Understanding the 18-Visitor Limit and Open Enrollment for North Carolina Prisons

Each offender in North Carolina prisons can have up to 18 approved visitors. Children count toward that number just like adults. Once the list hits 18, the offender can't simply add more people whenever they want. Any changes have to follow the open enrollment rules described below.

A few categories of visitors don't count toward the 18-person cap, though they still have to complete the facility's approval process. Clergy are one example. They must submit a DC-949P application and be approved before visiting, but once approved, they don't take up a slot on the 18-person list. Certain officials are also handled separately. Legal representatives, law enforcement, consular officials, and local or state Family Services and Juvenile Court officials must register with the facility before visiting. These visits don't count toward the 18 approved visitors, so they won't take a "regular" visitor slot.

• ✓ Clergy (must complete a DC-949P application and be approved before visiting, does not count toward the 18)
• ✓ Legal officials (must register with the facility prior to visiting, does not count toward the 18)
• ✓ Law enforcement officials (must register with the facility prior to visiting, does not count toward the 18)
• ✓ Consular officials (must register with the facility prior to visiting, does not count toward the 18)
• ✓ Local and state Family Services and Juvenile Court officials (must register with the facility prior to visiting, does not count toward the 18)

North Carolina prisons use "open enrollment" to control when an offender can change their visitation list. It happens every six months, based on the offender's date of admission. The timing is personal to each offender. If someone was admitted in January, their open enrollment windows fall in January and July.

1. Make room if the list is already at 18 - If the offender has 18 approved visitors and wants to add someone new during open enrollment, they must first remove one of the current approved visitors from the list.
2. Remove anytime, add only during open enrollment - The offender can request that an approved visitor be removed at any time. The catch is that they cannot add a replacement until their next open enrollment period.

Practical Tips

• ✓ If your loved one’s list is at the 18-person cap (adults and minors count), talk early about who actually plans to visit so you are not stuck waiting for open enrollment.
• ✓ If the offender wants to add someone new during open enrollment and the list is full, they need to choose who will be removed first.
• ✓ If someone is no longer visiting, it often makes sense to remove them so there is room to add a new person during the next open enrollment.
• ✓ Be careful about timing: the offender can request removals at any time, but cannot add a replacement until open enrollment.
• ✓ Remember that video visits are limited to people on the incarcerated person’s approved visitors list, so using up all 18 slots can affect video visiting too.

If you're trying to coordinate a change, plan around open enrollment. I recommend calling the facility ahead of time to confirm when the next window opens. Ask what happens if someone is removed now versus during open enrollment. That one call can save you months of waiting if the list is already full.