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Pelican Bay State Prison
Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP) contact, address, visiting, phone, mail and travel details. Confirm custody and current rules with the responsible agency.
Facility record · California
PBSP · Crescent City · Del Norte County
- SecurityLevels I–IV
- Population1,734
- Occupancy96%
Jail411 holds no custody records. A listing here does not mean anyone is held at this address.
Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP) is a state prison in Crescent City, Del Norte County, California, operated by California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. By capacity it is the 28th-largest of the 30 state prison records listed for California with a published capacity. It is one of 4 correctional facilities in Del Norte County, and California operates 30 state prisons in total.
Contact & details
CDCR Infrastructure Master Plan, Appendix 1 (May 2026), period ending 30 April 2026
Finding someone first
Nothing below works without two things: confirmation that the person is at Pelican Bay State Prison, and their CDCR number. Book a visit without them and you will be turned away; post a letter without the number and the mailroom cannot route it.
CDCR's public search covers people in CDCR custody. A disclaimer must be accepted before searching, and CDCR states the tool is informational rather than an official record. County jail populations are held separately.
CIRIS — California Incarcerated Records and Information Search ↗
Visiting Pelican Bay State Prison
This is what the institution publishes, in the order you will meet it: when visits run, how to get approved, how to book, when to arrive, and what you may carry in.
When visits run
Visiting open · 24 August 2026Get approved
You must be approved before booking. The incarcerated person first sends you a signed CDCR Form 106 Visiting Questionnaire. Complete that copy, then mail it directly to PBSP’s Visiting office.
Send it to: Mail the completed questionnaire to the Visiting Sergeant or Lieutenant, addressed to the attention of “Visiting”: P.O. Box 7500, Crescent City, CA 95532
What not to do: Do not mail the completed questionnaire back to the incarcerated person. Send it directly to PBSP’s Visiting office.
Book through the scheduling application
Approved visitors request PBSP in-person visits through VSA. PBSP’s posted request window is Thursday at 6:00 a.m. through Sunday at 6:00 a.m., first come, first served.
Open the Visitation Scheduling Application ↗
Best practice: Request the visit as soon as the window opens and keep the VSA confirmation. Check the live facility status again before leaving.
Your first visit: If this is your first VSA visit, claim the account that matches the identity already approved by CDCR.
Walking in: Eligible general-population walk-ins for Facilities A, B, D and the Minimum Support Facility run Friday 2:30–5:45 p.m. and Saturday/Sunday 10:00 a.m.–1:45 p.m. RHU does not allow walk-ins.
Non-contact and restricted-housing visitsNon-contact visiting is not a choice — it is what applies while someone is in reception (newly admitted to CDCR, or just transferred between prisons) or is segregated.
Arrive, and report to visitor processing
PBSP directs visitors to check QuickMap and the live status page before travel. General walk-in windows are Friday 2:30–5:45 p.m. and Saturday/Sunday 10 a.m.–1:45 p.m.; RHU has no walk-ins.
Parking: CDCR states that all prisons have separate visitor parking; accessible spaces are marked. The walk to processing may be long and some institutions use a prison van or bus.
Where to report: Navigate to 5905 Lake Earl Drive and follow posted signs for Visitor Parking, Visitor Processing, or the Visitor Center. After ID, pass processing, and required searches, staff direct visitors to the correct visiting room.
Friends Outside PBSP Visitor Center: (707) 465-6269. Thursday 8:00 a.m.–12 noon administrative only; Friday 11:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday and designated holidays 7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. These are visitor-center hours, not prison visiting-room hours.
Note. CDCR does not reliably publish a named visitor gate for PBSP. Do not follow an unsourced gate name; use posted signs and staff directions, or call Visiting at (707) 465-1000 extension 5425.Bring the right things, and only those
Allowed in
- Visitors are strictly limited to CDCR's published allowed-item list: limited cash, a small clear bag, two keys, ID, a nonmetallic comb/brush, tissues, prescription glasses, limited photographs/documents, specified baby items, approved medical/religious items, and service animals. Other unauthorized property should not be brought into the visiting area.
Identification: Adults must present valid, current photo identification. Accepted forms listed by CDCR include a state driver's license or DMV ID, armed-forces photo ID, ICE ID, U.S. or foreign passport, or Mexican Consulate photo ID.
How many may visit: General-population in-person visits allow up to five visitors and generally last through normal visiting hours; non-contact visits are limited to three visitors and usually one to two hours.
Bringing a child: A visitor under 18 must be accompanied by an approved adult. CDCR requires a certified birth certificate; legal guardians also need proof of guardianship, and another accompanying adult needs the birth certificate plus an original notarized consent authorization renewed yearly.
Video visits and cost: Weekend video visiting at adult institutions ended July 7, 2023. Incarcerated people with tablets remain eligible for 15 minutes of free video calls every two weeks.
Phone calls, money and mail
Phone calls
You cannot call in. CDCR states that it is up to the incarcerated person to initiate the call, and that calls are limited to 15 minutes. That single fact explains most of what families find confusing: the switchboard will not connect you, there is no voicemail, and a call arriving from an unfamiliar number is normal. What you can do from the outside is make sure the call can reach you — that your number is not blocked by your carrier, that it is not a VoIP or virtual number the system will refuse, and that whatever account arrangement the facility uses is set up and funded before he tries. For anything urgent, a message goes through the institution rather than the phone system.
