VIRGINIA CITY, Nev.—Storey County is moving forward with a transformative infrastructure investment, tapping national architecture and engineering firm Hoefer Welker (listed in project documents as Hoefer AE Services) to spearhead the design of its upcoming $65 million Justice Center.
The high-profile project, currently in its design phase, aims to replace decades-old, functionally obsolete public safety facilities with a modern, consolidated campus in historic Virginia City.
For years, Storey County’s public safety operations have been constrained by aging, decentralized infrastructure. The county’s existing jail, originally erected in 1992 as a temporary structure, has long faced severe structural, environmental, and security challenges that fail to meet modern correctional standards. Meanwhile, the Storey County Sheriff’s Office—built in 1989 on C Street in the heart of the historic downtown district—grapples with severe space and parking limitations. These constraints hamper daily law enforcement functions, such as civil processes and registrant check-ins, while being further complicated by heavy pedestrian traffic from Virginia City’s more than one million annual visitors.
The new Justice Center will fundamentally reshape how public safety and judicial services are delivered by bringing them under one roof. Hoefer Welker will leverage its extensive civic and law enforcement design expertise to create a cohesive facility that co-locates the Sheriff’s Office, updated detention facilities, Justice and District courts, and other essential public safety functions.
The comprehensive design will prioritize modern security standards, featuring clear physical separations between public, staff, and inmate areas to enhance safety and operational efficiency. Furthermore, the new campus will resolve longstanding logistical headaches by providing adequate parking and improved public access for both residents and visitors.
Beyond core law enforcement and judicial spaces, the project addresses community-wide needs by incorporating a safe, enclosed area for animal holds—replacing the jail site’s current outdoor kennels.
County officials emphasize that the initiative is a critical long-term investment designed to support Storey County’s public safety infrastructure for generations to come. As the project progresses through the design phase, county leadership plans to release additional details regarding construction timelines and final facility layouts.
