How Many People Can Visit at Once? Elmira's Visitor Limits and the Lap-Sitting Rule
Coordinating a prison visit is stressful enough without getting turned away at the door. Here's Elmira's actual rule on how many people can visit at once—and how the under-5
Elmira Correctional Facility’s posted limit is straightforward: a maximum of three (3) visitors per visit, plus one (1) child under the age of five. That means you can plan for up to four people total in the visiting room area for that visit - three visitors who count toward the cap, and one additional young child who is allowed as an exception.
Lap-sitting rule: If you bring a child under age five, Elmira’s rule says the child must sit on an adult’s lap during the visit.
The wording matters here: the child under five is allowed in addition to the three-visitor maximum. So if you already have three visitors attending, you can still bring one child under age five as the extra person for that visit.
Plan ahead: Because the child must stay on an adult’s lap, it helps to decide before you go which adult will hold the child for the visit.
Elmira’s posted visitation information lists the “Maximum Number of Visits per Day” as Unlimited. In other words, the facility does not publish a daily cap on how many visits an incarcerated person may receive in a day.
Even with an “Unlimited” daily maximum on paper, the visiting room still has physical space limits. Elmira’s overcrowding policy says that if space considerations require ending visits early, staff will first ask for voluntary terminations - meaning they’ll request that someone choose to wrap up their visit to relieve crowding.
Bringing Children
- ✓ Count your group correctly: up to three (3) visitors, plus one (1) child under age five.
- ✓ Pick one adult to be “on duty” for the child - the child must sit on an adult’s lap during the visit.
- ✓ If you’re bringing three visitors and a young child, plan seating and supervision around the lap-sitting rule so you’re not trying to figure it out once you’re inside.
Reminder: The under-5 exception comes with a condition - the child must remain on an adult’s lap for the visit.
If you’re trying to plan around a special situation (like coordinating multiple relatives, traveling from far away, or figuring out which day to come), start by checking Elmira’s posted visitation schedule on its webpage. The facility references an attached 2026 visitation schedule there, and that’s the best place to confirm what’s currently being used.
Also keep the “Unlimited” daily maximum in context. Elmira still has an overcrowding process for days when the visiting room fills up, and the first step is asking for volunteers to end their visits early. If you’re trying to coordinate more than one visit in a day, build in some flexibility in case crowding affects how long visits can run.
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