Sandoval County commissioners voted on Oct. 28 to award HB Construction a $45 million contract to expand the county's judicial complex, a project meant to finally give the courthouse room to breathe after two decades of population growth packed more cases into the same three courtrooms. The county is tentatively planning to break ground on construction of the expanded court complex in January 2027.
Lowest Bidder Wins Out Over Two Rivals
HB Construction landed the job after submitting the lowest of three bids, $45.08 million before tax, according to a report from nm.news. The other two contenders came in higher: Weil Construction bid $48.1 million, and Jaynes Corporation bid $50.5 million, per the same report. Commissioners' formal vote to award the $45 million contract was reported by the Rio Rancho Observer.
Mark Hatzenbuhler, Sandoval County's director of public works, presented concept images of the project to the commission ahead of the vote. The expansion will let district and magistrate courts operate out of one building and is meant to provide more space for district judges, addressing security and public-access issues tied to consolidating the two court systems, according to County Manager Wayne Johnson.
A Courthouse Outgrown by Its Caseload
The need for more room isn't new. Since the courthouse opened in 2005, county population has grown 43 percent and the number of cases has climbed by more than 60 percent, the Rio Rancho Observer reported in 2022, when voters were asked whether to authorize borrowing up to $41 million for an expansion. The district court has since added several judges and staff to keep pace, the nm.news report on the project noted, but the county still has just five judges handling every area of law across three courtrooms.
Johnson said population growth brings additional crime and more civil cases, including business matters, divorces and lawsuits, all adding to judges' workloads. Scheduling the additional cases is very difficult, he said. Johnson added that the project has been underway for a long time and will provide additional space the county badly needs.
Design Still Settling, Figures Still Shifting
Exactly how big the addition will be depends on which report you read. The nm.news preview of the commission's vote described a 61,000-square-foot, two-story addition with renovations to the existing 52,500-square-foot 13th Judicial District complex. The Sandoval Signpost, meanwhile, put the planned addition at 72,000 square feet, while an earlier nm.news report from July described a 60,000-square-foot addition adding three courtrooms, two hearing rooms and a jury room. The county's own 2022 ballot proposal had called for a 48,000-square-foot addition with seven new courtrooms, so the project's footprint has clearly shifted more than once since planning began.
What has stayed consistent is the move of the public's main entrance to the property's east side, off NM 528, with a new parking lot as part of the design. The design also leaves open the possibility of room for future expansion. The courthouse is expected to stay open throughout construction, and the Signpost reported the project is well into the design phase and will be under construction in 2027.
Funding Pulled From Multiple Sources
Funding for the project is expected to come from the Administrative Office of the Courts, the state Legislature and local funds, per the nm.news account. Back in February 2025, the Rio Rancho Observer described the same $45 million facility project as nearing the end of its design phase, and a November 2024 Observer report estimated construction would take 18 months to two years once it began — a timeline Johnson echoed, telling commissioners construction would cause inconveniences for 18 months to two years. A separate estimate pegs the project at 24 months.
Johnson said the expansion is being designed to be cost-effective, with an eye toward not becoming obsolete the moment it opens, and that construction will work around court schedules to keep the complex functioning. He asked for the public's patience once work gets underway.
