Levels II-III general population (men) · State Prison · CDCR

California State Prison, Solano

Vacaville, Solano County, California

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: (707) 451-0182 ext. 5708 Info last verified: June 2026

A work-and-training prison on Vacaville's Peabody Road, adjacent to the separate California Medical Facility — with walk-in visiting and a full-service visitor center.

Statewide rules that apply at every CDCR institution

These rules are set by CDCR and apply at every unit. The full list — including all permitted and prohibited items and the approval process — is in Visiting in California.

Dress code

Avoid blue denim, orange, bright yellow, khaki, tan, beige, forest or olive green, and camouflage — these match what incarcerated people or staff wear.
No tank tops, tube tops, spaghetti straps, sheer fabric, or low-cut necklines; shoulders should stay mostly covered.
Skirts and shorts must be within two inches of the knee. Leggings on their own usually do not pass.
Closed-toe shoes only — no sandals, flip-flops, or backless shoes.
Underwire bras set off the metal detector; a wireless or sports bra avoids the issue.

ID: A current government-issued photo ID matching the name on the approved application is required.
What to bring: No cell phones, wallets, other electronics, food, or drinks inside. A small clear bag may hold a car key and vending money in coins and $1 bills, up to the limit the institution posts on its visiting page.
Scheduling: Visitors must be approved on CDCR Form 106 before a first visit, then schedule through the VSA online system. Walk-ins are generally not allowed.

Full statewide rules: Visiting in California

Overview

California State Prison, Solano opened in 1984 next to the much older California Medical Facility — the two were run by the same warden until 1992 — and grew into a four-facility general-population prison of about 2,670 men, described in available audits as Level II and III housing. Its identity is work and training: eight career technical trades from carpentry to fiber optics and welding, adult education through a college program, substance-use treatment programming, and four prison-industry operations including a book bindery and an optical lab.

For visiting families, Solano is one of the friendlier setups in CDCR — posted walk-in windows with a numbered-pass system, and a staffed visitor center at the gate.

What Makes California State Prison, Solano Different

The Friendship House: Friends Outside operates a visitor center at SOL that CDCR describes as offering a sheltered waiting area, a clothing exchange (for dress-code surprises), childcare during visits, and help with transportation between public transit stops and the institution — though the current visiting page notes some services, including transportation, are temporarily limited, so confirm availability before relying on them.
Walk-ins run on numbered passes: Friday passes are issued from 12:30 p.m. with walk-in visits starting at 2:30; weekend passes from 8:30 a.m. with visits from 10:30 — first come, first served, and you must be present when your number is called.
Family (overnight) visits come with a restaurant option: meal orders for family visits can be placed through the Delancey Street Restaurant two weeks ahead — a published arrangement few prisons have. Family-visit applications take roughly 8-10 weeks to process; the coordinator is at (707) 451-0182 ext. 5705.
Non-contact visits are email-scheduled (SOLvideovisiting@cdcr.ca.gov), one hour regardless of travel distance, limited to one per weekend, no walk-ins.
The mail-box trap is subtle: SOL’s P.O. Box 4000 and the Medical Facility’s P.O. Box 2000 share the same Vacaville ZIP — a transposed box number sends mail to the wrong prison.
Cellphones are prohibited even in the waiting areas, and seating in the visiting room is assigned.

Visiting Hours and Procedures

CDCR posts SOL’s schedule and rules on the facility’s visiting status page.

Failure to clear the metal detector means no visit, and the statewide dress code applies — the Friendship House clothing exchange exists for exactly that situation. The full approval process and statewide rules are in Visiting in California.

Getting There and Parking

SOL is on Peabody Road at the south end of Vacaville, just off the I-80 corridor between Sacramento and the Bay Area.

Distances are approximate. Visitor parking is posted by side: the gravel or main lots on the Level II side, and the lower and gravel lots on the Level III side — spots marked as assigned parking are off-limits. CDCR directs travelers to Caltrans QuickMap for road conditions.

Nearby Services

Vacaville is unusually well-served for a prison town: a large hotel cluster sits at the I-80 interchanges (Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, Hyatt Place, Best Western, Comfort Suites, Holiday Inn Express, Motel 6, and more), with the full range of food and gas along the freeway corridor. NorthBay Health’s VacaValley Hospital at 1000 Nut Tree Road runs a 24/7 emergency room — (707) 624-7000 — with the region’s Level II trauma center at NorthBay Medical Center in neighboring Fairfield.

Learn More

For detailed information about visiting and communicating with someone at a California state prison:

Visiting in California — CDCR approval process, dress code, scheduling
Mail & Packages — What you can send and what gets rejected
Phone & Video Calls — Call costs, tablets, and video visits
Sending Money — How to add funds to a CDCR trust account
Medical & Mental Health — Healthcare in CDCR facilities
Transfers — What happens during transfers

Sources

This page is compiled from the following publicly available sources. Policies change without notice — confirm current details with the facility before relying on them.