Concept rendering of the Safety Building site showing proposed courthouse massing and construction preparation in downtown Milwaukee
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, August 30, 2025
Milwaukee County moved forward on plans to replace its aging downtown Safety Building after a state budget action freed design funding. County leaders are using state expressway patrol dollars and local reallocations to assemble roughly $22.8 million for planning and will seek additional cash to keep design on schedule. The multi-year replacement is estimated near $490–$500 million and remains in mid-design phases; full construction funding is not yet secured. Officials say a new courthouse will resolve security and circulation problems, reduce maintenance costs, and align with related downtown redevelopment.
Milwaukee County moved a major courthouse replacement forward after changes in the state biennial budget created cash that county leaders can use to pay for detailed planning and design. The replacement effort is a large, multi-year program with current cost estimates clustered around $490 million, though public figures vary and estimates range up to about $500 million.
The state budget includes $40 million over the two-year period intended to support expressway patrol responsibilities that Milwaukee County carries—a mandate that most other counties do not handle. County officials plan to use that state funding to help balance the 2025 county budget and free up local tax dollars that can be redirected into courthouse planning and design. The county also expects an additional $9 million this year tied to expressway patrol support, and plans to shift $7.5 million from the sheriff’s office budget toward the courthouse project.
Pending formal approval by the County Board, the current funding approach would raise the project’s planning and design budget to $22.8 million. County leaders say they will seek roughly $11 million in additional cash financing in 2026 to keep the design work on schedule, and they expect to begin asking for construction funding through the 2027 county budget process.
The courthouse replacement is in the fourth of five design phases, with conceptual plans under way and a design team now engaged. County decision-makers have already voted to demolish the existing structure and build the new facility on the same county-owned site at 821 W. State St., a move intended to save acquisition costs and keep the new building close to the county jail and the historic courthouse for safer and more efficient inmate transfers.
Public timelines vary. One planning projection anticipates construction beginning around 2029 and finishing in 2032, followed by renovation work on the historic courthouse through about 2033. Other timelines place design completion in 2027 with construction finished by 2031. Officials emphasize that delays will raise costs and that the schedule and full construction funding remain uncertain until future budget cycles and approvals produce the necessary dollars.
The current Safety Building was built in 1929 and houses courtrooms, offices and old jail space. County and court leaders say the facility falls short of modern security and operational standards. Specific problems include the lack of secure, dedicated passageways to move defendants in custody, shared circulation that forces detainees and members of the public into the same hallways, outdated mechanical and technological systems, and large areas of space that cannot be reasonably retrofitted.
The county reports that the former jail portion—about 60,000 square feet across roughly ten floors—has been unused since the early 1990s and cannot be repurposed under current layouts. Security incidents are a recurring concern; the county logged 852 incidents last year that required deputy response within the building. Annual maintenance costs for the aging structure are roughly $500,000, and deferred maintenance has been estimated in the hundreds of millions.
Officials reviewed alternative locations, including a downtown museum property, but selected the existing county-owned Safety Building block as the preferred long-term site. The downtown museum is moving to a new five-story, roughly 200,000-square-foot building expected to open in 2027; its current complex, which totals about 451,000 square feet, is being studied for redevelopment. Preserving the museum site for future redevelopment is one factor in the decision to rebuild on the Safety Building parcel.
Beyond the state expressway-patrol funds, county leaders are pursuing other funding avenues, including requests for congressionally directed federal spending and discussions with state officials about changing how state funding treats county responsibilities. Officials say a new facility could produce operational savings over time through improved staffing efficiency and modern systems, but the project will require substantial capital investment and likely several budget cycles to fully fund.
Key near-term steps include County Board action to finalize the current design funding plan, expected cash requests in 2026 to sustain design work, and formal construction funding requests beginning in the 2027 budget. Risks include shifting cost estimates, political disagreement about state and local funding roles, and potential delays that would increase total cost. The county has emphasized the project is intended as a multi-generational building that will serve the justice system for decades.
The county has decided to demolish the existing Safety Building and build a new courthouse on the same site rather than attempt a full renovation.
Cost estimates vary. Public figures generally range between $450 million and $500 million, with a common planning estimate near $490 million. Final cost depends on design choices and long-term construction pricing.
Timelines differ across reports. One forecast expects construction to start around 2029 and finish by 2032. Other projections place design completion in 2027 and final construction by 2031. Construction start depends on future budget approvals.
Design work is being advanced with a mix of newly available state expressway-patrol funds, county reallocated dollars, and planned future county budget requests. Pending local approvals, the design budget would total about $22.8 million with an additional $11 million sought in 2026.
Milwaukee County uniquely patrols state freeways; the new state budget included expressway-patrol funding that the county plans to use to rebalance its budget and free local dollars for courthouse design work.
The historic Milwaukee County Courthouse is planned for renovation after the new Safety Building replacement is complete; that renovation is tentatively scheduled to follow the new building’s construction.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Estimated cost | $450M–$500M (commonly cited near $490M) |
| Design funding now | Planned $22.8M (pending board approval); additional $11M sought in 2026 |
| State contribution | $40M over the 2025–2027 biennium for expressway patrol (allocated to free local funds) |
| Site | Current Safety Building site at 821 W. State St.; demolition and rebuild planned |
| Design phase | Phase 4 of 5, conceptual plans underway, design team engaged |
| Construction timeline (one projection) | Start 2029, finish 2032; historic courthouse renovation 2032–2033 |
| Current building age | Built in 1929; contains unused jail space since early 1990s |
| Security incidents | 852 deputy responses logged last year within the Safety Building |
| Annual maintenance | About $500,000 per year, plus extensive deferred maintenance |
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