San Joaquin County

New Tracy Courthouse

Project Info

The Superior Court of California, County of San Joaquin, New Tracy Courthouse project provides a new two-courtroom courthouse of approximately 23,000 square feet in the city of Tracy. This project will return court service to Tracy for improving public service to the south San Joaquin County communities. The project reuses an existing state-owned property currently housing four outdated, former court facilities that will be demolished to construct the new building. It includes secure parking for judicial officers and surface parking spaces for the public, with solar power generation capability. The project will use the Design-Build delivery method.

Background

The Superior Court of San Joaquin County uses a decentralized model, with full-service operations in Stockton and branch locations in Manteca, Lodi, and French Camp. Stockton and Lodi serve the north county communities, while Manteca has served the south county communities. French Camp is a juvenile courthouse that serves the entire county.

Southern San Joaquin County has a large population (approximately one-third of the county) that continues to grow at a faster rate than any other part of the county, is the least well-served region, and why improving service here is a priority. Former court facilities in the city of Tracy have been vacant for more than a decade owing to major physical and functional deficiencies and need for replacement through a new construction capital project.

The new courthouse project will allow redeployment of filings/caseload from Tracy and other south county communities that are currently being processed in Stockton and reduce overcrowding at the Stockton Courthouse. Also, no site acquisition is required for this project, as it will reuse state-owned property in the city of Tracy. This property currently houses four vacant, former court facilities (main courthouse, two modulars, and storage building) that previously served south San Joaquin County communities. Vacant since 2011, these existing buildings have surpassed their useful life as court facilities, being too deteriorated and costly to be repurposed for public service. The highest and best use of this property is for infill development, and these existing buildings will be demolished in preparation for the construction of a modern courthouse building.

The New Tracy Courthouse will accomplish the following needed improvements to the superior court and enhance its ability to serve the public:

  • Provide a modern, accessible, safe, and efficient courthouse for returning court service to Tracy for improving public service to the south San Joaquin County communities.
  • Enhance the public’s access to justice by relieving the current space shortfall, increasing security, and replacing inadequate and obsolete buildings in San Joaquin County.
  • Provide adequate space not currently available due to space shortfall in the former court facilities, including centralized security screening, public waiting areas, jury assembly and deliberation, self-help center, attorney-client meetings, and circulation to all courtrooms for the public, judges, and staff separate from in-custody defendants.
  • Improve public safety by replacing facilities in poor condition with aged systems and significant physical and functional deficiencies including noncompliance with contemporary fire and life safety and accessibility codes.
  • Realize court operational efficiencies from improved space adjacencies for improved public service.
  • Restructure operations and functions to optimize use of court facilities.
  • Repurpose a state-owned site for infill development, eliminating project costs for site acquisition.

This project is in the Immediate Need priority group and consequently is one of the highest priority trial court capital-outlay projects for the judicial branch.

Schedule

This project is currently in the Performance Criteria phase.

Construction is estimated to begin in January 2030 and complete in September 2031.