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Visitation

What Happens If You Arrive Less Than 30 Minutes Before Visiting Ends at Northern State

Show up too close to the end of visiting hours and staff may not check you in—even if you're already in the parking lot. Here's how Vermont DOC's 30-minute cutoff works and what you can do to avoid losing your visit.

• 2 min read • doc.vermont.gov
What Happens If You Arrive Less Than 30 Minutes Before Visiting Ends at Northern State

Vermont DOC has a firm rule: if you arrive thirty (30) minutes or less before a visiting period ends, staff won't process you. You'll be turned away for that session, no exceptions.

Warning: If you arrive with 30 minutes or less left in the visiting period, you won’t be processed to start a visit.

This isn't up to whoever's working the front desk. The 30-minute cutoff comes from Vermont DOC's Administrative Directive on Inmate Visits, which governs visiting rules across all facilities. Treat it as a systemwide policy, not something that varies day to day.

The bottom line: the last half hour of any visiting period isn't time you can use to start check-in. Even if you technically arrive before the session ends, staff won't process you once you're inside that 30-minute window. The rule exists to protect the schedule and avoid extremely short visits that don't leave enough time for the normal approval process.

Here's a concrete example. At Northwest State Correctional Facility, one Saturday visiting block for last names A–D runs 8:30 AM–10:30 AM. Arrive at 10:05 AM and you're within 30 minutes of the 10:30 end time - you won't be processed. Same goes for the 1:00 PM–3:00 PM block for last names E–L: show up at 2:35 PM, and you're inside the cutoff.

What Happens If You Arrive Less Than 30 Minutes Before Visiting Ends at Northern State

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  • ✓ Plan to arrive with more than 30 minutes left in the visiting period, because arrivals at 30 minutes or less before the end won’t be processed for approval to visit.
  • ✓ Build in extra time for the approval process - aim to be there early enough that a short line or delay won’t push you into the last 30 minutes.
  • ✓ If you’re unsure about timing or procedures, use the Vermont DOC Online Portal to ask questions ahead of your trip.
  1. If you’re running late, check in for guidance before you drive out - use the Vermont DOC Online Portal to ask your question.
  2. Give them time to respond - DOC staff respond within 48 hours during office hours.
  3. Don’t count on an exception if you’re inside the last 30 minutes - the policy says you won’t be processed for approval to visit when you arrive 30 minutes or less before the visiting period ends.

Tip: Portal responses are handled during DOC office hours (7:45 AM–4:30 PM, Monday–Friday, excluding holidays). Expect a reply within 48 hours.

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