Before Your First Visit to FMC Lexington: Check‑In, Visiting Time, Physical Contact, and Visitor Limits

At Bureau of Prisons facilities, stepping onto the grounds - or even attempting to - counts as consent to a search under federal regulations (28 C.F.R. Part 511). Staff can require screening as a condition of entry. Refuse, and you'll be turned away.

Check‑in exists to keep prohibited items out. Staff screen for contraband and anything that could compromise security - weapons, explosives, drugs, cameras, recording equipment, phones, radios, pagers, and other electronics are all banned. The easiest way to avoid problems? Leave anything questionable behind before you arrive.

Some visitors need to provide background information before approval. The Bureau uses a visitor questionnaire (BP‑A0629) for this, and officials may send an inquiry to law enforcement to verify your suitability. If you're asked to complete it, answer carefully and honestly - your approval depends on clearing this step.

Federal policy guarantees each inmate at least four hours of visiting time per month, though facilities often provide more. That four hours is a floor, not a promise for any specific day - visits can still be affected by institutional restrictions or daily operations. Planning a long trip? Confirm the local schedule before you travel so you're not counting on time that isn't available.

Before you can visit, the inmate must add you to their approved visiting list - and the Bureau has to clear you. Approved visitor categories include relatives like grandparents, uncles, aunts, in‑laws, and cousins. Other visitors (religious or civic group members, employers, sponsors, parole advisors, attorneys) may qualify in certain situations. The bottom line: if you're not on the list and cleared, you won't get in.

For non‑family contacts, there's a hard cap: no more than 10 friends or associates on the approved list. If your loved one's list is full, they'll need to remove someone before adding a new friend or associate.

Physical contact is limited but not forbidden. Handshakes, hugs, and kisses "in good taste" are typically allowed at the beginning and end of a visit. After that, keep your hands to yourself and follow staff direction. Visiting rooms are monitored, and officers will step in if contact looks like a security issue or becomes disruptive.

Practical Checklist

• ✓ Confirm the inmate has placed you on their approved visiting list and that you’ve been cleared before you travel.
• ✓ Go in expecting search procedures - entering or attempting to enter Bureau grounds is treated as consent to be searched.
• ✓ Leave prohibited items behind (including phones and other electronics, cameras/recording equipment, drugs, weapons, and explosives).
• ✓ If you’re asked to complete a visitor questionnaire for background screening, fill it out completely and honestly.
• ✓ Keep physical contact brief and appropriate: a quick handshake, hug, or kiss at the beginning and end is usually what’s allowed.
• ✓ Double‑check local visiting hours and any entry requirements before you leave home so you don’t lose the trip to a preventable issue.

Before you travel, confirm FMC Lexington's current visiting hours and local procedures - whether visits are scheduled, what ID is accepted, and what you can bring inside. Rules can change and may tighten temporarily for operational or security reasons. For general Bureau information, the Federal Bureau of Prisons Central Office can be reached at (202) 307-3198.