Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Butner Low, formally the Low Security Correctional Institution (LSCI) Butner, is a low-security U.S. federal prison for male inmates in Butner, Granville County, North Carolina, about 25 miles north of Durham. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and is part of the larger Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) Butner, one of the BOP's most significant complexes in the southeastern United States, which also includes medium-security institutions and a federal medical center. The institution has a rated capacity of roughly 1,300 beds. This page uses the facility's current, officially posted visiting regulations to explain how to visit, write, send money, and contact the institution.
About the facility, management and structure
FCI Butner Low is one of several institutions inside FCC Butner, administered by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and led by a complex Warden with associate wardens and department heads. As a low-security FCI, it houses inmates in dormitory or cubicle-style housing rather than individual cells, with a comparatively high staff-to-inmate ratio and an emphasis on structured work assignments, education, and reentry preparation. Housing at Butner Low is organized into named units — Vance, Durham, Wake, and Granville — which, as noted above, also determine which weekend an inmate's family can visit. A multi-purpose Visiting Room handles both regular social visits and a supervised children's play area, and every visit is monitored on video and in person by Visiting Room officers to maintain security and prevent contraband from passing between an inmate and a visitor.
FCC Butner as a whole is one of the largest federal correctional complexes in the country and includes several distinct institutions on the same grounds beyond the Low facility covered on this page: a medium-security FCI, a second medium-security unit, and the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Butner, which provides specialized medical and mental health care to inmates from across the federal system. Because these are separate institutions with their own register numbers, mailing addresses, and visiting schedules, always confirm which specific Butner facility your inmate is held in — a letter or visit planned for the wrong unit within the complex won't reach them, even though the town, county, and general campus are the same.
How to contact the prison
- Phone: 919-575-5000
- Fax: 919-575-5023
- Physical address: Old NC Hwy 75, Butner, NC 27509 (Granville County)
- Mailing address for inmate correspondence: P.O. Box 999, Butner, NC 27509
- Official website: bop.gov/locations/institutions/buf/
Call the main line to confirm visiting hours, your inmate's weekend rotation, the approved-visitor process, and current policies before you travel or send anything.
Inmate contact details — sending mail
Address general correspondence to the inmate using their committed name and register number:
- Inmate Name & Register Number
- Federal Bureau of Prisons, LSCI
- P.O. Box 999
- Butner, NC 27509
All mail is opened and inspected before delivery. Do not include cash in a letter, and stick to plain paper and photographs — following BOP mail-content rules reduces the chance of a piece being rejected and sent back to you instead of reaching your inmate.
Sending money and staying in touch
Do not send money to the facility's own address. Funds for an inmate's trust account must go to the BOP's central lockbox processing center in Des Moines, Iowa, by MoneyGram, Western Union, or a mailed money order — never cash, and never to the Butner street address. Inmates place outgoing calls through the BOP's monitored phone system and can also use TRULINCS electronic messaging, which families access through CorrLinks. We've built direct relationships with facility phone providers, so through our discounted phone calls service you can get a flat $10 a month for 500 minutes instead of paying the standard per-minute rate — there's no local number to configure; your inmate just calls your regular phone.
Inmate service providers at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) - Butner Low
Like most US jails and prisons, Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) - Butner Low relies on private companies for phone calls, video visits, money transfers, and care packages, each with its own fees and sign-up steps. Nationwide the most common providers are Securus and ViaPath (GTL) for calls and video, JPay and Access Corrections for sending money, and Access Securepak for care packages.
Not sure which company serves Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) - Butner Low? Our inmate service provider directory explains how each one works, what it charges, and how to set up an account before you pay.
Visitation
Visitation timings
FCI Butner Low runs a two-part weekly visiting schedule, not a weekends-only one. According to the institution's current visiting schedule:
- Thursday and Friday: 2:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and all Federal Holidays: 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Weekend visiting is also split by housing unit so the visiting room doesn't overflow: inmates housed in Vance and Durham units visit on the first and third weekend of the month, while inmates in Wake and Granville units visit on the second and fourth weekend; a fifth weekend, when the calendar has one, rotates between the two pairs of units. That weekend split does not apply to the Thursday/Friday evening slots or to federal holidays — every housing unit can receive visits on those days. Because this schedule depends on which housing unit your inmate is assigned to, confirm the specific weekend with the inmate or the facility before you plan a trip.
