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Milwaukee County has taken a meaningful step toward replacing its outdated downtown Safety Building after a state budget maneuver freed money the county plans to use for design work. The replacement project is being planned as a large, multi-year effort with estimated total costs near $490 million to $500 million, though figures vary across recent county estimates.
County leaders have secured state funding tied to expressway patrol responsibilities that will help the county free up local funds for courthouse design. The enacted state budget includes $40 million for expressway patrol for the county over the two-year budget period. The county also expects an additional $9 million this year, and it plans to reallocate $7.5 million from the sheriff’s office budget toward courthouse planning. Pending county board approval, that approach brings the courthouse planning and design budget to roughly $22.8 million.
Full construction funding is not yet in place, but the newly freed design dollars will allow the project to move deeper into planning. The project is currently in the fourth of five design phases with conceptual plans underway. County leaders are seeking another $11 million in cash financing in 2026 to keep design work on schedule. Formal requests for construction funding are expected to begin with the 2027 county budget.
Timelines vary in public reports. One timeline projects construction to begin around 2029 and finish by 2032, followed by renovation of the historic county courthouse in 2032–2033. Other project outlines place design through 2027 with construction completing by 2031. County estimates also say the full effort could take at least eight years to develop.
The existing Safety Building at 821 W. State St. was built in 1929 and currently houses courtrooms and county offices in a layout county leaders say is outdated and unsafe for modern criminal courts. Problems cited by court and jail staff include lack of secure, separate passageways for people in custody, shared hallways that mix detainees and the public, aging mechanical systems, outdated technology, and large areas of unused jail cells that cannot be retrofitted. The county reported 852 incidents last year requiring deputy responses inside the building, and officials say deferred maintenance on the structure is substantial.
Earlier planning considered an alternative site at the current public museum complex, but county leaders voted to demolish the Safety Building and build the new courthouse on the same county-owned property. Using the existing site avoids acquisition costs for a new parcel and keeps a planned new museum move on track. The museum is relocating to a new building expected to be complete in 2027, freeing the old museum site for potential redevelopment.
The project has stalled repeatedly in past years because of its large price tag and political disagreement over how to split costs. A state executive budget proposal had earlier included direct state assistance for the new courthouse, but that line item did not survive the final legislative budget due to concerns about precedent. County leaders continue to lobby state officials for help and are exploring federal earmark requests and possible changes in how the state supports county services that impose unique costs on this county, such as freeway patrol responsibilities.
Estimates for the full project and the design phase vary across reports. Design-only figures have been reported in the low hundreds of millions, while total project costs are cited near $490 million to $500 million. Officials say the longer the delay, the higher eventual costs will be. The county also expects operational savings over time from a modern courthouse through improved staff efficiencies, reduced utility waste, and lower ongoing maintenance on an old building that currently costs roughly $500,000 a year to maintain.
With design funding in hand, the county will continue the current design phase, pursue the additional 2026 cash financing needed to keep the schedule, and begin formal construction funding requests with the 2027 budget cycle. If the planning and funding path holds, construction could start before the end of the decade and extend into the early 2030s, followed by renovation of the historic county courthouse.
A: Estimates vary. Planning figures have ranged from about $450 million for major design and construction elements to near $490 million or as much as $500 million in some county reports. Final totals will depend on design decisions, inflation, and funding sources.
A: Timelines differ by report. One set of schedules targets construction to begin around 2029 and finish by 2032, with subsequent renovation of the historic courthouse into 2033. Other schedules show design through 2027 and construction completing by 2031.
A: The county plans to build the new courthouse on the current Safety Building site at 821 W. State St., avoiding land acquisition costs and keeping it close to the existing jail and historic courthouse.
A: Design funding is being supported in part by state budget dollars allocated for the county’s expressway patrol. That state funding lets the county reallocate local funds—about $7.5 million this year from the sheriff’s office—to design. The county has secured roughly $22.8 million for planning and is seeking an additional $11 million for 2026.
A: Officials point to serious functional and safety shortcomings in the nearly 100-year-old building, including security and circulation problems, outdated systems, inefficient space, and high deferred maintenance.
A: The county is pursuing a mix of local, state, and potential federal funding sources. Officials are seeking state partnership and are pursuing federal funding options, but final cost shares have not been set.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Project scope | Full replacement of the Safety Building and later renovation of the historic county courthouse |
| Estimated cost | Approximately $450M–$500M (estimates vary) |
| Design funds secured | About $22.8M with a planned additional $11M request in 2026 |
| State funding element | $40M for expressway patrol over the biennium; $9M expected this year with $7.5M redirected locally |
| Current building | Built in 1929; 60,000 sq ft; 10 floors of unused jail cells; significant deferred maintenance |
| Construction timeline (varies) | Possible start late 2020s; completion in early 2030s depending on funding and schedule |
| Site | Rebuild on the existing Safety Building site to save acquisition costs and remain close to jail and courthouse |
| Major risks | Funding shortfalls, political disagreement, rising costs if delayed |
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