Lee County Detention Facility

"Stronger Communities Are Safer Communities", as the motto of the Lee County Sheriff's Office,
this simple statement reflects my belief that my role as the chief law enforcement officer
in Lee County is to build strong communities. For communities to thrive, order must be
maintained by fairly enforcing the law. In turn, as communities become stronger in working together
to meet challenges a sense of shared responsibility leads to common desire to preserve the peace.
This shared responsibility is the strongest law enforcement tool that our county can have.
Communication and accountability are essential elements in developing this shared responsibility.

General Information

Superior court dates will not be shown due to the inmate must appear before a Superior Court Judge when they are called.

Court dates will be updated within 48 business hours after the detention facility receives it from the courts.

DA number: 919-718-6310
Clerk's office: 919-718-6300
Magistrate: 919-718-6319
Probation & Parole: 919-776-0639
NC Court date Superior and District

All video visits will be limited to 20 minutes. No Exception.

The fastest way to communicate with an inmate is by phone or messaging.
The inmate communications provider is Pay Tel Communications.

To set up and account with Pay Tel, call 1-800-PAY-TELL or Visit;


Rules are in place for the safety of the inmates and staff. No exceptions.

Mailing Information

To send mail to inmates housed at Lee County Detention Facility, use the following address:

Lee County Detention Center
Inmate Name, Inmate ID Number
Facility ID Number: 5111
PO Box 18247
Greensboro, NC 27419

The envelope must include the Facility Name, Inmate Name, Inmate ID Number, and the Facility ID or the mail will NOT be scanned. The Facility ID for the Lee County Detention Center is 5111. The envelope must have a complete, legible return address including the sender’s first and last name or the mail will NOT be scanned.

Mail will be withheld if it contains any of the following:

    1. NO cash, personal checks, or money orders mailed to the mail processing center.
    2. Mail must be 10 pages or less per envelope.
    3. Page size must be no larger than 8.5” x 11.”
    4. No items containing, depicting, or relating to sexually explicit activity, gang activity or gang related material such as signs, pictures, symbols, or suggestive artwork. Illegal activity, violence, drug, or alcohol use, etc.
    5. No photos of nude or partially clothed persons, materials or pictures advocating sexual behavior, violence, racial, religious, or national hatred.
    6. NO illegal substances or any other items considered to be contraband.
    7. No magazines, books, or packages mailed to the mail processing center, NO publications of any kind.
    8. NO originals of important documents or photos such as Birth Certificates, Driver’s Licenses, Social Security Cards, Green Cards, etc., as the will not be returned.
    9. Threats of physical harm against any person.
    10. Threats of blackmail or extortion.
    11. Plans to send contraband to the facility.
    12. Instructions for making weapons, drugs, or alcohol.
    13. Plans to assist in the escape of an inmate.
    14. Plans for the commission of a crime or evidence of a crime.
    15. Material that may threaten the security and safety of the detention facility.
    16. Letters or cards containing indecent material.
    17. Music lyrics, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, or photocopies.
    18. Food or cosmetic items.

    Photos sent to an inmate via the Pay Tel Connect application are $0.25 per approved photo charged to the sender, not the inmate.

    Physical mail will be destroyed. All scanned mail containing materials considered illegal or breaches of security will be turned over to the proper authorities for investigation. Any threats of criminal activity will not be permitted in any correspondence and may result in criminal charges.

    LEGAL MAIL / PRIVILEGED MAIL / MONEY ORDERS:

    Do not mail legal/privileged mail or money orders to the mail processing center.
    Legal mail must be mailed directly to the facility. Legal mail must be marked on the envelope as “Legal Mail”
    and will be opened in the presence of the inmate. Address legal mail and money orders as follows:

    Lee County Detention Facility
    Inmate Name, Inmate ID Number
    1408 South Horner Blvd Sanford, NC 27330

    BOOKS/MAGAZINES/PACKAGES
    NO books, magazines or packages are to be mailed to the above address. These items will be returned to the sender.

    Sending Funds to an Inmate

    A deposit kiosk is conveniently located in the Sheriff’s Office main lobby.

    Main lobby hours are Monday – Friday 8am to 5pm
    There is a website also that can be used to place money on an inmate’s books.

    Release Information

    All releases from the Lee County Detention Facility shall be the result of an inmate posting bond, a court order, completion of a sentence, payment of a fine and court costs, a facsimile from another agency releasing their hold, or transfer of the inmate to the custody of another agency authorized by law to assume custody of that inmate. Paperwork and other information in the inmate’s file receive a comprehensive and thorough review during the release process. You should know that this is time-consuming and must be carefully done to ensure public safety. File review occurs in the order in which the file was received by the releasing officer.

    FAQ:

    Hours of release are as follows:

    Inmates released by bond are released 7:00-11:30 am, 1:00-4:30 pm, and 6:00 pm – 6:00 am.

    Inmates serving a sentence are generally released between 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM on the day of discharge unless the court makes other instructions.

    Some inmates required to be released to adult probation; drug treatment and other programs must be picked up by a representative from that program.

    Inmates with charges from other jurisdictions are turned over to officers from the other jurisdiction when all Lee County business has been completed.

    Inmates sentenced to the North Carolina Department of Corrections will be transported or picked up as soon as practical considerations permit.

    For security purpose, detention facility staff members are forbidden from discussing when an inmate will be transported from the facility.

    Inmate clothing and property in the custody of the detention facility will be returned at the time of release. Any money left in an inmate’s account will be returned during regular business hours, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.