Understanding Ohio's Visiting List Limits — How the 15-Visitor Cap Works for NCCI

Ohio's statewide policy is straightforward: an incarcerated person's visiting list can include up to 15 approved adult visitors. Of those, no more than 2 can be friends. That friends cap matters when you're trying to fit everyone in - most slots are reserved for family connections, not acquaintances. ODRC also requires certain relationships to be declared upfront. Immediate family members, the incarcerated person's children, and the other parent(s) of those children are supposed to appear on the Reception Visiting List. In practice, those core relationships get identified first. The remaining adult slots are what you're really balancing when deciding who else to add. Feeling pressure to choose? Here's the structure you're working with: 15 adults maximum, only 2 can be friends. Everyone else needs to fit into the remaining slots and go through the approval process. Immediate family, children, and other parent(s) get declared on the Reception Visiting List.

Yes - ODRC rules allow a visitor to be on more than one incarcerated person's visiting list. The main exception: if you've been restricted by another ODRC institution for actions that threaten safety, security, health, or good order. That restriction can follow you and affect whether you get approved elsewhere.

Even with statewide rules like the 15-adult cap, the day-to-day visiting experience varies from one Ohio prison to another. The managing officer at each institution - including NCCI - has discretion to set local limits on how many visitors can come at once, how often visits happen, how long they last, how priority works, and what the visiting hours are. That discretion has limits. Institution-specific policies can't override the ODRC General Visiting Instructions (DRC2274). Think of it as two layers: statewide rules set the floor, and local rules shape how visits are scheduled and managed at that specific facility.

When NCCI makes a significant change to its local visiting guidelines, it can't be a surprise. Changes must be posted at least 30 days before taking effect. If you're planning travel, taking time off work, or coordinating multiple family members, that 30-day window matters - local rules can affect visiting hours, how visits are prioritized, and how many people can be accommodated.

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• ✓ Start with the non-negotiables: immediate family, the incarcerated person’s children, and the other parent(s) of the children should be declared on the Reception Visiting List.
• ✓ Treat the 15-adult limit as your total “budget” for approved adult visitors, and plan who gets a slot before you start adding names.
• ✓ Use the two-friend maximum carefully - save friend slots for the people who truly need to be there and won’t qualify as family.
• ✓ Coordinate with other relatives so you don’t burn through adult slots on people who are unlikely to visit.
• ✓ If your family situation changes over time, remember that the Reception Visiting List is where those core relationships are declared (immediate family/children/other parent[s]).

1. Wait for approval - you can’t schedule until the visitor application has been approved.
2. Register to schedule visits - once approved, register with gtlvisitme.com so you can book visits through the system.