Mailing Letters and Money Orders to Pima County Jail: Address Format and Rules
Mail gets rejected or delayed most often because the envelope is missing one key detail. Use the exact format below—especially if you’re mailing a money order or government check.
If you’re mailing a money order or government check to Pima County Jail, the envelope needs to be addressed in a very specific way. Include the line “Inmate Trust Account” (this is required when the envelope contains a money order or government check), followed by the inmate’s name, pod location, and booking number. Mail it to: P.O. Box 951, Tucson, Arizona 85702.
Not sure where to find the pod location or booking number? Look them up through the Pima County Inmate Look-up. These details matter - without them, your mail is more likely to be delayed or returned, especially anything meant for the trust account.
When you send funds through the mail, Pima County Jail handles them separately from regular correspondence. Money orders or government checks are removed from the incoming envelope and deposited into the inmate’s Inmate Trust Account. That’s why the “Inmate Trust Account” line and the inmate’s identifying details are so important on the envelope - staff need to be able to route and post the funds to the right account.
Reminder: For money orders or government checks, address the envelope with “Inmate Trust Account,” the inmate’s name, pod location, and booking number, and send it to P.O. Box 951, Tucson, Arizona 85702.
Mail Restrictions
- ✓ Don’t send mail, books, or magazines showing explicit sexual conduct.
- ✓ Assume anything you mail can be searched - Pima County Jail subjects all incoming mail to search.
- ✓ Don’t write letters with gel pen; gel-pen letters won’t be accepted and will be returned to the sender.
If you’re sending a postcard, keep the size within the jail’s limit: no larger than 4.25 inches by 6 inches. Also know that incoming postcards are copied (digitally or by photocopy), and the inmate receives a copy rather than the original. Legal mail has its own strict format rules. It must be sent in pre-printed/pre-stamped postage envelopes or with metered postage, and it can only contain loose paper - no binding, no staples, and nothing fastened together. Manila envelopes used for legal mail will be confiscated and destroyed; the Corrections Bureau provides replacement manila envelopes for storing legal mail.
Practical Checklist
- ✓ Look up the inmate’s pod location and booking number using the Pima County Inmate Look-up.
- ✓ For money orders/government checks, write “Inmate Trust Account” on the address.
- ✓ Include the inmate’s name, pod location, and booking number on the envelope.
- ✓ Mail it to P.O. Box 951, Tucson, Arizona 85702.
- ✓ Send funds only as a money order or government check (not as cash in a letter).
- ✓ Write letters in regular ink - avoid gel pens so your letter isn’t returned.
- ✓ Keep content clean: don’t send anything showing explicit sexual conduct.
Privacy and screening: All incoming mail is subject to search, but staff do not read inmate mail unless it’s part of an investigation.
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