Putting money on the books
Before anything else you need the person's CDCR number, from California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS), and their current location from CDCR's facility locator. CDCR then lists three routes. Electronic funds transfer through one of its vendors: GTL/ConnectNetwork, JPay, or Access Corrections. A lock box deposit, which CDCR states carries no fee when sent by money order, personal check or cashier's check: complete the Money Order Deposit Form with the sender's name and address, make the payment payable to JPay, and mail it to JPay, 2202 South Figueroa St, Box #3001, Los Angeles, CA 90007. CDCR caps this at $999.99 per money order, holds personal checks for ten business days, and warns that any letter or note enclosed with a payment will be discarded. Or send a check or money order to the institution itself. Vendor fees vary by amount and method, so check the vendor's own figure before you send.
Writing to someone here
Anyone may write to a person in a California state prison. Incoming letters are opened and inspected for contraband, then forwarded. CDCR asks that the envelope carry the person's full committed name and CDC number, the institution name, the P.O. box and housing assignment where known (CDCR states housing is preferable), and the city, CA and ZIP. The housing assignment is the part most people do not have: get it, and the CDCR number, from California Incarcerated Records and Information Search (CIRIS), from the institution's Public Information Officer, or from CDCR's Identification Unit. Note that the address mail goes to is not always the institution's street address, so confirm it before posting anything you cannot replace.
Full committed name · CDCR number · housing
Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP)
Staff: P.O. Box 7000, Crescent City, CA 95531-7000
Getting there, and staying
Crescent City is the practical lodging base. Confirm current rate, accessibility, pet, and cancellation terms directly before booking. Redwood Coast Transit Route 20 does not list PBSP as a timed stop. Call RCTA at (707) 308-7433 before travel to ask whether a safe flag stop can serve 5905 Lake Earl Drive. Without confirmed service, arrange a car, taxi, or ride for both directions.
Where to stay
Hotel details can change. Confirm the exact room, accessibility features, total price, and cancellation deadline with the property.
Somewhere to eat
| Place | What and when | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Fisherman’s Restaurant700 Highway 101 South, Crescent City | Breakfast, lunch and dinner; site lists daily 6 a.m.–8 p.m. | (707) 465-3474 |
| SeaQuake Brewing400 Front Street, Crescent City | Lunch and dinner; later Friday/Saturday hours | (707) 465-4444 |
| Good Harvest Cafe575 US Highway 101, Crescent City | Broad café menu; call because its pages have shown inconsistent hours | (707) 465-6028 |
| Marlo’s Restaurant383 M Street, Crescent City | Local restaurant option; verify current service hours | (707) 465-8388 |
Local planning notes
Prefer a VSA appointment; eligible walk-ins are limited by housing and may not receive cancellation notice. PBSP tells visitors to keep original required documents even when scanned because a power or SOMS outage can make stored copies unavailable. Check Caltrans QuickMap immediately before travel and confirm transportation for both directions because lodging and food are concentrated away from the prison.
Before you rely on it: The exact PBSP CDCR visiting page controls. Its current status supersedes older notes that said Facility A visiting was cancelled.
Inside the institution
The 275-acre institution has Facilities A–D, a Minimum Support Facility, and a Correctional Treatment Center/Infirmary. A and D are open-cell dorm-like environments; B is Level IV GP/EOP; C is closed; the MSF is a dorm outside the main secure perimeter.
Restricted housing
PBSP has a Restricted Housing Unit. Its official page says people there retain access to rehabilitative, educational, and voluntary self-help programming and may earn RHU-term reductions through specified coursework.
Health care, programs and release preparation
These services differ by institution. The details below describe what this prison reports, not a systemwide promise that every person qualifies for every program.
Health care
The Correctional Treatment Center/Infirmary provides medical and specialty services and houses Mental Health Crisis Beds and inpatient medical patients; programs also include mental-health services.
Education, training and work
Programs include GED, high-school diploma, College of the Redwoods and Cal Poly Humboldt partnerships, multiple college-degree programs, vocational training, and Last Mile computer/coding/CAD offerings.
Preparing for release
DRP offers substance-use treatment and pre-release programming; an on-site family liaison assists with pre-release preparation, and PBSP states its programs prepare people for successful reintegration.
Reported figures
These are the institution’s own returns to the state, and every group is dated. They have to be: the figures come from separate documents on separate cadences, and reading the whole set as one snapshot would be wrong.
Capacity and population
as at 30 April 2026How the population is housed
as at 30 June 2024Staffing
as at 30 June 2024Education and training
as at 30 June 2024CDCR Infrastructure Master Plan, Appendix 1 (May 2026) (Public record) · California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, SB601 Reporting (CC BY 4.0)
Guides that go wider than this institution
These cover the same ground across every facility in the directory, which is what you want if the person may be moved, or if you are helping someone in a different state.
Other facilities in Del Norte County
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What should I confirm before visiting?
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Send us the page and the detail that needs attention. Include the official source when you have one. Do not send private booking documents or other sensitive personal information.
Plan the next step.
Practical guides for calls, visits, mail, money and release.