The published schedule is a grid organised by housing unit, so you cannot read it without knowing which unit your person is in. Connect with your loved one in minutes.
Connect with your loved one in minutes
Every visit at Santa Rita is booked in advance. There are no walk-ins and no same-day appointments without approval from the jail’s administration captain. You can book up to three days ahead, online, at any hour. Face-to-face visits happen daily except Wednesdays, last 30 minutes and are non-contact. Video visits run seven days a week for 25 minutes and can be taken at home. The part that stops people before they start is the schedule itself: it is published as a grid of housing units, so you need to know which unit your person is in before it means anything.
The published schedule, effective April 10, 2026, runs six blocks a day:
| Block | Time |
|---|---|
| 1 | 9:30 to 10:00 AM |
| 2 | 10:30 to 11:00 AM |
| 3 | 12:00 to 12:30 PM |
| 4 | 1:00 to 1:30 PM |
| 5 | 6:00 to 6:30 PM |
| 6 | 7:30 to 8:00 PM |
Columns run Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There is no Wednesday column, which matches county policy setting face-to-face visits daily except Wednesdays.
Each cell in that grid lists which housing units visit in that slot, using labels like 21-ABC, 23-A, 24-ABCE, 32-ABC, 35-DEF, OPHU, and numeric groups such as 1-A, 2, 4, 6, 7-ACDEF, 8-ABCD and 9.
So the schedule does not say “visiting is at 10:30.” It says unit 24-ABCE visits at 10:30 on a Thursday. Without the housing unit, the grid is unreadable.
The county’s inmate locator does not give you the housing unit. 925-551-6500 does. Ask for it in the same call where you confirm custody, because the same unit also determines which day commissary is delivered.
Registration and scheduling happen at the county’s visitation portal. Video visits can also be scheduled through the vendor’s own site.
To register, each adult 18 or over supplies: name, address (the county states that PO boxes are not acceptable), telephone number, date of birth, driver’s licence number and email address.
To book, you also need the person’s name, their PFN and their date of birth.
Video visiting is provided by ViaPath Technologies, and the county is careful to say the service is therefore not guaranteed by the Sheriff’s Office. Vendor support is 1-855-208-7349.
Miss two scheduled public visits within 30 days and visiting privileges are suspended for 30 days from the date of the second one. Further no-shows can bring a 60-day suspension.
One protection worth knowing: arriving and being turned away does not count as a no-show. If you are refused at the door over ID or dress, that is not held against you under this rule.
Check-in opens 30 minutes before the scheduled time. The county’s written late-arrival warning appears under its professional visiting rules and says failure to arrive on time may mean the visit is cut short or rescheduled. Whether an identical written rule covers public visits is not published, so arriving inside the check-in window is the safe approach.
Caps: no more than four adults and four children, with a maximum of four people in the booth at a time. Each person in custody gets one visit per day.
ID accepted: a valid driver’s licence, California identification card, state identification card, passport, Matriculate Consulate card, or other official government-issued identification showing a photograph, physical characteristics and signature.
Children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. County policy is stricter than the public page here and worth following: the accompanying adult must provide a birth certificate showing that either they or the person in custody is the minor’s parent, and an original or copy is required for each visit. A minor married to the person inside is exempt from the escort rule with a court-sealed marriage certificate.
Criminal history restrictions, which turn away more visitors than any other rule:
Two metal detectors in the lobby. County policy sets out the escalation precisely: three attempts through the walk-through, then a handheld wand, then a pat-down by a sworn member of the same gender away from public view. Refusing at either stage means entry is refused.
Excessive jewellery is worth removing before you arrive, because three metal-detector failures sends you to the back of the line.
Prohibited: gang colours on hats, belts, bandanas, shoes or sportswear; obscene language or drawings; visible gang or hate-related tattoos and body art; sleeveless, strapless, halter or spaghetti-strap tops; swimsuits; bare midriffs; shorts or skirts exposing more than mid-thigh, slits included; visible undergarments; sheer or see-through fabric; pyjamas; non-removable metal buckles; bib overalls with metal; steel-toed boots or shoes.
Visitors must be fully clothed and wearing shoes or sandals, and the county states that visitors will not be permitted to remove a sweater or jacket if doing so would then breach the dress code. Lobby staff and the Visiting Unit make the final call.
