Minimum through close custody (men) · State Correctional Facility · VTDOC

Northwest State Correctional Facility

St. Albans, Franklin County, Vermont

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: (802) 524-6771 Info last verified: June 2026

The closest men's facility to Burlington, near St. Albans — weekend visiting by last name, with a heavily pretrial population and federal detainees alongside.

Statewide rules that apply at every Vermont facility

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

Dress code

No clothing with holes, rips, or torn pockets; nothing resembling a uniform; no sweat suits, hats, headbands, or hoods.
Nothing see-through, tight-fitting, low-cut, midriff-baring, or tank/halter/tube style.
No skirts, dresses, or shorts with slits reaching two inches or more above the knee; no metal hair ornaments.
Staff judgment is final; children 10 and under get a partial exception at staff discretion.

ID: A government-issued photo ID whose name and address match the visiting list. Children can use any government-issued photo ID, a Social Security card, or a birth certificate.
What to bring: Nothing comes into the visiting room except bottles, pacifiers, or sippy cups for children 2 and under — lockers hold everything else, and tobacco stays in the vehicle.
Scheduling: The incarcerated person submits the visitor list (up to 10 names, changeable every 90 days). Visits are walk-in during the posted block for their housing unit (alphabetical by last name at two facilities) — one visit a week, up to two hours — and arrivals in the last 30 minutes of a period are not processed.

Full statewide rules: Visiting in Vermont

Overview

Northwest State is the men’s facility for Vermont’s northwest corner — and the closest one to Burlington. Its roughly 220 men skew heavily pretrial (about 140 detained at the most recent posted count), spread across eleven housing units from minimum to close custody, with Vermont Correctional Industries shops including the state’s license-plate shop on site. The facility also houses federal immigration detainees under a separate federal arrangement, with their own posted visiting rules.

One addressing quirk to know: the facility is physically in St. Albans, but mail uses a Swanton address — same street, different town and ZIP.

What Makes Northwest State Different

The alphabet sets the visiting day: the incarcerated person’s last name determines the weekend block — A-D and E-L on Saturday, M-R and S-Z on Sunday.
Restrictive housing visits go remote: segregation (Delta unit) visits happen by closed-circuit TV and approved appointment only, and close-custody (Echo) visits run on weekend evenings with a two-visitor cap.
It’s the reachable one: about 30 miles from Burlington, with Amtrak’s Vermonter terminating in St. Albans about five road miles away and a weekday commuter bus connecting Burlington and St. Albans — though no transit serves the facility itself.
The mostly-pretrial population means fast turnover — confirming someone is still here before traveling matters.

Visiting Hours and Procedures

The statewide rules above — the 10-name list, dress code, ID, and screening — apply at Northwest State. What follows is specific to this facility.

The schedule carries no posted date — call (802) 524-6771 to confirm before traveling, and to arrange a Delta appointment. Video visits run through ICSolutions at a published 16 cents per minute; the full approval and entry rules are in Visiting in Vermont.

Getting There and Parking

The facility is on Lower Newton Road, about four and a half miles northwest of downtown St. Albans.

Distances are approximate, based on map routing. DOC publishes no visitor parking guidance.

Nearby Services

St. Albans covers a visit day: a Hampton Inn downtown on Lake Street, food along the US-7 corridor, and Northwestern Medical Center at 133 Fairfield Street with an emergency department open around the clock — (802) 524-5911.

Learn More

For detailed information about visiting and communicating with someone in a Vermont facility:

Visiting in Vermont — the 10-name list, the no-contact rule, and entry
Mail & Packages — original-mail delivery and the Swanton mailing address
Phone & Video Calls — rates, free weekly calls, and the carrier-blocking fix
Sending Money — the free mail-in deposit option
Medical & Mental Health — statutory rights and the family channels
Transfers — placement, the 30-day list rule, and the Mississippi facility

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.