How Durham County's Visit Limits Work: Monthly Caps, Cancellation Rules, and What Counts Against You

Durham County’s in-person visit limits are pretty strict, so it helps to plan around them. Each inmate is allowed up to two in-person visits per month. For each visit session (one “visitation period”), the inmate can have up to three visitors at a time. There’s also a daily cap: an inmate is allowed one visitation period per day. That means you can’t stack multiple in-person sessions on the same day to “make up” for missed time - so choosing your dates carefully matters.

If getting there in person is hard to coordinate, Durham County also offers video visitation. It’s free, and it’s separate from in-person visiting - video visits don’t replace the in-person visits the inmate is allowed each month.

Plans change, and Durham County does allow you to adjust a scheduled visit - but you need to do it early enough. You may modify or cancel a visit up to one day in advance. If you wait until the last minute, you may not be able to change it in a way that protects the inmate’s monthly allotment.

1. Register for an account first - You must be registered before you can schedule visits online; you can register online or at the kiosk in the detention facility lobby.
2. Use GTL VisitMe for online scheduling - Online scheduling is done through the GTL VisitMe site, and you’ll need your visitor ID and password to access your account.
3. Modify or cancel at least one day ahead - Make your changes up to one day in advance so the visit can be adjusted or canceled in time.

Here’s the part that catches families off guard: if a visit isn’t canceled at least one day in advance, it counts as one of the inmate’s visits. So even if nobody makes it to the facility, that missed, uncanceled slot can still reduce the inmate’s monthly in-person visit allotment.

Practical Tips to Avoid Losing Visit

• ✓ Register before you try to schedule anything online (online registration or the lobby kiosk).
• ✓ Keep your GTL VisitMe visitor ID and password secure and easy to find - online scheduling won’t work without them.
• ✓ Set a reminder to modify or cancel at least one day in advance if you’re not 100% sure you can make it.
• ✓ Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early so you don’t lose the visit due to a late cancellation.

Also keep the calendar in mind: in-person visitation isn’t available on Durham County holidays. If a holiday or schedule issue knocks out your in-person plans, video visitation is a free alternative you can use instead (and it doesn’t replace in-person visits).