El Dorado County Jail

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office operates two jails -- the Placerville Facility and the South Lake Tahoe Facility. The South Lake Tahoe Facility can house up to 158 inmates and the Placerville Facility has the capacity of 303 inmates and 8 outpatient medical beds.

To find out if your loved one is being held at one of the El Dorado County Jail locations, contact the facility directly, click here, or use VINE (see below).

VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday)

Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) is a free and anonymous telephone service that provides victims of crime both information and notification. VINE monitors the custody status of offenders in the El Dorado County Jail and receives updated information every 15 minutes.

The Toll Free Number for California VINE is 1.877.411.5588. Anyone can call the California State VINE line to determine an inmate's custody status. To search for offender information, callers will need one of the following items:

• Offender name or alias
• Secondary search option (if there is more than one offender with the same name), such as:
  
  • Arrest date
  • Date of birth
  • Middle initial
  • Offender identification number

VINE will let callers know about the offender's current custody status, the location of the inmate, and their offender number. 

Information provided when calling VINE includes:

• Current offender custody status
• Location of offender
• Offender number (if searched by name)

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at both the Placerville and South Lake Tahoe Facilities are on a first come, first served basis. In-person visits are 30-minute sessions instead of the normal 1 hour. The time slots are listed below and available on a first come first serve basis. All visitors must check in 15-minutes prior to the available 30-minute time slot. 

Inmates are allowed three 30-minute in-person visits per week, and one free video visit per week (Monday through Sunday).

Visitors are allowed one 30-minute, in-person visit, per day; three total 30-minute in-person visits per week (Monday through Sunday).

As of November 2021, all visitors are required to wear a face covering which covers the visitor's mouth and nose. Any visitor who refuses to wear a face covering will be asked to leave the facility and/or banned from future visitation.

Placerville Visiting Schedule

Monday through Sunday Time Slots

• 8:00 – 8:30  AM
• 9:00 – 9:30 AM
• 10:00 – 10:30  AM
• 1:00 – 1:30  PM
• 2:00 – 2:30 PM
• 3:00 - 3:30 PM

Monday through Thursday Evening Time Slots

• 7:00 – 7:30 PM
• 8:00 – 8:30 PM
• 9:00 - 9:30 PM

South Lake Tahoe Visiting Schedule

Monday through Saturday Time Slots

• 8:00 – 8:30 AM
• 9:00 – 9:30 AM
• 10:00 – 10:30 AM
• 1:00 – 1:30 PM
• 2:00 – 2:30 PM
• 3:00 - 3:30 PM

Tuesday through Thursday Evening Time Slots

• 7:00 – 7:30 PM
• 8:00 – 8:30 PM
• 9:00 - 9:30 PM

Visiting Rules

• Only ONE visitor may visit an inmate at a time; exception, a minor may be escorted by the legal guardian or parent.  
• Visitors are required to show proper identification prior to visiting.  Example: driver’s license, birth certificate with photo I.D., etc. 
• Inmates will not be pulled away from any court ordered classes to visit.
• Visitors who have served time in the CDCR prison system or who are currently on Parole or PRCS will not be permitted to visit without prior written approval of the Jail Commander or Parole/Probation officer.
• No personal property is allowed within the visiting area, including but not limited to: CELL PHONES, handbags, writing supplies, books, cameras, any electronic device, food, and beverage. Leave these items in your vehicle or you may stow items in the lobby lockers. The locker key may remain on your person during your visit.
• Staff will not deliver messages to the inmates.
• Money, in the form of cash or cashier’s check may be brought to the facility at any time and placed on the inmate's account.  These forms of money can be sent via postal service as well.
• Loud, boisterous, and rude language will not be tolerated during the visit. Any visitor within the facility observed in inappropriate conduct, sexual behavior, or any type of indecent exposure, may be permanently banned from visiting.
• Should visiting rules constantly be abused, i.e.; end/start times, dress code, or disruptive behavior during your visits, the following week's visitation privileges will be terminated.
• Visiting will end at the posted times. Visitors that do not arrive 30 minutes before the end of visiting will not be allowed to visit at that time.
• Previous inmates must be out of custody 30 days prior to visiting the facility or making deposits to inmate accounts.

Dress Code

All visitors, male, female, adult, and children must adhere to the following dress code. Failure to comply with the dress code will result in the visitor being turned away.

• NO BARE BACKS, CHESTS, and/or ABDOMENS. 
• NO TANK TOPS, HALF TOPS, SPAGHETTI STRAPS, OR BATHING SUITS.  
• NO SHORT SHORTS, SKIRTS OR DRESSES - THEY MUST BE MID-THIGH IN LENGTH OR LONGER.
• NO SHEER FABRIC OR EXPOSED UNDERGARMENTS.
• GANG ATTIRE IS NOT ALLOWED. 
• SHOES MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES. 
• NO HATS, BANDANAS, BEANIES, ETC. (Nothing is to be worn on the head). 

