Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara Criminal Courthouse

The proposed new Santa Barbara Criminal Courthouse would increase efficiency and security by consolidating all criminal and traffic court operations in one modern, secure building for the south district. It would also co-locate jury services with the criminal courtrooms. The new facility would relieve the historic Anacapa courthouse of criminal proceedings and replace the Figueroa courthouse and Jury Services building, both of which would be vacated by the court once the new building is completed.

The proposed project would also provide basic services not currently provided to south district court users due to limited space, including appropriately sized courtrooms, jury deliberation rooms, an adequately sized self-help center, a children's waiting room, attorney/client interview rooms, and ADA accessibility. Enhanced security features would include entrance screening of all court users and adequately sized in-custody holding. The proposed project also includes secure parking for judges as well as a 240-car parking structure for staff, visitors, and jurors.

Courthouse Reassessment

April 2012: Due to the current fiscal crisis, options to renovate and expand the current courthouse is being explored. As we learn more, this project web page will be updated.

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Compliance

The AOC has complied with CEQA by filing a categorical exemption for this project on April 12, 2011.

What is the impact of the state’s current budget crisis on this project?

The state Budget Act for fiscal year 2011–2012 contained unprecedented cuts to the judicial branch budget in general and to the account that funds SB 1407 projects in particular. Taking account of the state’s continuing fiscal crisis, in April 2012 the Judicial Council approved cost-reduction measures affecting all projects funded by SB 1407.  News release. 

As a result, this project is being reassessed to explore and evaluate a renovation option. The reassessment will also evaluate lower-cost construction methods, with the goal of significantly reducing the project’s hard construction costs where that does not jeopardize the building’s safety, security, building performance, or court operations. At this time, the timeline for reassessment is not known, so the impact on the project’s overall schedule remains to be seen. Until the state Legislature resolves the budget for the coming fiscal year, any future impact on funding the next phases of this project is unknown. This web page will be updated with any changes.

Frequently Asked Questions about the New Santa Barbara Criminal Courthouse