Mono County Superior Court
# Mono County Superior Court

The Superior Court of California, County of Mono, also known as the Mono County Superior Court or Mono Superior Court, is the branch of the California superior court with jurisdiction over Mono County.

## History

Mono County was partitioned from Calaveras, Fresno, and Mariposa counties in 1861. Aurora was named as the initial county seat.

In 1863, a detailed survey concluded that Aurora was in the Territory of Nevada instead and after it was named the seat of Esmeralda County, Nevada, the county seat was moved to Bridgeport by election in $1864.^{:240–243}$ The county records were hauled from Aurora to Bridgeport and stored in Kingsley's Inn, which served as the first county courthouse. The 2-1⁄2 story Mono County Courthouse was completed in 1880, designed by J.R. Roberts and built by Charles Anton, Samuel Hopkins, and James Cain. The 1880 courthouse is still serving its original purpose as the north branch courthouse for the county, and is among the oldest operating courthouses in California. An annex was built in 1974.

Court proceedings for the southern part of the county were held in a leased space in Mammoth Lakes, the county's only incorporated city. A study in 2003 showed that 90% of all court proceedings were held in Mammoth Lakes, prompting a 2006 Feasibility Report which concluded a new courthouse in that city was needed; because Bridgeport and Mammoth Lakes are approximately one hour's drive apart and there is no central population center in the county, both locations would need to be $maintained.^{:5–6}$ The new Mammoth Lakes Courthouse was completed in 2011 and occupied in September of that year.

## Venues

Although the county seat and old courthouse is in Bridgeport, court administration and most proceedings are held in the two-courtroom building in Mammoth Lakes, completed in 2011.

