What to Bring to Your First Visit at Kershaw: ID, Devices, and Restroom Rules
Your first visit at Kershaw goes smoother when you bring the right ID, leave prohibited items behind, and plan for the two-hour restroom rule. Here's what to bring—and what to leave in the car.
Kershaw checks ID at the door, and the rules differ by age. Kids 10 and older need a government-issued photo ID. Children nine or younger? They'll need a certified long-form birth certificate instead. Have the right document ready - showing up without it means getting turned away.
- ✓ For any approved visitor age 10+ (including children): bring a government-issued photo ID
- ✓ For a child age 9 or younger: bring a certified long-form birth certificate
Leave wireless personal devices at home (or locked in your car before you enter). Kershaw prohibits devices that communicate wirelessly, even ones people don’t always think of as “electronics.” If it connects and transmits, assume it can’t come in.
- ✓ Smartwatches
- ✓ Activity/fitness trackers
- ✓ Phones (and other wireless personal devices that communicate)
Want snacks from the vending machines? Bring a debit or credit card. As of July 1, 2024, vending machines in visitation accept cards only - PayKeys are no longer accepted. You're allowed to bring cards in with you.
Use the restroom before you get to the visiting room. During a two-hour visit at Kershaw, visitors get one restroom trip. If you're supervising a child nine or younger, they must accompany you - and that single trip counts as your one-time use and theirs.
Note: Taking a child nine or younger to the restroom? You go together, and that one trip uses up the restroom allowance for both of you.
Checklist Printable
- ✓ Government-issued photo ID for every approved visitor age 10+
- ✓ Certified long-form birth certificate for any child age 9 or younger
- ✓ No wireless personal devices that communicate (including smartwatches and fitness trackers)
- ✓ Debit/credit card if you plan to use the visitation vending machines (cards only; PayKeys not accepted)
- ✓ Restroom plan: one restroom use per visitor during a two-hour visit (accompanying a child nine or younger counts as both visitors’ one-time use)
Reminder: Stash wireless devices before you arrive. If you're visiting with a young child, figure out your restroom plan ahead of time.
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