Courthouse Space Standards: Key Concerns Are About Courtrooms

Many court jurisdictions have developed space standards describing the optimal quantity and quality of space for courtrooms, chambers, office, and secured areas. Space standards are useful in determining the amount of space needed and adjacency patterns. 

Space standards should be considered when planning new courthouse needs and when improving existing courthouse space. However, meeting space standards when renovating existing facilities can be challenging. 

Does your courthouse check all the boxes when it comes to meeting your jurisdiction’s space standards? If you’re unsure how to answer that question or if you’re wondering how your courthouse could better meet any standards where it falls short, you’ve come to the right place.

Fentress has seen many issues regarding space standards firsthand, having assessed more than 1,200 court facilities throughout the United States. Identifying all possible shortcomings related to space standards can be overwhelming. In our more than 36 years as court planners, the most common issues we find with space standards relate to courtrooms.

Courtrooms are often considered the heart of the courthouse. Courtrooms are essential for the administration of justice and resolving legal disputes. They symbolize the authority of the judiciary and the rule of law, and they can hold cultural and historical significance. With that level of importance placed on courtrooms, it is reasonable to expect them to meet and even exceed space standards. Unfortunately, there is a pattern across the country of courtrooms falling short in several key areas. Let’s take a closer look at the three most common concerns related to courtroom space standards.

Courtrooms Do Not Meet Accessibility Requirements

The design criteria for the alteration and renovation of existing facilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) require all courtroom areas to be either inherently accessible or directly adaptable for accessibility. This means that access to all raised areas in the courtroom, including the judge’s bench, witness stand, and jury box, must be accessible by either a permanent ramp or lift. Further, when ramps or lifts are provided, they must be an integral part of the courtroom’s architecture. Here are some suggestions for meeting these requirements: 

• Judge’s Bench: The optimal option for accommodating a judge with disabilities is to construct a ramp or mechanical lift within the tight corridor adjacent to the courtroom entry behind the bench. Other options include installing a mechanical lift to the side of or within the bench. However, the configuration of such ramps or lifts must fit within the limitations of the existing space.
• Witness Stand: Providing access to the witness stand may be difficult to achieve in existing courtrooms, especially if they are less than full size. Where space limitations or historic preservation requirements preclude the installation of a ramp to these locations, a mechanical lift added to the witness box or courtroom deputy station may be the only acceptable solution.

Witness Stand

Our team observed an example of a well-designed mechanical lift, which is shown in the California courtroom above. Without space for a ramp, the witness stand floor was constructed to be a platform that could be lowered for ADAAG-compliant access and raised to the level of the judge’s bench to allow the witness appropriate sightlines during the proceedings. The lower stair tread was designed to be removable when the platform is lowered to the main floor level of the courtroom.

• Jury Box: Access to the jury box can be most readily accomplished by adding a hinged portion of the enclosure to create a wider opening for a wheelchair. A removable chair can accompany this modification to provide space for the wheelchair. If the area is not on the floor level for courtroom accessibility, a ramp must be provided.

Courtrooms Do Not Meet Size Standards

Courtrooms need to accommodate judges, court staff, attorneys, defendants, witnesses, jurors, and the public. Standard dimensions for courtrooms can vary, but they generally need to be large enough to comfortably fit all necessary parties and allow for movement and accessibility. There may also be specific requirements for height and acoustics. Below are some examples of how many courtrooms don’t meet size standards. 

• Undersized Courtrooms: Architectural conditions can sometimes hinder or fully preclude the enlargement of an undersized courtroom, but a solution can often be found by looking to expand into space previously occupied for another use. 
• Low Ceiling Height: Large spaces with low ceilings feel confining from top to bottom (think bowling alley), and high ceilings in small spaces feel confining from side to side (think silo). To be aesthetically pleasing, the height of a space should be in proportion to the length and width of the space. There is a lot of math behind these aesthetics (e.g., golden ratio), but the bottom line is that it’s optimal for a room to look and feel symmetrical. Large rooms, such as courtrooms, should be accompanied by high ceilings to be in proportion. Thus, in larger courtrooms, the ceiling height is typically high – 16 feet on average – to balance out the length and width.
• Insufficient Acoustics: It’s a necessity for all courtroom participants to hear the proceedings. When litigants, attorneys, courtroom staff, and spectators gather in a courtroom, it can get noisy. The key is to design a courtroom that doesn’t allow noise to distract from the proceedings. To achieve this goal, it is important to consider materials and other factors that impact courtroom acoustics, such as acoustic wall treatments (e.g., wood grilles may be placed over fabric panels to better blend the acoustic treatment with wood-paneled walls). Another solution is to install carpet and padding to absorb sound and eliminate courtroom noise produced by users walking on hard-surface floors.

Courtrooms Do Not Have an Adequate Number of Attorney-Witness Conference Rooms

Attorney-witness conference rooms should be available to provide convenient spaces near the courtroom for attorneys to meet with their witnesses or clients in a private environment before, during, or after court proceedings. Below is an image that identifies the ideal number and location of attorney-witness conference rooms.

Ideal locations of attorney-witness conference rooms

While most jurisdictions require two attorney-witness conference rooms per courtroom, there are some jurisdictions that only require one. From our experience, a significant portion (more than 40%) of courtrooms do not meet that standard. 

Final Thoughts

Courthouses that comply with space standards ensure that courtrooms are accessible to all individuals, allow all participants to engage in legal proceedings in a fair and impartial manner, and enhance public confidence in the judicial system.

Courtrooms are the focal point of the courthouse. So, shouldn’t we make sure all of our courtrooms are not only meeting standards, but exceeding them?