Visiting uses a 12-point monthly system: each inmate is allotted 12 visiting points per calendar month, and the cost per point varies by day. A weekend visit (Saturday or Sunday) costs two points, a normal weekday visit (Monday, Thursday, or Friday) costs one point, and visits on federal holidays cost no points at all. Visitor processing has several cutoffs worth planning around: it stops no less than one hour before the close of visiting each day, stops at 9:15 a.m. on weekends and holidays pending the 10:00 a.m. official count, pauses again at 3:30 p.m. on Fridays until the 4:00 p.m. count clears, and shuts down entirely after 7:00 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and after 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and holidays. No one may leave the visiting room until the Control Center declares a clear count, so build in extra time on both ends of your visit.
Preparing for your visit
Because Butner Low's schedule is more complex than a simple weekend-only pattern, double-check which day and time actually applies to your situation before you travel. If you're planning a weekend trip, confirm your inmate's housing unit (Vance/Durham or Wake/Granville) so you know whether that weekend is theirs; if it isn't, a Thursday or Friday evening visit (2:30–8:00 p.m.) or a federal holiday visit will work regardless of housing assignment. Bring only your government photo ID and a small amount of coin cash — most personal items, including your phone, have to stay in the car. Arrive with a buffer before the processing cutoffs described above, since the front entrance stops accepting new visitors well before the visiting room actually closes, and no one is allowed to leave the room again once an official count begins. As with any BOP facility, visiting privileges can be curtailed on short notice for an emergency, a disciplinary issue, or overcrowding, so a phone call to confirm the schedule on the morning of your trip is always worth the few minutes it takes.
Visitation rules and dress code
An inmate's approved visiting list is limited to immediate family plus up to ten additional friends or associates, and every proposed visitor who isn't immediate family is background-checked before approval—so plan ahead, since being added to the list isn't immediate. Normally, only five adult visitors (age 16 or older) may visit an inmate at one time; there's no cap on the number of children under 16, but they must be supervised in the visiting room or the attached children's playroom at all times. Every visitor 16 or older must present valid government photo ID — a state driver's license, federal ID, military ID, or passport; signature ID alone is not accepted, and expired or altered ID is refused.
Prohibited visitor clothing includes:
- Khaki clothing, scrubs, and camouflage of any type (khaki and camo resemble inmate or staff uniforms).
- Spandex, jeggings, leggings, form-fitting clothing, and gray sweats.
- See-through items, low-cut blouses, tank tops, muscle shirts, and mini-skirts.
- Any revealing clothing or clothing above the knee (knee-length is measured while standing).
All shoes must have a strap or backing on the heel — open-toe, peep-toe, and flip-flop-style shoes are not allowed. Staff makes the final call on borderline outfits, and a visit can be denied on the spot for a dress-code violation, so it's worth checking the list twice before you leave home.
What visitors can and cannot bring
Visitors may bring up to $20 in coins for the vending machines (a coin machine is also available in the front lobby) and a small coin or clutch-style purse, provided it's clear plastic and no larger than 8 by 6 by 2 inches. Almost everything else has to stay in the car or a visitor locker. Items that are not allowed in the visiting room include open- or peep-toed shoes, flip-flops, sunglasses, sun shades, visors, wallets, paper currency, cases, large purses, bags, pocket knives, pepper spray, cameras, tape recorders, radios, umbrellas, pens, pencils, paper documents, newspapers, magazines, credit cards, photographs, cosmetics, candy, gum, cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, cigarette lighters, matches, playing cards, toys and games, and any communication device — including pagers, smartwatches, cell phones, and tablets. Tobacco products of any kind, including e-cigarettes, are specifically banned from the visiting room, and animals are not allowed on institution grounds except certified service dogs.
Parents bringing a child three years old or younger may carry in three clear bottles, unopened formula, three jars of unopened baby food, one baby spoon, two small receiving-type blankets, five diapers, one change of baby clothing, a small sealed package of baby wipes, one pacifier, and one teething toy — but strollers and baby carriers are not admitted, so plan to carry an infant in.
Special visits and visitors with limited time
Outside the regular schedule, inmates can request a special visit for a clergy member, a former or prospective employer, a sponsor, a parole advisor, an attorney, or — for pretrial inmates — a visitor helping them prepare for trial. These requests go through the inmate's Unit Team, which verifies the purpose and identity of the visitor and forwards a recommendation to the Warden for approval; special visits are normally scheduled during the regular business day or standard visiting hours rather than created as extra time on top of them. Attorney visits are coordinated separately through unit management staff and don't count against an inmate's monthly visiting points. If you only have a narrow travel window and a regular visiting slot won't work, ask the Unit Team early — these approvals take time and are not guaranteed.