Plumas Sierra Courthouse

The new Plumas-Sierra Courthouse was built to serve the growing needs of both Plumas and Sierra Superior Courts, the first multijurisdictional courthouse to be built in California and the first trial court project fully financed and managed by the Administrative Office of the Court (AOC) from start to finish.

The courthouse will replace the deficient courthouse in Portola and the leased court center in Loyalton, designed to provide justice for both communities. The single-story building accommodates one jury courtroom, chambers, jury deliberation, clerks’ area, and a self help center.

The courthouse was designed with energy efficiency measures including DX condensing units and outdoor air monitoring stations. The project was completed on budget and ahead of schedule by overcoming significant schedule hurdles to get the project out to bid in time for construction to commence before the onset of winter weather. The architecture firm accelerated its schedule by 100 working days, and the building floor slab was poured and secured for the weather the day before the snow fell. These actions eliminated a delay of approximately eight months in the construction schedule.