(Updated Sept. 1, 2020)

The new Johnson County Courthouse has reached the milestone of substantial completion. The project has been under construction for just over two years leading up to this significant date in the overall timeline.

The courthouse is being built across Santa Fe Street north of the existing courthouse and west of Olathe City Hall. The address is 150 W. Santa Fe St.

The certificate of substantial completion is dated August 21, 2020 on the 356,821 square feet, seven story courthouse building which includes 28 courtrooms, secure in-custody circulation, state of the art technology, public gathering spaces and north parking lot.

Visitors to downtown Olathe will have noticed the recent installation of landscaping, site walls, granite pavers and monument signage. The surface parking lot to the north has also been completed.

On the interior, installation was recently completed on Benjamin Ball’s public art titled “Open Prairie,” visible from Santa Fe Street at the main building entrance. Additionally, the historic Goddess of Justice statue has been relocated to the lobby, marking the third courthouse to house her.

Work remaining within the J.E. Dunn design-build contract includes demolition of the current courthouse, the development of a county square and the new tunnel tie-in to existing Olathe Adult Detention Center. Work on the tunnel tie-in is anticipated to start in September.

Installation of systems and ancillary furniture will continue through the month of November as the project team turns their focus toward the training and relocation of staff this winter.

The new courthouse is anticipated to be open to the public for business on January 4, 2021.

The anticipated cost is $182 million ($193 with inflation costs factored in). The construction manager is JE Dunn Construction. The architects are TreanorHL & Fentress Architects.

Johnson County voters approved a 10-year, quarter-cent public safety sales tax to fund the project.

The new courthouse will address issues of concern for the community and residents, and it will:

Separate inmates and criminal defendants from victims, witnesses, jurors and others in courthouse corridors

Replace the aging, overcrowded courthouse with a more efficient building that will cost much less to maintain

Be accessible/Americans with Disabilities Act compliant

The courthouse will meet Johnson County's judicial needs for more than 75 years as the county expects to add 10,000 residents each year. Its design will also allow for more courtrooms later as needed.

Tours of the current courthouse are available to the public upon request by e-mailing court administration.