Federal Courthouse Cell Phone Policies by District (2026)
U.S. District Court buildings set their own electronic-device rules by general order. They are often stricter than the county courthouse down the street. Rules for 86 federal courthouses:
| Courthouse | City | Public phones | Lockers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hugo L. Black United States Courthouse N.D. Ala. | Birmingham, AL | Allowed for the public | No storage: the court says the Hugo Black building has no storage space, so prohibited items must be kept off site (for example, in your car). |
| United States Courthouse (155 St. Joseph Street) S.D. Ala. | Mobile, AL | Banned for the general public | — |
| Frank M. Johnson Jr. U.S. Courthouse Complex M.D. Ala. | Montgomery, AL | Banned for the general public | None mentioned; the court tells visitors to leave phones in their car. |
| Judge Isaac C. Parker Federal Building W.D. Ark. | Fort Smith, AR | Not confirmed | — |
| Richard Sheppard Arnold United States Courthouse E.D. Ark. | Little Rock, AR | Banned for the general public | — |
| Sandra Day O'Connor United States Courthouse D. Ariz. | Phoenix, AZ | Allowed for the public | — |
| First Street U.S. Courthouse (Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez U.S. Courthouse) C.D. Cal. | Los Angeles, CA | Allowed for the public | — |
| Robert T. Matsui United States Courthouse E.D. Cal. | Sacramento, CA | Allowed for the public | — |
| James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep United States Courthouse S.D. Cal. | San Diego, CA | Allowed for the public | — |
| Phillip Burton Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse N.D. Cal. | San Francisco, CA | Allowed for the public | — |
| Alfred A. Arraj United States Courthouse D. Colo. | Denver, CO | Allowed for the public | — |
| Richard C. Lee United States Courthouse D. Conn. | New Haven, CT | Restricted | No lockers mentioned. The U.S. Marshals Service runs a system for collecting and returning phones in each courthouse. Courthouse security holds confiscated items until the person leaves. |
| E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse (and William B. Bryant Annex) D.D.C. | Washington, DC | Allowed for the public | — |
| J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building and United States Courthouse D. Del. | Wilmington, DE | Restricted | No lockers mentioned. Devices go in a USMS-provided locked pouch that the visitor keeps. Devices that don't fit are not permitted in the building. |
| Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. United States Courthouse S.D. Fla. | Miami, FL | Banned for the general public | — |
| United States Courthouse (Tallahassee) N.D. Fla. | Tallahassee, FL | Banned for the general public | Tallahassee jury brochure: free lockers are provided when entering the building. Local Rule 77.2(H) says the U.S. Marshals Service may agree to store a device that cannot be brought in. |
| Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse M.D. Fla. | Tampa, FL | Banned for the general public | Jury 'First Day' page says jurors' phones must be stored in a locker at the courthouse; no locker information for general public found. |
| Richard B. Russell Federal Building and United States Courthouse N.D. Ga. | Atlanta, GA | Banned for the general public | — |
| William A. Bootle Federal Building and United States Courthouse M.D. Ga. | Macon, GA | Banned for the general public | No lockers mentioned; policy directs people to leave devices at home or in their vehicles. Confiscated devices are returned on exiting. |
| U.S. District Court, Savannah Division S.D. Ga. | Savannah, GA | Banned for the general public | — |
| United States Courthouse, Honolulu D. Haw. | Honolulu, HI | Allowed for the public | — |
| United States Courthouse (Cedar Rapids) N.D. Iowa | Cedar Rapids, IA | Banned for the general public | No lockers mentioned; devices must be taken back to your vehicle. |
| United States Courthouse (Des Moines) S.D. Iowa | Des Moines, IA | Restricted | Visitors may keep a phone/smart watch in a lock pouch while inside; no lockers mentioned. |
| James A. McClure Federal Building and United States Courthouse D. Idaho | Boise, ID | Allowed for the public | — |
| Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse N.D. Ill. | Chicago, IL | Allowed for the public | — |
| United States Courthouse (East St. Louis) S.D. Ill. | East St. Louis, IL | Banned for the general public | — |
| United States Courthouse (Springfield) C.D. Ill. | Springfield, IL | Banned for the general public | — |
| United States Courthouse (Hammond) N.D. Ind. | Hammond, IN | Banned for the general public | — |
| Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse S.D. Ind. | Indianapolis, IN | Restricted | Devices go in a locked pouch the visitor carries or a locked receptacle (visitor keeps the key; a Court Security Officer unlocks it on departure). |
| Robert J. Dole United States Courthouse D. Kan. | Kansas City, KS | Banned for the general public | No lockers mentioned; devices must be returned to your car. |
| United States Courthouse (Lexington) E.D. Ky. | Lexington, KY | Banned for the general public | Jury FAQ says devices brought by jurors must be left with Court Security; no lockers described. |
| Gene Snyder United States Courthouse W.D. Ky. | Louisville, KY | Allowed for the public | — |
| Russell B. Long Federal Building and United States Courthouse M.D. La. | Baton Rouge, LA | Banned for the general public | No lockers mentioned; leave devices at home or in your vehicle. |
| Hale Boggs Federal Building and United States Courthouse E.D. La. | New Orleans, LA | Allowed for the public | No lockers mentioned; security will not store prohibited items (stated for liquids). |
| Tom Stagg United States Court House W.D. La. | Shreveport, LA | Banned for the general public | — |
| John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse D. Mass. | Boston, MA | Restricted | No lockers mentioned; court security officers check electronic equipment at the main entrance (jurors check phones at the front-lobby security desk). |
| United States Courthouse, Baltimore (Northern Division) D. Md. | Baltimore, MD | Restricted | Devices not permitted inside are securely stored in lock boxes in the lobby and retrieved on departure. |
| Edward Thaxter Gignoux U.S. Courthouse D. Me. | Portland, ME | Restricted | No lockers mentioned; the U.S. Marshals Service holds devices at security during the visit. |
| Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse E.D. Mich. | Detroit, MI | Banned for the general public | — |
| Gerald R. Ford Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse W.D. Mich. | Grand Rapids, MI | Banned for the general public | — |
| Diana E. Murphy United States Courthouse D. Minn. | Minneapolis, MN | Restricted | No lockers; devices are sealed in locked pouches that visitors keep, unlocked at weapons screening on exit. |
| Charles Evans Whittaker U.S. Courthouse W.D. Mo. | Kansas City, MO | Banned for the general public | — |
| Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse E.D. Mo. | St. Louis, MO | Allowed for the public | — |
| Thad Cochran United States Courthouse S.D. Miss. | Jackson, MS | Banned for the general public | None; the court states it has no secure area to store devices. |
| Federal Building (U.S. District Court), Oxford N.D. Miss. | Oxford, MS | Banned for the general public | No storage mentioned; visitors are told to leave devices in their vehicle. |
| Charles R. Jonas Courthouse W.D.N.C. | Charlotte, NC | Restricted | Storage lock boxes in the lobby of each courthouse (device screened first). Anyone who does not allow screening may not bring the device in. |
| U.S. Courthouse, Greensboro (headquarters) M.D.N.C. | Greensboro, NC | Banned for the general public | — |
| United States Courthouse (Terry Sanford Federal Building and Courthouse), Raleigh E.D.N.C. | Raleigh, NC | Banned for the general public | No lockers. If storing the device off-site is not practicable, the Court Security Officer may, at their discretion, hold it in a storage area; the government assumes no responsibility for loss or damage. |
| Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse D. Neb. | Omaha, NE | Restricted | No lockers mentioned; devices may be left with court security officers at the screening station if allowed. |
| U.S. District Court, Concord (Warren B. Rudman U.S. Courthouse name not confirmed) D.N.H. | Concord, NH | Restricted | Devices may be checked at the security station in the lobby. |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse D.N.J. | Newark, NJ | Allowed for the public | — |
| Pete V. Domenici U.S. Courthouse D.N.M. | Albuquerque, NM | Restricted | — |
| Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse D. Nev. | Las Vegas, NV | Allowed for the public | — |
| United States Courthouse, Brooklyn (Theodore Roosevelt U.S. Courthouse name not confirmed) E.D.N.Y. | Brooklyn, NY | Restricted | Court Security Officers store surrendered devices and give a numbered claim ticket. |
| United States Courthouse, Buffalo (Robert H. Jackson U.S. Courthouse name not confirmed) W.D.N.Y. | Buffalo, NY | Restricted | No lockers mentioned; devices are surrendered to Court Security at entry. |
| Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse S.D.N.Y. | New York, NY | Banned for the general public | — |
| Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse S.D.N.Y. | New York, NY | Banned for the general public | — |
