The visitation elevator at the Maguire Correctional Facility was closed for repairs again, briefly interrupting the public’s ability to visit their incarcerated loved ones in person, ahead of the major repairs slated for this fall.
On Feb. 26, the sole visitor elevator experienced a “mechanical issue,” which was briefly resolved on Sunday but became an issue again on Monday, according to Gretchen Spiker, director of communications for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. As of Tuesday afternoon, the issue was resolved and visitation is slated to resume Wednesday, Spiker said.
The jail facility is owned by San Mateo County and the Department of Public Works oversees all of its maintenance. The county’s contractor, San Francisco Elevator, was on site to resolve the issue as soon as possible, Spiker said.
“The Sheriff’s Office understands how important in-person visitation is for families and loved ones,” Spiker said. “When cancellations occur, the Sheriff’s Office makes every effort to notify those who have signed up as quickly as possible.”
The recent outage follows another mechanical failure of the elevator that temporarily suspended in-person visitation at the county jail from June to December 2025.
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A replacement project is about to commence to update the jail’s entire elevator system, including the visitation elevator, which is outdated. The facility was constructed in 1988 and built with just a single elevator to accommodate in-person visitation.
San Francisco Elevator is procuring the necessary materials and anticipates the replacement of the first of four elevators to begin later this month, Spiker said.
“In an effort to minimize disruption to visitors, staff and facility operations, elevators are being replaced one at a time, starting with an elevator in the secure area of the facility,” Spiker said.
Each elevator will take about 14 weeks to be replaced, and will be out of service during that time, Spiker said. The Sheriff’s Office anticipates the visitation elevator will begin to be replaced in the fall of this year, Spiker said.
Video visitation, electronic messaging and additional communication options continue to be available for incarcerated persons and their loved ones when the visitation elevator is closed.
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