Where to Get a Level 2 Background Check in Florida

You can get a Level 2 background check in Florida at any LiveScan provider registered with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). The agency keeps a current, county-by-county directory of approved locations, which include private fingerprinting businesses, sheriff’s offices, tax collector branches, and other authorized facilities.¹ Florida requires all background check fingerprints to be submitted electronically, and only vendors with a formal agreement with FDLE are allowed to do it, so a regular notary or shipping-store fingerprinting counter won’t work unless they’re on the list.²

Finding an FDLE-Registered LiveScan Provider

Start with FDLE’s LiveScan provider listing. It’s organized by county and updated regularly, so you can see what’s near you and what hours they generally keep.¹ Expect a mix of options in most counties:

Private fingerprinting and background-screening businesses
County sheriff’s offices
Tax collector branch offices
Other authorized facilities approved by FDLE

Call before you drive over. Some providers take walk-ins; others are appointment-only. Hours and payment methods vary, and the directory doesn’t guarantee any specific location’s schedule. A quick call also lets you confirm the vendor’s service fee, which isn’t published in the FDLE list.

What to Bring to Your Appointment

Showing up unprepared means a wasted trip. Pull these items together first:

A government-issued photo ID: a Florida driver’s license, state ID card, or U.S. passport.
Your ORI number. This is a nine-character code identifying the agency that requested your screening, and your employer or licensing board provides it. Without it, the provider has nowhere to send your results.
Your personal information: Social Security number, date of birth, race, sex, and physical descriptors such as height, weight, and eye color.
Payment for both the FDLE processing fee and the vendor’s service fee. Confirm the amount and accepted payment methods when you book.

Vendors are required to collect your full legal name, Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number, date of birth, mailing address, sex, and race before submitting your prints.³ The form is thorough by design.

If you don’t have an ORI number, stop and ask your employer or licensing board for one before you book. The ORI tells FDLE where to send your results and determines the fee you’ll pay. If they don’t have an ORI for you, you may not actually need a Level 2 check in the first place.

What Happens at the Appointment

The process is inkless and quick. You hand over your ID and ORI number, provide your personal details, and place your fingers on a digital scanner that captures your prints electronically. The whole visit usually takes less than ten minutes.

The provider transmits your prints to FDLE on the spot. Before you leave, make sure you walk out with a Transaction Control Number (TCN), either printed on a receipt or written down for you. Save it. You can plug the TCN into FDLE’s online lookup tool to confirm your prints were submitted and to track the status of your screening, and the tool covers screenings completed within the last six months.⁴

If the lookup returns “Transaction Not Found,” contact your LiveScan provider and ask them to confirm the submission and verify the TCN.²

What a Level 2 Check Covers

A Level 2 background check is fingerprint-based and runs through three layers: statewide criminal history at FDLE, national criminal records at the FBI, and local criminal records through local law enforcement. It also searches sexual predator and sexual offender registries in every state where you have lived during the previous five years.³ That’s broader than a Level 1 check, which is a name-based search of Florida records only.⁵

Florida law requires Level 2 screening for people in positions of trust, especially roles involving children, elderly individuals, or people with disabilities.⁵ Common examples include nurses and home health aides, daycare and school staff, foster parents, guardians ad litem, employees of facilities regulated by the Agency for Health Care Administration, Department of Elder Affairs, or Agency for Persons with Disabilities, workers at the Department of Children and Families or Department of Juvenile Justice, and licensees in professions like real estate, insurance, and security.

How Much It Costs

Your total cost has two parts: the FDLE and FBI processing fee, and the vendor’s own fee for taking and transmitting your prints.

FDLE and FBI Processing Fees

FDLE’s fee schedule, effective January 1, 2025, breaks down by the type of position:⁶

Most applicants and licensees: $24 state + $12 federal = $36
DCF, DJJ, Elder Affairs, and Guardian Ad Litem applicants: $8 state + $12 federal = $20
Department of Agriculture applicants: $15 state + $12 federal = $27
VECHS volunteers: $18 state + $10 federal = $28
Criminal justice applicants: no fee

You can confirm the exact fee tied to your ORI number using FDLE’s online ORI fee lookup before your appointment.²

Vendor Service Fees

On top of the FDLE processing fee, the LiveScan provider charges its own service fee for capturing and transmitting your prints. This typically runs $20 to $50 and varies by location. Government offices often charge less than private vendors. Ask when you call so you aren’t short at the counter.

Getting Your Results

FDLE sends the results directly to the agency or employer that requested the screening. You won’t receive a copy yourself. That agency reviews the results against its own eligibility criteria and Florida’s disqualifying offense list, then makes the employment or licensing decision.

Electronic submissions are usually processed within a few business days, though turnaround times shift with FDLE’s workload. If results seem slow, use your TCN to check status online. The lookup won’t show the content of your record, but it confirms whether processing is complete.⁴

If you want to see your own Florida criminal history record, that’s a separate request made directly to FDLE’s Criminal History Record Maintenance Section.⁷

If You’re Not in Florida

Living out of state doesn’t disqualify you from meeting a Florida employer’s Level 2 requirement. You have two options.⁸

The first is LiveScan from out of state. Some providers outside Florida have equipment registered with FDLE and can submit prints electronically to Florida from wherever you are. These locations appear in FDLE’s provider directory. If you use one, tell them you need a photograph taken and submitted with your fingerprints, as Florida law requires it.

The second is a hard card submission. If no FDLE-registered LiveScan provider is near you, get your fingerprints taken on ink-and-paper cards at a local police station or fingerprinting facility, then mail the cards to an approved provider who converts them to electronic format and submits them to FDLE. Do not mail the cards to the Department of Health or directly to FDLE. One catch: the converting provider may not be able to submit your photograph at the same time, and without a photo, your results might not enter Florida’s Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse. If you later apply with a different Florida agency that uses the Clearinghouse, you may have to complete a brand-new screening.⁸

1
Florida Department of Law Enforcement. LiveScan Provider Listing
2
Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Registered Livescan Submitters
3
Justia Law. Florida Code Title XXXI – Chapter 435 – Section 435.04
4
FL HealthSource. How Can I Check to See if My Fingerprints Were Successfully Submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement
5
Florida Department of Law Enforcement. VECHS Definitions
6
Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Criminal History Record Check Fee Schedule
7
Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Personal Review
8
FL HealthSource. Background Screening Out-of-State/International Providers