SLO County has to replace ‘seismically deficient’ courthouse. Now it has $320M for it
Years after the San Luis Obispo County courthouse annex was deemed seismically deficient by the Federal Emergency Management Agency efforts to replace the building are underway.
California’s 2026-27 fiscal year state budget, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on June 29, designates over $320 million to the design and building of a new courthouse in San Luis Obispo.
Built in the early 1980s, SLO County’s courthouse annex at 1050 Monterey St. is the county’s main criminal court, with 12 courtrooms across three floors. It is where all criminal cases — and some civil — are heard.
In 2017, FEMA stamped a P-154 “high-risk” seismic rating on the building — a 3.1 out of 10 — meaning it has a high potential for structural damage or collapse during an earthquake.
The building was ranked in the “immediate need” priority group, determined “deficient in all categories” of seismic, fire and life safety conditions, environmental hazards and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, according to a state Capital Outlay Budget Change Proposal Cover Sheet filed ahead of this year’s budget act.
A ten-year facility condition index rated the building in “poor condition,” according to the proposal.
“The building is overcrowded, with numerous functional and security issues that include undersized courtrooms with inefficient layouts, undersized entrance security screening area, poor functional adjacencies and ADA noncompliance,” the proposal said. “The facility has in-custody holding but minimal space for weapons screening. Separate and secure circulation dedicated for judicial officers and staff is marginal and deficient in separating in-custody persons from the public and judicial staff.”
Overdue maintenance and security refresh needs on the building would cost $10 million alone, the proposal said.
Where will the new courthouse be built?
The California Judicial Council, which owns the courthouse, has been working on the state acquisition of a privately owned building at 969 Toro St. and neighboring county offices located at 1144 Monterey St., which currently houses the county’s Parks and Recreation Department. The property is referred to as the Kimball site.
If successful, the new, 145,000-square-foot, 12-courtroom courthouse would be built at that site, including solar and secure parking for judicial officers, the budget proposal said.
The building would be five stories at the Monterey Street entrance and four stories tall at the backside due to slope of the hill the property is on, judicial council spokesperson for the project Blaine Corren told The Tribune.
The other option would be to build a new courthouse in place of the current courthouse annex, in which case the old building would be demolished and closed for at least two years of construction time.
Corren did not say how court cases would be diverted if the courthouse annex is closed for construction, or where the county Parks and Recreation Department would move to if the Kimball site is acquired for the project. He said the county is working on a potential relocation plan.
There are seven other superior court facilities in SLO County, including the Paso Robles branch courthouse for civil and family law matters, the Grover Beach branch courthouse for traffic matters, juvenile services, the veteran’s memorial branch courthouse also for traffic matters, and two offsite staff offices.
The other proposed alternative was to do renovations on the existing courthouse annex, but that option was deemed disruptive to court operations without allowing for expansion that is needed to solve overcrowding, the proposal said.
How long will the project take?
The timeline for the project will rely on negotiations for the Toro Street property going through, but if acquisition is completed by the end of the summer, as planned, construction is estimated to break ground in January 2029 and complete by September 2031 without delays, Corren said.
Acquisition efforts began in July 2022, according to the budget proposal.
How much will the project cost?
The project was specifically funded for $320,265,000 for the “design-build” phase in this fiscal year’s state budget.
The budget item will cover $267,225,000 for the construction contract; $8,017,000 for contingency costs; $9,410,000 for architectural and engineering services; and $35,613,000 for other project costs, according to the proposal.
However, the funding package is still $37 million short of the project’s estimated $357 million price tag listed in the budget proposal.
The project’s construction is funded through bond financing, Corren said.
