Deschutes County Celebrates $47 Million Courthouse Expansion

A $47 million construction project that roughly doubled the size of the Deschutes County Courthouse is officially complete.

The project added about 51,000 square feet, two new courtrooms, jury deliberation rooms, judge’s chambers, public service counters, a more accessible entrance and a new lobby — transforming the corner of Greenwood Avenue and Bond Street into a modern, three-story building. The County also remodeled some of the old, adjoining courthouse with a new hearing room, meeting spaces and administration and security offices.

Construction tied up the prominent corner of downtown Bend for a little more than two years, at times featuring a towering crane.

Attorneys, judges, law enforcement, tribal officials, county staff and state and local elected officials celebrated the milestone Friday afternoon in the new lobby. The ceremony began with a social dance ceremony from the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs.

“This is a huge step forward for providing timely access to justice for our community,” said Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang.

The expansion concludes nearly five years after Gov. Kate Brown appointed two new judges to Deschutes County Circuit Court, growing the local bench from seven to nine to handle a growing caseload.

That prompted the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners to initiate the project in 2022, and construction began in 2024.

The project was funded with a mix of County debt financing, money from the legislature, funding from the Oregon Judicial Department and federal pandemic relief money.

According to a 2024 internal audit, the $47 million cost is on par with other courthouse projects across the state, although its slightly more expensive per square foot than the new $50 million Crook County Justice Center and less expensive per square foot than the 2017 Multnomah County Courthouse expansion, which cost $324 million.

The County plans to issue another post-construction audit, according to a 2025 report from the auditor’s office.

Judge Wells Ashby told the crowd at the opening ceremony Friday that he feels the County is getting a good return on investment.

“Yes, it’s very expensive,” he said. “But what gets delivered here, what happens here — justice — is priceless.”