Background
This project consolidates operations from two buildings into a modern, secure courthouse for centralized criminal, civil, family, traffic, small claims, juvenile, and probate proceedings. It also enables the court to expand basic services it couldn't provide due to space restrictions: appropriately sized jury assembly and deliberation rooms, a self-help center, family court mediation, attorney interview/witness waiting rooms, and secure circulation for visitors, judicial officers, and court staff, as well as in-custody holding.
The New Sonora Courthouse is located just outside the Sonora city limits in the county’s Law and Justice Center, bounded by Old Wards Ferry Road and Highway 108. Tuolumne County owns the land surrounding the courthouse site and has made significant improvements to the property, including roads and utilities, as well as site plans for justice partners, providing improved access to justice for Tuolumne County residents. Site acquisition was completed in April 2012.
Timeline
The County of Tuolumne was the original lead agency for the CEQA environmental review done on the site for the new courthouse located in the county's Law and Justice Center. The Judicial Council adopted the county's existing EIR prior to the acquisition of the property.
November 23, 2011: The Judicial Council filed its own Notice of Determination for the courthouse project.
CEQA
The Judicial Council was the lead agency for preparation of an environmental report to comply with CEQA.
