The Kootenai County Board of Commissioners moved forward with plans for a major expansion of the county Justice Building, allocating $22 million in American Rescue Plan Act federal funds toward the project. The total cost was estimated at up to $35 million.
The four-level, 60,000-square-foot expansion would add three large courtrooms, chambers for judges, space for court staff and the prosecuting attorney’s office, as well as holding cells for in-custody defendants. County officials said no new court space had been created since 2009, despite significant population growth.
Construction was targeted to begin in September 2023, with completion anticipated in spring 2025. Commissioner Leslie Duncan described the project as essential to the county’s ability to deliver timely justice to a growing community.