Northumberland Co Jail in Coal Township, PA is a county detention facility operated by the Northumberland County Sheriff's Office. Most people here are awaiting trial or sentencing - this is not a prison, and most stays are measured in days or months, not years. If someone you care about was just booked here, you have questions. Start with the one that matters most right now.
If you are not certain they are there, the fastest way to confirm is the Northumberland County inmate search or InmateAid's inmate locator, which searches across Pennsylvania facilities by name.
Booking takes time - sometimes several hours after arrest. If the search comes back empty, wait a few hours and try again before assuming they have been transferred somewhere else. You can also pull their arrest record and booking details to confirm the charges and facility assignment. For the most direct answer, call Northumberland Co Jail at 570-509-2701.
Most people booked at Northumberland Co Jail appear before a judge within 24 to 48 hours. At that first appearance the judge sets the bail amount - or denies bail - based on the charges, the person's history, and whether they are considered a flight risk.
If bail is set, your family member can be released by paying the full amount or by using a bail bondsman, who typically charges 10 percent of the total as a non-refundable fee. If bail is denied or the amount is unaffordable, they remain at Northumberland Co Jail until the case resolves. InmateAid's bail and bond guide walks through every option including what to do if you cannot afford a bondsman.
Right after arrest, your family member goes through intake at Northumberland Co Jail - identity verification, medical screening, property inventory, and classification. Classification places them in a housing unit based on the charges, prior record, and intake behavior. It is not a punishment. It is how the facility manages a population that ranges from people picked up on minor warrants to individuals facing serious charges.
For the first 24 to 48 hours, phone access and visitation are typically unavailable while booking completes. Once they are assigned to a housing unit, those channels open up. InmateAid's what happens in jail guide covers the full intake process step by step so you know what to expect.
Your family member calls you - you cannot call them. Calls from Northumberland Co Jail go through Inmate Calling Solutions (ICSolutions) and all calls are recorded except attorney calls. Set up a Inmate Calling Solutions (ICSolutions) account before the first call so the connection goes through without delay.
Phone contact is more important than most people realize going into this. A regular call - even a short one - makes a measurable difference in how someone holds up inside. Do not let the setup friction stop you. Visit InmateAid's jail calls page for step-by-step account setup, current rate information, and tips for keeping funds available.
Visitation hours at Northumberland Co Jail are set by the facility and can change without much notice. Before making the trip, call 570-509-2701 to confirm current hours, any advance registration requirements, and what you are allowed to bring.
The most common mistake families make is showing up without confirming first - and that results in a wasted trip and a missed visit for your family member. General rules across most Pennsylvania county jails: dress conservatively, avoid colors that resemble inmate uniforms, leave your phone in your car, and bring valid government-issued ID. Children may be permitted with specific requirements depending on the facility. InmateAid's visitation guide has a full checklist you can run through before you go.
VISITOR REGISTRATION IS MANDATORY www.icsolutions.com
- All visitors wishing to conduct an on-site visit must register (at no cost) to be eligible to participate in a video visiting session with an inmate at NCJ. All onsite visits will be conducted in the video visitation lobby within the NCJ administration building.
- For OFFSITE visitation, the visitor can choose to visit from a Windows-based computer or any Android device by downloading The Visitor android app, ICS MOBILE from the GOOGLE PLAY store.
- OFFSITE visitation is fee-based. Internet connectivity issues during offsite visits will not be refunded.
Hours are subject to change for administrative reasons without prior notice
Visiting Guidelines
All inmate visits are monitored and recorded, except registered attorney visits
- Inmates are permitted 25-minute visits.
- Minors must be accompanied and supervised by an adult at all times.
- Visits may be canceled for inmates in disciplinary restricted status without prior notification.
- All visitors must be dressed in clothing that is not overly revealing or in poor taste. Violators will be subject to visit cancellation and removal from premises and visitor lists.
- All on-site visitors are subject to search at any time. Refusal will result in termination or suspension of visiting privileges.
- No one will be permitted to visit if they appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
- Onsite visitors may be denied a visit, or suspended from visiting by the visiting officer for using any foul language or disorderly conduct. Visitors may also be asked to leave if a child that accompanies them is deemed to be disruptive to other visitors.
Money on the books - also called the commissary or trust account - gives your family member access to hygiene items, snacks, phone time, and postage. It is one of the most practical things you can do and it has a direct effect on their daily comfort.
Northumberland Co Jail accepts deposits through approved channels that typically include online deposit, phone deposit, or a kiosk at the facility. Use your family member's full legal name and booking number exactly as they appear in the jail's system - any error in the name or number will delay or reject the deposit. InmateAid's send money page lists the specific deposit methods accepted at Northumberland Co Jail and walks through the process.
A letter or a printed photo costs almost nothing to send and means far more than most people outside appreciate. Northumberland Co Jail accepts incoming mail addressed to your family member at 670 Northumberland County Dr. Put their full legal name and booking number on every piece of mail.
Standard rules at most Pennsylvania county jails: plain white paper only, no staples, no glitter, no stickers, no colored ink. Photos should be standard print size with nothing written on the back. Mail that does not meet the facility's standards will be rejected - and the facility may not notify you that it was. Keep it simple.
InmateAid's send mail service lets you write and send directly from your phone or computer. We print on approved stock and mail it for you, so rejection for formatting is not a risk.
Books and magazines must come new, ordered directly from the publisher or through an online retailer - not shipped from your home address. Facilities require this to prevent contraband. Order through Amazon or directly from the publisher. Anything shipped from a personal address will be turned away.
County jail procedures, visitation rules, phone rates, inmate search tools, bail processes, and what happens at release all vary by state. Pennsylvania has its own rules and its own agencies, and what applies in one state does not always apply here.
InmateAid's Pennsylvania prison resources hub covers all of it - written specifically for families navigating the Pennsylvania system. Start there when you need answers that go beyond what this facility page covers.
County jail time is hard in a way that is different from anything else. The uncertainty - not knowing how long, not knowing what comes next - wears on everyone. What you can control is the connection. Calls, letters, visits, money on the books. Every one of those things tells your family member that someone out here is paying attention and is not going anywhere.
InmateAid was built for exactly this. Use us.