Construction to Start on $200 Million Ector County Courthouse
The new five-story Ector County Courthouse will house the county’s Adult Probation, Adult Sentence Monitoring, District Attorney, and District and County Clerk offices. | Photo Credit: Ector County
By Charlie Lange
Demolition of a former tire shop in downtown Odessa, Texas, last week marked the beginning of the first phase of the new $200 million Ector County Courthouse project.
The work began after the county commissioner’s court approved the design for the new five-story courthouse building, which the county says will feature modern technology, enhanced security measures and expanded spaces.
The new facility will house the county’s Adult Probation, Adult Sentence Monitoring, District Attorney, and District and County Clerk offices. It will include multiple courtrooms, including two district court courtrooms and one county court at-law courtroom, as well as secure underground parking for judges and a central holding area for inmates that will maximize space and improve safety. The design also allows for further expansion according to court needs, including up to nine additional courtrooms.
The design-build project led by Butler-Cohen and DLR Group will be completed in three phases, with completion expected by the end of 2029. Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett said the courthouse is designed to meet the needs of Ector County for the next 80 years. The facility will also include a new parking garage, post office, library, and civic plaza, which is expected to open in 2030.
The new facility will replace the county’s current courthouse, which was built in 1938 and has been plagued by water leaks and flooding, pests and broken or deteriorating infrastructure. The facility was expanded twice since its opening, but bond measures for further renovations were rejected by voters in in 2013 and 2018.
Now, the courthouse project is being funded through property tax increases, along with $325 million in new debt approved by county commissioners in November of 2024, after county residents rejected a similar bond measure.
In addition to the county courthouse, those funds will also go towards building a new juvenile detention facility. A $45 million design-build bid for the juvenile detention center was awarded to Butler-Cohen in November. The new facility will host spaces for education and vocational training, medical and mental health treatment, recreation, legal proceedings and visitation. Youths will be housed in six separate housing pods designed to increase safety and security and enhance supervision.
Ector County residents can ask questions and provide feedback about the courthouse project during an open house on Jan. 27, where representatives from the design team and county employees will share budgets, images and plans with the public.