Video Visitation

NCIC offers El Dorado County Jail inmates one free video visit per week. All other video visits are available at a rate of 20 cents per minute. The video visitation calendar is seven days per week between the hours of 8:00 AM and 11:00 PM. Please note that certain blocks of time will be excluded for jail operations. 

Inmates are allowed one video visit each day video visitation is available. Each video visit is scheduled for a maximum of 30 minutes. Inmates will not be pulled away from any court ordered classes for video visits.

NCIC Inmate Communications offers remote Video Visitation at the Placerville Jail and South Lake Tahoe Jail. Video visitation must be scheduled in advance at  https://videovisit.ncic.com/  

Remote video visits allow friends and family members to visit with their incarcerated loved one from the comfort of home via the internet on a home computer, tablet, or smart phone with a working camera. To login or create a new visitor account: go to https://videovisit.ncic.com/scheduling/login.

For information or assistance on how to set-up a visitor account, schedule a remote video visit, or any other related video visitation questions, please call 800-943-2189 to speak with a representative who will assist you.

Video Visitation Terms and Conditions:

• The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office reserves the right to deny, cancel, or terminate a video visit prior to or during a video session based upon a visitor or inmate's misconduct.
• Participation in video-visitation is a privilege, not a right. The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office reserves the right to restrict visitors from participating in future use of the video visitation system.
• All video visits are recorded and subject to monitoring by El Dorado County Sheriff's Office personnel. Use of the video visitation system constitutes consent to this recording and monitoring.
• Both inmate and visitor are required to keep their faces within camera view at all times during the video visit. Inmates and/or visitors who do not maintain their faces within camera view will be subject to their visit being terminated.
• All video visitors, male, female, adult and children must adhere to the dress code. Failure to comply with the dress code will result in the cancellation of the video visit. Violators will be barred from participating in video (off-site) visitation.

Packages

Inmates may receive new or used paperback books in the mail directly from the publisher or an approved bookstore. Inmates may subscribe to newspapers, magazines, and periodicals. Such subscriptions must also come directly from the publisher or an approved bookstore and delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.

Inmates may also receive personal clothing, for the purposes of a jury trial. Any other packages must have prior approval from the Jail Commander.

INMATE MESSAGING

NCIC Inmate Communications offers Electronic Messaging through VendEngine, which allows friends and family members to communicate with incarcerated loved ones at the Placerville Jail and South Lake Tahoe Jail.

Visit the VendEngine website at http://www.jailfunds.com or download the JailFunds by VendEngine App on a mobile device from the Apple App store or Google Play store in order to send electronic messages. Each one costs 50 cents to send. 

For information or assistance on how to send a message or any other related electronic messaging questions, please call (855)-836-3364 to speak with a representative who will assist you.

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates at the El Dorado County Jails cannot receive incoming phone calls. However, they can make outgoing collect calls from the inmate housing area.

How to Send Money

Money can be deposited to an inmate’s account at either El Dorado County Jail location by mail or in person. Money for inmates will only be accepted via Money Orders, Cashier's Checks, government checks, and Traveler's Checks. The inmate's name and booking number must be on the front of the check or money order.

Money Orders, Cashier's Checks, and Traveler's Checks must be made out to the inmate. Please include the inmate's date of birth if you do not know the booking number.

Programs For Inmates

The following programs are available at both jail locations:

Adult Education

The education program is operated by El Dorado Adult School and is staffed by full time Adult Education teachers with assistance from volunteers around the community. Inmates who wish to attend must have the desire to learn and be in custody at least six weeks to enroll.

Courses offered:

* General Education Development-G.E.D.

* English As a Second Language

* Adult Basic Education

* High School Diploma

* Adult Enrichment

* Career Awareness

HEARTS

Health Education, Addiction Recovery Toward Self-Responsibility, or HEARTS, is a program that teaches substance abuse education along with personal development and the tools necessary to stay clean and sober.

Religious Services

The jails have a volunteer chaplain and a staff that offer all inmates a variety of religious services and bible studies.

Alcoholics/Narcotic Anonymous

The AA and NA programs are the standard programs that are utilized around the country. In addition, Parenting Classes, MRT-Moral Recognition Therapy, and Anger Management are also available.

Pictures of El Dorado County Jail

Careers at El Dorado County Jail

If you are interested in a career with the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department and would like more information about the job openings at either one of the El Dorado County Jails, click here.