The video dress code applies in your own home. No tank tops, half tops, spaghetti straps or swimwear, no sheer fabric or exposed undergarments, no gang attire, no hats, bandanas or beanies. Video visits are recorded and monitored, faces must stay in view, and photographing the screen or adding a third person ends the visit. A parent or guardian must be present for anyone under 18.
No laptops, phones, cameras, recorders, purses, bags, briefcases, strollers, carriers or writing implements. Lockers are in the lobby and unclaimed items are removed and disposed of. Phones cannot be used in the lobby at all. No food or drink, with one exception: one diaper and one bottle for an infant.
Visiting rooms are equipped for disabled visitors, and the county asks you to call 925-551-6500 as early as possible for assistance, including help with the main entrance ramp. Wheelchair users and people with mobility concerns visit in the Outpatient Housing Unit visiting area. Every housing unit used for visiting has ADA-reserved booths. Hearing-impaired visitors can use Station Number 4 in the lobby, a mobile video device, or TTY. Service animals are expressly admitted.
The Sheriff’s Office maintains taxi and bus stops at the front of the jail, and states that the local bus system has regularly scheduled stops connecting to BART. A sign in the lobby posts routes, schedules and hours. Specific route numbers are not published online, so that lobby sign, or the 925-551-6500 line, is where to get them.
6 of 10 questions
Yes, always. The Sheriff's Office states that all visiting is by appointment only. There are no walk-ins, and same-day appointments are not available without approval from the jail's administration captain. Book up to three days ahead through the county's online portal, at any hour.
VisitationBecause the published schedule is a grid organised by housing unit rather than by time. Each slot lists which units visit then, using labels like 24-ABCE or 32-ABC. Without knowing your person's housing unit the grid means nothing, and the inmate locator does not provide it. Call 925-551-6500 and ask.
VisitationNot face-to-face. County policy sets face-to-face visits daily except Wednesdays, and the published grid has no Wednesday column. Video visits do run seven days a week and may occur on holidays, while face-to-face visits are suspended on holidays unless specifically authorised.
VisitationNon-contact. County policy defines face-to-face visiting as a non-contact public visit, and states that contact visits are not authorised without approval from the Detention and Corrections Division Commander or a court order. That applies to everyone: sentenced, unsentenced, parole violators and federal prisoners alike.
VisitationFace-to-face visits are 30 minutes. Video visits are 25 minutes. Visits between two people held in the jail are 20 minutes. Each person in custody is limited to one visit per day.
VisitationTwo no-shows within 30 days suspends visiting privileges for 30 days from the second one, and further no-shows can mean 60 days. Importantly, arriving and being turned away does not count as a no-show, so being refused over ID or dress is not held against you under this rule.
VisitationPossibly, with permission. A felony involving violence, or bringing contraband into a jail, requires written permission. Any other felony requires written permission unless three years have passed since release on it. Anyone confined in the Alameda County jail system in the past six months needs prior authorisation, and anyone on probation, parole or supervision needs written approval. An active warrant means entry is refused and you may be arrested.
VisitationA parent or legal guardian must accompany them. County policy asks the accompanying adult for a birth certificate showing that either they or the person in custody is the minor's parent, and an original or copy is needed for each visit rather than once. Up to four children may come, within the four-person booth limit.
VisitationYes, video visits are scheduled the same way and run seven days a week for 25 minutes. The dress code applies in your home: no tank tops, half tops, spaghetti straps, swimwear, sheer fabric, exposed undergarments, gang attire, hats, bandanas or beanies. Visits are recorded, faces must stay in camera view, and photographing the screen or adding a third person ends the visit.
VisitationYes, in a non-contact booth during normal visiting hours, treated as a regular visit. The licence comes from the County Clerk's Office in Oakland, and an absent party needs an Inability to Appear form. Federal prisoners need approval from the U.S. Marshals. Jail chaplains will not officiate, and no rings, photography, flowers, media or physical contact are permitted.
VisitationGet the PFN number. Everything else at this jail depends on it.
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All information on this page comes directly from official government and facility sources. How we verify information › Last verified September 8, 2026.