California court officials have begun the process of preparing an environmental impact report for a proposed $750 million courthouse in Downtown Fresno. The Judicial Council of California is inviting public feedback on the project at a community meeting scheduled for Wednesday, December 11, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Fresno Courthouse jury assembly room.
The plan involves constructing an 11-story building on a 2.09-acre site, which would include 36 courtrooms and cover a total area of 413,000 square feet. The Judicial Council’s preferred location is just north of the current Fresno County Courthouse and would require demolishing the existing sheriff headquarters and south annex jail building.
Two alternative sites are under consideration: one is open space in courthouse park near Fresno Street and Van Ness Avenue, while the other is a vacant parcel at Fresno and M streets east of the Fresno County Jail.
According to officials, “The Judicial Council of California approved the replacement of the nearly 60-year-old main Downtown Fresno courthouse in 2023. It includes more than $42 million in deferred maintenance liabilities.”
The new facility will also replace both the North Annex Jail and the leased M Street Courthouse. The project is currently in its acquisition phase, with construction expected to start in November 2028 and finish by November 2031.
Officials state that the project will be delivered through a design-build process.
