How to Reserve a Visit at Mendocino County Jail (week‑ahead system)

Mendocino County Jail’s visiting procedures are written to comply with California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Section 1062. In practice, that means the jail uses a structured process for scheduling and managing visits, rather than leaving it to informal drop-ins.

The policy is also designed to make sure people in custody get regular access to visits: inmates are allowed no fewer than two visits totaling at least 60 minutes per inmate each week. If you’re trying to plan around work, childcare, or a long drive, that baseline helps you set expectations for how often visits can happen.

At Mendocino County Jail, you don’t reserve a visit the day before or the morning of. Reservations must be made during the week prior to the next scheduled visiting day, so you’ll want to think one week ahead when you’re planning.

1. Call the Staff Assistant at the Jail Administration front desk - this is who handles reserving time on the visiting schedule.
2. Call during normal business hours - reservations are taken during business hours, not at night or during weekend visiting.
3. Reserve for the next visiting day during the prior week - if you miss the week‑ahead window, you may be trying for whatever space is left (if any).

Reservations are handled on a first‑come, first‑served basis. That means the earlier you call during the reservation week, the better your chances of getting the time you want - especially if you’re aiming for a popular slot.

When you come in for an on‑site visit, you may be asked to fill out a visitor registration form that day. The policy states that these same‑day visitor registration forms are shredded after the information has been entered into the computer, which helps limit how long paper copies are kept around.

If getting to the jail is hard to coordinate, Mendocino County also offers remote video visitation. Video visits are available 7 days per week and can be scheduled through Gettingout.com.

For help, it matters who you contact. Sheriff’s Office staff can only assist with in‑house, on‑site visiting, and they can’t help with scheduling or troubleshooting video visits. For video visitation issues, use the 24/7 helpline at 1-866-516-0115.