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Mail & Photos to Washington County Jail. Address Discrepancy & Rules

Two sources give slightly different Court Street addresses. Call ahead to confirm before mailing.

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Overview

Before you mail anything to Washington County Jail, there’s a real discrepancy worth knowing about: the Sheriff’s Office’s own website and the historic building’s official National Register of Historic Places listing give slightly different street numbers on Court Street in Machias. This guide walks through both, tells you what we could confirm about mail rules, and gives you the exact question to ask the jail before you send a letter or photo.

Quick Facts

  • 1 The Washington County Sheriff's Office's own website lists 85 Court Street, Machias, ME 04654 as its address.
  • 2 The historic jail building's National Register of Historic Places listing gives the address as 83 Court Street, Machias, Maine, built in 1858.
  • 3 Because these two official-adjacent sources disagree by a couple of building numbers on the same street, call (207) 255-3434 before mailing anything to confirm the exact current mailing address.
  • 4 We could not confirm whether Washington County Jail accepts personal mail and photos directly, or whether it has moved to an offsite electronic scanning system, as some other Maine facilities have.
  • 5 Prohibited content and package rules aren't published on the Sheriff's Office's website. Call ahead before sending anything beyond a standard letter.

An Address Worth Double-Checking

This is the most important thing on this page: the Washington County Sheriff’s Office’s current website lists its address as 85 Court Street, Machias, ME 04654. The jail building itself, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988, gives its address as 83 Court Street, Machias, Maine, describing a three-story brick building built in 1858 that shares the block with the Washington County Courthouse next door.

An 1858 building and a website with a slightly different number for what’s likely the same address complex isn’t unusual for older municipal buildings, where a shared block, an added wing, or a separate mailing entrance can create small numbering differences over the decades. Rather than pick one number and risk your mail getting delayed or returned, call (207) 255-3434 before you mail anything and ask for the exact current mailing address, including whether personal mail should be addressed to the jail directly or to a different intake address.

What We Could Not Confirm

The Sheriff’s Office’s own website doesn’t include a page describing:

  • Whether personal letters and photos are accepted directly at the jail
  • Whether Washington County Jail has switched to an offsite mail-scanning system, as a number of other facilities nationwide have done in recent years
  • What’s prohibited (types of photos, stickers, glitter, colored ink, and similar common restrictions elsewhere)
  • Whether packages or books are accepted, and if so, from which approved vendors
  • How long mail takes to process and reach an inmate

Because none of this is published, don’t assume any rule based on what other Maine jails do. Call and ask before you send anything.

What to Ask When You Call

Call (207) 255-3434 and ask:

  1. What’s the correct current mailing address for personal letters?
  2. Are personal letters and photos accepted directly, or handled through an outside scanning service?
  3. Is there anything specifically prohibited in mail or photos?
  4. Can I send a package, and if so, does it need to come from an approved vendor?
  5. How should I address an envelope, including the inmate’s full legal name and any booking or ID number?
  6. Is there a separate address for legal mail from an attorney?

A Standard Mailing Address Format, Once Confirmed

Once you’ve confirmed the correct address and any inmate ID or booking number requirement by phone, use a clear, consistent format on the envelope:

[Full Legal Name, Inmate Booking Number if provided]
Washington County Jail
[Confirmed Street Address]
Machias, ME 04654

Write clearly and double-check the spelling of the full legal name, since jails commonly reject mail with an unclear or mismatched name.

Attorney-client privileged mail is generally handled with additional protections at correctional facilities, sometimes including a rule that it can only be opened in the inmate’s presence. Washington County Jail’s specific legal mail procedure isn’t published on the Sheriff’s Office’s site. If you’re an attorney or legal representative, call (207) 255-3434 directly to confirm the correct process.

If Someone Was Recently Booked

If your family member was recently booked, staff may not have set up their mail-related information yet. Call (207) 255-3434 to confirm the person is currently in custody before mailing anything, or check the inmate search guide for other ways to confirm.

Families Also Ask

6 of 10 questions

Q

What is the correct mailing address for Washington County Jail?

This has a real discrepancy worth knowing about. The Sheriff's Office's own website lists 85 Court Street, Machias, ME 04654. The historic jail building's National Register of Historic Places listing gives 83 Court Street. Call (207) 255-3434 before mailing anything to confirm the exact current address.

Mail
Q

Why do different sources give different addresses for Washington County Jail?

The Sheriff's Office's current website and the jail building's official historic-preservation listing give street numbers that differ by two, likely reflecting decades of small numbering changes on a shared municipal block that also includes the county courthouse. Call ahead to confirm before sending mail or a package.

Mail
Q

Does Washington County Jail accept personal letters and photos directly?

This isn't confirmed from the Sheriff's Office's own website. Call (207) 255-3434 to ask whether personal mail goes directly to the jail or through a separate scanning process.

Mail
Q

What's prohibited in mail sent to Washington County Jail?

This isn't published on the Sheriff's Office's site. Call (207) 255-3434 to ask about restrictions on photo content, stickers, colored ink, and similar common mail rules before you send anything.

Mail
Q

Can I send a package to Washington County Jail?

This isn't confirmed. Call (207) 255-3434 to ask whether packages are accepted and, if so, whether they need to come from an approved vendor.

Mail
Q

How should I address an envelope to someone at Washington County Jail?

Use the inmate's full legal name, and their booking number if you have one, followed by Washington County Jail and the confirmed street address in Machias, ME 04654. Confirm the exact address by phone first given the discrepancy noted above.

Mail
Q

How do I send legal mail to someone at Washington County Jail?

This isn't specified on the Sheriff's Office's website. If you're an attorney or legal representative, call (207) 255-3434 to confirm the correct process and address for privileged mail.

Mail
Q

How long does mail take to reach an inmate at Washington County Jail?

This isn't published. Call (207) 255-3434 to ask about typical processing time, in addition to standard postal transit time.

Mail
Q

Can I send money in the mail to Washington County Jail?

This isn't confirmed. Don't send cash or a money order until you've called (207) 255-3434 to confirm whether it's accepted and see the send money guide for other deposit options.

Mail
Q

What if my letter is returned or rejected?

Since specific mail rules aren't published for Washington County Jail, call (207) 255-3434 if a letter comes back to ask what the issue was, whether it's the address, the content, or something else, so you can correct it for future mail.

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All information on this page comes directly from official government and facility sources. How we verify information › Last verified July 21, 2026.