| James M. Hanley Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse N.D.N.Y. | Syracuse, NY | Banned for the general public | — |
| Hon. Charles L. Brieant Jr. Federal Building and Courthouse S.D.N.Y. | White Plains, NY | Banned for the general public | — |
| U.S. Courthouse, Cleveland (headquarters) N.D. Ohio | Cleveland, OH | Allowed for the public | — |
| Joseph P. Kinneary U.S. Courthouse S.D. Ohio | Columbus, OH | Restricted | No lockers mentioned; locked pouches are used instead. Visitors with devices too large for a pouch (e.g. laptops) are told to leave and store them before returning. |
| Ed Edmondson United States Courthouse E.D. Okla. | Muskogee, OK | Banned for the general public | — |
| United States Courthouse, Oklahoma City W.D. Okla. | Oklahoma City, OK | Banned for the general public | — |
| Page Belcher Federal Building N.D. Okla. | Tulsa, OK | Restricted | No lockers mentioned; devices may be left with Court Security Officers at the entrance (the Marshals Service maintains a system to secure them). |
| Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse D. Or. | Portland, OR | Allowed for the public | — |
| U.S. Courthouse, Philadelphia (headquarters) E.D. Pa. | Philadelphia, PA | Restricted | No lockers; locked-pouch system. Damaging or stealing a pouch can bring criminal penalties. |
| U.S. Courthouse, Pittsburgh W.D. Pa. | Pittsburgh, PA | Allowed for the public | No lockers mentioned. The juror guide says security may hold camera-equipped phones until you leave, at their discretion. |
| William J. Nealon Federal Building and United States Courthouse M.D. Pa. | Scranton, PA | Restricted | No lockers; locked-pouch system. Damaging or stealing a pouch can bring criminal penalties. |
| Federal Building and Courthouse D.R.I. | Providence, RI | Banned for the general public | — |
| U.S. Courthouse, Columbia (headquarters) D.S.C. | Columbia, SC | Restricted | No lockers; devices can be left with security at entry if storing them elsewhere isn't practical. The Court, Marshals and CSOs are not responsible for loss or damage. |
| U.S. Courthouse, Knoxville Division E.D. Tenn. | Knoxville, TN | Banned for the general public | No public lockers mentioned. Jurors who bring devices on the first day must return them to their vehicle. |
| Odell Horton Federal Building W.D. Tenn. | Memphis, TN | Banned for the general public | — |
| Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building M.D. Tenn. | Nashville, TN | Allowed for the public | — |
| Reynaldo G. Garza-Filemon B. Vela United States Courthouse S.D. Tex. | Brownsville, TX | Restricted | No lockers; CSOs hold devices only when the visitor cannot return them to a vehicle. |
| United States Courthouse, Corpus Christi S.D. Tex. | Corpus Christi, TX | Restricted | Devices are checked at the CSO station in the lobby, with a claim tag. |
| U.S. Courthouse, Dallas (headquarters) N.D. Tex. | Dallas, TX | Not confirmed | — |
| Bob Casey United States Courthouse S.D. Tex. | Houston, TX | Allowed for the public | — |
| San Antonio United States Courthouse W.D. Tex. | San Antonio, TX | Allowed for the public | — |
| William M. Steger Federal Building and United States Courthouse E.D. Tex. | Tyler, TX | Banned for the general public | No storage service described; visitors are told to lock electronic devices in their vehicle. |
| Orrin G. Hatch United States Courthouse D. Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | Restricted | A limited number of small storage lockers in the lobby for cell phones or small cameras. No other devices may be stored in the courthouse. |
| Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse E.D. Va. | Alexandria, VA | Restricted | No lockers are provided in district courthouses to store prohibited devices. |
| United States Courthouse, Roanoke W.D. Va. | Roanoke, VA | Banned for the general public | — |
| Seattle United States Courthouse W.D. Wash. | Seattle, WA | Allowed for the public | — |
| Thomas S. Foley United States Courthouse E.D. Wash. | Spokane, WA | Allowed for the public | — |
| United States Courthouse, Madison W.D. Wis. | Madison, WI | Allowed for the public | — |
| U.S. Federal Building and Courthouse E.D. Wis. | Milwaukee, WI | Allowed for the public | — |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you bring a cell phone into a federal courthouse?
It depends on the district. Of the 86 federal courthouses we list, 26 allow phones for the public, 23 restrict them, and 35 ban them for the general public. Recording is prohibited in all of them.
Are federal courthouse rules the same as county courthouse rules?
No. Each federal district sets its own device rule by general order, separate from the state and county courts in the same city.