How to Visit Someone at California Men's Colony

Step 1. Get on the Approved Visitor List

Before anything can be scheduled, the person you want to visit must request CDCR Form 106, the Visitor Questionnaire, and send it to you. They sign it themselves to confirm they’re adding you to their approved visitor list.

Step 2. Fill Out the Questionnaire Completely

The form asks about every arrest and conviction in your history, even ones that never led to charges. CDCR checks your answers against California’s law enforcement records, and a mismatch is one of the most common reasons a visitor gets denied. If you’re not sure of an exact date, put your best estimate instead of leaving it blank. You’ll need to submit a new Form 106 if your address, phone number, or arrest history changes, or if CMC asks for an update, which it can do no more than once every 2 years. If an approved minor visitor turns 18, they have to reapply as an adult.

Step 3. Mail the Questionnaire to CMC

Send the completed form to California Men’s Colony, Colony Dr, San Luis Obispo, CA 93409, attention Visiting Sergeant Cunningham. This is the staff address for approval paperwork, not the inmate mail box.

Step 4. Schedule Your Visit Through VSA

Once you’re approved, book your visit through CDCR’s statewide Visitation Scheduling Application (VSA) at cdcr.gtlvisitme.com/app. Call the Visiting Sergeant at (805) 547-7872, the Visiting Lieutenant at (805) 547-7628, or email [email protected] if you run into a scheduling problem.

East Facility and West Facility

California Men’s Colony is really two prisons on one property. East Facility is Level III security and holds Facilities A, B, C, D, and H. West Facility is Level I and II security and holds Facilities E, F, G, and M, housed dormitory-style. Ask the person which facility and unit they’re currently in, since it can affect your check-in location. Minimum Support Facility (MSF) visits are held at the East Facility, not the West, so don’t assume the two share a visiting entrance.

CMC’s Visiting Hours

• Friday: 12:00pm to 7:00pm
• Saturday: 8:45am to 3:00pm
• Sunday: 8:45am to 3:00pm

Walk-In Visiting

CMC also accepts walk-ins at separate windows: Friday 2:30pm to 7:00pm, and Saturday and Sunday 11:15am to 3:00pm. Walk-ins are not processed after 6:00pm on Friday or after 2:00pm on Saturday or Sunday, so plan to arrive well before those cutoffs.

The Friday Gate Closure

Scheduled and walk-in visitors who arrive between 3:30pm and 5:00pm on Fridays cannot check in or enter, because CMC runs an institutional count during that window. If you arrive during this time, you can wait in the “Friends Outside” area near the property entrance. Check-in starts again at 5:00pm. Build this gap into your travel plans so you’re not stuck at the gate.

Visitor Limits

A contact visit allows a maximum of 5 visitors at one time, including children of any age. A non-contact visit allows a maximum of 3 visitors.

Overnight Family Visiting

CMC offers Overnight Family Visiting on 3 rotating schedules: Sunday through Tuesday, Wednesday through Friday, and Friday through Sunday. Up to 6 names can be listed on a family-visit application, but only 3 approved visitors are allowed on the visit at one time, not counting children under 18 months old. CMC switched to Instacart for its Family Visiting Fresh Food Program on August 1, 2024. Since October 23, 2023, MSF overnight family visitors check in at the East Facility Entrance Building between 12:00pm and 1:00pm on the first day and are processed out by 10:00am on the final day. Contact the Family Visiting Coordinator, Officer Catron, at (805) 547-7231 with questions.

Bringing Children

Minors visiting with a parent need only a certified copy of their birth certificate. If a minor is with a legal guardian who isn’t a parent, bring the certified birth certificate plus proof of legal guardianship. If the adult isn’t a parent or legal guardian, you need both the certified birth certificate and a notarized written consent form naming the incarcerated person, the accompanying adult, and the visit dates, renewed every year.

Dress Code

CMC allows more than some CDCR facilities, so it’s worth reading closely instead of assuming the general CDCR rules apply exactly as written elsewhere:

• Hoodies are allowed, but the hood must stay down during the visit.
• One pair of eyeglasses.
• A handkerchief or small package of tissues (no bandanas).
• A plain white t-shirt may be worn under a dress shirt.
• Two keys on a ring with nothing else attached, and one may be an electronic car key or fob.
• Clothing with sports team logos is allowed as long as it isn’t personalized.
• One form of ID.
• A Native American medicine bag is allowed after inspection and approval.
• Dresses and skirts up to 2 inches above the knee, front and back.
• One comb or hairbrush, non-metallic, with no pointed ends or detachable parts.
• Orange tops and orange bottoms are each allowed on their own, but not worn together.
• Leggings are allowed if the top garment covers the lower body and isn’t sheer or see-through.

Cash and Coin Purses

Bring $100 per adult visitor and $50 per minor, in coin or dollar bills only. One transparent coin purse is allowed, with a maximum of 2 compartments and a maximum size of 6 by 8 inches.

What’s Not Allowed

Visitors can be turned away for clothing that doesn’t meet the dress code, cash beyond the posted limits, or bringing items that aren’t on the approved list. If you disagree with an officer’s call on your clothing or an item, you can ask to speak with the Visiting Sergeant or Lieutenant, who has the final say.

Video Visiting

CDCR no longer provides video visiting statewide. Between in-person visits, families stay in touch through free phone calls, mail, and any messaging available through the person’s tablet.