2026 Jail Project

Houghton County Jail. The new facility was to be built on a County-owned Sharon Avenue property that was until recently the home of the First Apostolic Lutheran Church. That proposal was defeated. Due to the age and condition of the current jail and the lack of appropriate space for housing inmates and Sheriff's services, the Board has been discussing the need to replace the current jail since 1983. Three previous proposals were also defeated in 2000, 2010, and 2018.

After the August election, citizens voiced concerns with the process used to develop and fund the 2025 Jail Plan. To address these concerns and to better involve county citizens in the designing and funding of an appropriate jail facility for Houghton County, the Board of Commissioners voted to form three committees to look at several issues expressed by the voters:

Next Steps Jail Committee
The 2025 Jail Plan was developed through a design process involving outside experts and incorporating county needs based on historical and projected data. The Master Plan that was developed contains the raw information needed to specify a new jail build. The next step in that design process is to choose sizes and among options that are described in the Master Plan. The committee is not deciding on final plans; that is the work of the County Board. This committee is beginning the discussion, with input from the public, and in conversation with the County Board. A robust back and forth between the committee, the County Board, and the public is anticipated as ideas surface that will become the detailed jail plan. Click here for the Jail Committee.

Sharon Avenue & Jail Property-Use Committee
The committee is to discuss the different use possibilities for the Sharon Avenue property and the current jail, should a new jail be built at some time. Click here for the Sharon Avenue & Jail Property-Use Committe.

County-Held Properties Committee
This committee examines existing county-owned properties to determine why the County holds these properties, the value of properties, (financially and non-financially), and if are they operating as they should. This information feeds into County Board discussions of how to fund a new jail. Click here for the County-Held Properties Committee.