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 is taking concrete steps toward replacing its aging Safety Building, a long-stalled, multi-hundred-million-dollar project aimed at fixing serious security, operational and infrastructure problems in the county’s criminal courthouse complex. While full construction funding is not yet secured, a recent state budget change has created a path to pay for detailed planning and design work.
The overall project is currently estimated in the range of $450 million to $500 million, with one frequently cited figure around $490 million. County leaders have set aside more than $22 million to advance planning and design, with a goal of moving through the remaining design phases so construction funding requests can begin in the 2027 county budget cycle. Construction is projected to begin in the late 2020s and finish in the early 2030s under current planning timelines.
The state biennial budget included a new funding stream that delivers roughly $40 million to Milwaukee County over the 2025–2027 period to help cover costs for expressway patrol duties the county performs. County leaders plan to use that state money to balance the county’s 2025 budget and redirect local funds into courthouse design. In addition, the county expects an extra $9 million this year for expressway patrol work; about $7.5 million of that would be reallocated from the sheriff’s office budget to the courthouse planning fund, pending county board approval. If the board approves the current funding strategy, planning and design resources would reach $22.8 million, and county officials are seeking another $11 million in 2026 to keep the schedule on track.
The existing Safety Building, built in 1929, houses courtrooms, offices and former jail spaces that county officials say do not meet modern standards. The facility includes about 60,000 square feet and roughly 10 floors of old jail cells that have been out of use for decades. The layout lacks dedicated, secure passageways for moving defendants in custody separate from the public and other court users, creating security risks, delays, and operational strain. Last year the county recorded more than 850 incidents in the building that required deputy response, underscoring the operational pressures.
Officials also point to mounting deferred maintenance and inefficient mechanical systems. Estimates of long-term deferred maintenance and upgrades run into the hundreds of millions of dollars, increasing the financial case for a new facility rather than repeatedly patching the old one.
County leaders decided to demolish the existing Safety Building and construct the replacement on the same county-owned site. That choice avoids land acquisition costs and preserves another large county-owned parcel—the current public museum complex—for future redevelopment. The museum is moving to a new, separate location with an estimated 200,000 square-foot building scheduled to open in 2027; its current site comprises more than 450,000 square feet and is being studied for reuse in a high-density redevelopment plan.
The project is in an advanced design stage—reported as the fourth of five design phases—with conceptual plans underway. Design work is expected to proceed through the mid-2020s, with construction funding requests beginning in the 2027 county budget. Current public schedules project construction to start in the late 2020s and complete in the early 2030s, with renovation of the historic county courthouse to follow.
Full construction funding has not been committed. County officials are combining state expressway-patrol allocations, redirected local funds, and pursuit of federal and other assistance to fund planning and phase construction. The county plans to seek additional cash financing in 2026 and begin formal construction funding requests in 2027. Officials also continue conversations with state leaders about adjusting funding mechanisms for services the county provides that other counties do not, such as freeway patrol, which places an unusual financial burden on the county.
The next major milestones include county board approval of the funding strategy, completion of detailed design phases, and submission of construction funding requests in the 2027 budget cycle. Timelines and cost estimates could shift as design progresses and funding decisions are finalized.
The county plans to replace the existing Safety Building, a nearly century-old facility that houses criminal courtrooms and related functions.
Estimated total project costs vary by source and phase, generally cited between $450 million and $500 million. Design and planning budgets are currently in the low tens of millions.
A recent allocation in the state budget for expressway patrol duties created space in the county budget to reassign local funds toward courthouse design, allowing the project to move forward in planning.
The replacement will be built on the current Safety Building site. The county decided not to move the courthouse to the public museum site and will evaluate future uses for that museum parcel once the museum vacates.
Design work is expected to continue through the mid-2020s. Construction funding requests are planned to begin in 2027, with construction currently projected to begin in the late 2020s and finish in the early 2030s under current schedules.
The new design aims to provide secure circulation routes for defendants in custody, separate circulation for jurors, witnesses and the public, and modern security infrastructure to reduce safety risks and courtroom disruptions.
Funding is expected to be a mix of county resources, state assistance tied to unique county responsibilities, potential federal support, and other financing tools. Full construction funding remains to be secured.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Estimated total cost | $450M–$500M (commonly cited near $490M) |
| Design/planning budget | $22.8M targeted; additional $11M requested in 2026 to stay on schedule |
| State funding available | $40M for expressway patrol over 2025–2027 biennium and an expected $9M this year |
| Site | Replacement to be built on the existing Safety Building site; current museum site preserved for redevelopment |
| Existing building | Built in 1929; ~60,000 sq ft; old jail cells on ~10 floors; unused jail space since 1992 |
| Security/operations | Current layout lacks secure inmate passageways; recorded > 850 deputy-response incidents last year |
| Design phase | In the fourth of five design phases with conceptual plans underway |
| Construction timeline | Projected to start in the late 2020s and finish in the early 2030s; historic courthouse renovation to follow |
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