How to Visit Facility

Before you can visit someone at Northern Branch Jail, you need to register online with Via Path. The process goes: registration first, then approval, then scheduling through your Via Path profile. All visits happen in person at Northern Branch Jail, 2301 Black Road in Santa Maria. Social visits are non-contact. You'll sit on opposite sides of a visit window and talk through telephone handsets, so there's no hugging, holding hands, or passing items.

Steps to Follow

• ✓ Register with Via Path before you try to visit.
• ✓ Use the same form of ID for check-in that you used when you registered with Via Path.
• ✓ Check in 30 minutes before your appointment time.
• ✓ Schedule your visit during visiting hours (Sunday to Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Appointments start on the hour.
• ✓ Go to Northern Branch Jail for the visit: 2301 Black Road, Santa Maria, CA.

Before you make the drive, confirm the key details are still current: that Via Path registration is still required, that visiting hours are still 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day, and that appointments still begin on the hour. Double-check the check-in rule too (30 minutes early, with the same ID you used to register). Showing up late or with a different ID can derail the whole visit. Also plan around the weekly limit. Inmates at Northern Branch Jail are limited to four visits per week, so if multiple family members want to visit, a little coordination goes a long way.

Make sure you're headed to the right place: Northern Branch Jail, 2301 Black Road in Santa Maria. If it's your first time, look up where to park and where visitor check-in is before you go. Set expectations for the visit itself, too. Social visits are non-contact and happen through a visit window using telephone handsets. Call the facility to ask about any temporary restrictions or extra requirements (like health screening or dress rules), since those details aren't covered here.