Thursday, October 1, 2026
All court services handled by Olympia Municipal Court will be provided by Thurston County District Court beginning Feb. 5, signaling official closure of the city’s standalone municipal court after decades of operation.
The city announced that Olympia Municipal Court will cease operations on Feb. 4. All services, including case filings, information, hearings, record requests, probation needs, payments and traffic or parking violation services will be handled by the district court.
On Tuesday, Feb. 3, the Olympia City Council is going to consider two emergency ordinances on first and final reading to complete the transition.
One ordinance formally terminates the Olympia Municipal Court and amends city code to replace references to the municipal court with those of the Thurston County District Court.
The second ordinance updates parking-related code sections to ensure enforcement, payments and appeals continue smoothly under the new court structure.
Olympia Municipal Court has stopped accepting payments in preparation for the closure. However, parking tickets issued on or before Feb. 4, 2026, may still be paid using existing methods.
The transition follows the city council’s approval in 2025 relating to the court transition. On April 22, 2025, the city council authorized negotiations with Thurston County for judicial services, jail alternatives and supervised probation.
An interlocal agreement was approved by the council on June 12, 2025, and later by the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners on July 29, 2025. The city provided a required six months notice to the Administrative Office of the Courts on Aug. 4, 2025, indicating its intent to terminate the municipal court.
According to a staff report, employees from municipal court, parking services, prosecution, public defense, code enforcement, and legal have been working with Thurston County District Court and the Administrative Office of the Courts to ensure a smooth transition.
The cost for Thurston County to provide judicial services, jail alternatives and supervised probation for Olympia through the end of 2026 is $2.7 million, which is funded via the city’s general fund.
One-time startup costs, estimated at $736,000, will be funded using proceeds from the sale of a 10.47-acre property at Plum Street SE to Squaxin Island Tribe for $8.2 million.
The property, known as the Lee Creighton Justice Center, housed city services, including the Olympia Municipal Court.
The campus also included the Yashiro Japanese Garden, Plum Street Tiny Home Village, Olympia Police Department evidence storage and a Saturday waste drop-off site.
The decision to sell the property came after a study found it no longer met modern court standards and would have required extensive investment to upgrade.
Thurston County District Court is located at 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW in Olympia; it is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Residents can find more information by calling 360-786-5450.
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Snevets
Good info. Thank you.
Monday, February 2 Report this
gypsydjango
Very sad to lose this Municipal Court, invaluable services to folks who, with this help, could pull themselves out of the endless pit of spiraling, and actually get on track with their lives.
Monday, February 2 Report this
OlyBlues
Another failure to add to the long list under Mayor Payne and this worthless city council. Good thing they gave this sweetheart real estate deal to the Squaxin Tribe to maintain such virtuousness. Such great accomplishments to celebrate, closing their jail and municipal court under their "leadership." Actually this is a total failure of city government. just like the Jungle has been. These city leaders are in fact total losers and have failed the city...decades of quality and core city services that were being done "the Olympia way" destroyed under their watch.
County Commissioners are already talking about looking at the "true costs" of providing Olympia Municipal Court services. You can 100% count on the costs to the city skyrocketing while they lose control to the county. What core government functions will be lost next in the city?
Tuesday, February 3 Report this
Boatyarddog
I'm glad the Squaxin Tribes land was returned to them after it was initially STOLEN from them. Should have been given back to them outright. Displacement: The land was taken through a combination of early non-Indian land claims in the 1850s-1870s, which displaced the native population, and the 1854 Medicine Creek Treaty, which forced tribes onto smaller, separated reservations.
Current Relationship: While the land was taken without consent, the city of Olympia and the Squaxin Island Tribe now operate on a government-to-government basis, signing accords, holding land acknowledgments, and collaborating on projects.
Tuesday, February 3 Report this
TheGreatAnon
I am gonna miss that mid-century building. When it opened in 1962(?) the courtroom was surrounded by an artificial moat stocked with sturgeon. The moat didn't last long b/c it leaked like a sieve but it was a bold design choice. I also liked the circular design. There were no straight sightlines so paying a parking ticket or meeting with a Council member in their office was subtilty disorienting but kinda fun.
Tuesday, February 3 Report this
citizenken
I remember, as a kid, seeing the Sturgeon in the "moat" around the Court/ Council room. The fish seemed "weird", their spiky spines appeared "pre-historic" to me then, but I was more impressed with the round architecture of the City Hall. I don't know whether the selling price was fair market value or not, but that the Squaxin Tribe bought it seems somehow appropriate. I thought the City would move Municipal Court to the old Fire Station at State and Capitol , but perhaps that didn't pencil out. Olympia has changed a lot over the last 6.5 decades I've lived here, mostly for the better. Embrace the positive, fight the negative, and keep on keep in' on.
Friday, February 6 Report this