Lake County

Clearlake Courthouse Renovation

Project Info

The Superior Court of California, County of Lake, Clearlake Courthouse Renovation project provides the renovation of the existing one-courtroom courthouse of approximately 8,500 square feet. Among other upgrades, it includes compliance with modern regulatory safety, seismic, and accessibility standards, spaces more closely aligned with Judicial Council facility standards, and secure parking for judicial officers. The project will use the construction-manager-at-risk delivery method.

Background

The Superior Court of Lake County provides court services from two geographic locations: the city of Lakeport on the northwestern side of Clear Lake and the city of Clearlake on the south side of the lake. Lakeport is the county seat and where most of the county justice partner agencies are located, including the jail, which is approximately six miles north of the main courthouse. The existing Lakeport Courthouse (soon to be replaced by the New Lakeport Courthouse currently under construction) serves as the main courthouse, houses the court’s administration, and offers most case types, such as civil, criminal, family law, juvenile, mental health, restraining orders, and appeals. The Clearlake Courthouse functions as a branch courthouse with a single courtroom hearing various case types, including infractions (traffic/nontraffic), child support (Department of Child Support Services), small claims, and unlawful detainers.

The Clearlake Courthouse is overcrowded with numerous physical, functional, and security deficiencies that require correcting, including but not limited to an undersized courtroom with inefficient layout, poor functional adjacencies, seismic and accessibility noncompliance, and a lack of fire alarm and sprinkler systems. The current building layout is insufficient, with undersized security screening and lobby waiting areas, lack of jury assembly and jury deliberation space, overcrowding of public and staff areas, and no separate paths of circulation for in-custody defendants from the public and judges and staff.

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

  • Provide an upgraded branch courthouse that is accessible, safe, efficient, and increases the public’s access to justice through new services, such as jury services and trials and family court services.
  • Improve security, relieve overcrowding, and enhance operational efficiency and customer service from improved space adjacencies.
  • Provide basic services not currently available to Lake County residents in the existing courthouse owing to overcrowding; lack of proper security; noncompliance with accessibility requirements; lack of space for adequately sized visitor security screening and queuing in the entrance area, courtroom, and self-help; and no rooms for attorney-client interviews or jury assembly.
  • Achieve compliance with modern regulatory safety, seismic, and accessibility standards and spaces more closely aligned with Judicial Council facility standards.
  • Improve the back half of the building (former sheriff substation) by removing shear walls and concrete roof to convert jail facility space to space usable for court operations.
  • Improve a state-owned asset for long-term service to the public, saving the costs of new construction and 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 Preliminary Plans phase.

Construction is estimated to begin in February 2029 and complete in February 2031.