King City Courthouse will reopen in July after an eight-year closure.

The King City courthouse will begin offering limited court services to South County residents starting on Tuesday, July 13 for the first time in eight years. 

The courthouse was closed in 2013 due the limited financial resources the county had after the 2008 recession. For years, County Supervisor Chris Lopez (who represents South County) and Supervisor Luis Alejo (who represents Salinas) have been lobbying for a new courthouse in South County.

California’s Judicial Council has stated South County was in immediate need of a new courthouse to serve residents. In 2019, the county was seeking state approval for a new courthouse in Greenfield. 

The reopening of the King City courthouse is short of building a new court facility, but it does offer some legal services to South County residents. It used to hold criminal hearings; it will now hold traffic court hearings and expand its self-help center. A traffic clerk will be on site to provide services such as payments, corrections, traffic school referral and traffic information.

The self-help center will operate the second Tuesday of each month from 9am-1pm.  People can request assistance with completing paperwork in divorces, legal separations, adoptions, restraining orders and more.

“We are excited to be reopening the King City Courthouse and providing these important services to the South County community in a location that is convenient and accessible," Monterey County Superior Court Presiding Judge Julie Culver said in a press release. “Returning to the King City Courthouse has been a project that has had the input and support of all of the judges. We are grateful for the collaboration between Monterey County and the Judicial Council that allowed rehabilitation of this facility and this reopening to occur.”

Instead of traveling up to 100 miles to either go to court in Monterey or Salinas, South County residents will now have a local option for certain services.

In the future, they could extend the services available in the self-center center and the court itself, such as the possibility of filing restraining orders, virtual small claims hearings, and guardianship or conservatorship case hearings.

The courthouse is located at 250 Franciscan Way in King City. For more information, visit monterey.courts.ca.gov/self-help or call 647-5800 ext. 3005.