do I call if my clearance has been delayed?
Please do not inquire about clearances for at least seven days. After seven days, refer questions to your employer or the agency that sent you to be fingerprinted. The SCOE staff does not have access to clearance information and the DOJ does not process calls from individual applicants. Because the DOJ processes a large number of applicant fingerprint cards (about 4,000 a day!) on very tight schedules, telephone calls from licensing or employing agencies inquiring about the status of fingerprint cards will not be returned before the allowed processing time has elapsed (seven days).

If you do not get a written response or telephone call within the response times outlined above, please ask your requesting agency to initiate an Applicant Fingerprint Card Follow-up Request, Form BCII 8043.

How do I prove to my district or agency that I have been fingerprinted?
You will receive a copy of the Request for LiveScan Services (Form 41-LS). The copy is your record that a request for a fingerprint clearance has been filed. Retain the original for your records; we cannot replace your copy.

Who should I contact if I have questions?
Applicants should contact their respective employing or licensing agencies for information about their applications or fingerprints.

What does a district/agency need to do to get fingerprint clearances on their employees?
To utilize the LiveScan service, districts/agencies must obtain an "ORI number" from the DOJ. A billing number may also be obtained, which provides direct billing for some fingerprint charges. Specialized email notification is also available upon request, which will provide record clearance information quickly and efficiently. Interested districts and agencies should contact the DOJ for an ORI number, billing number, and/or email notification approval.

If an applicant’s fingerprints have been rejected, how can a district/agency get a record clearance?
The DOJ conducts two record searches on all fingerprint submissions. The first is a name search based on name, date of birth, and any other identifying information submitted (such as social security or driver’s license numbers). A name search is not a positive identification method. The second is a fingerprint search based solely on fingerprint impressions, which is a positive identification method. When fingerprint impressions are of such poor quality they cannot be searched in the fingerprint database, the fingerprint submission is rejected and a fingerprint clearance cannot be provided. Each agency must make its own decision whether to use the results of the name search exclusively as the basis for clearance.