This is a grandiose three-story Classic Revival structure topped by a bracketed cornice and simple Renaissance Revival inspired dome.
Monumental stairs lead to a main second floor from both the north and south.
This building is one of four surviving northern and central California courthouses which retain most of their architectural ornamentation and magnificent domes. Before the formation of Placer County in 1851, this hilltop where the present courthouse now stands was the site of bull and bear fights and public hangings. The County's first courthouse, built of wood and cloth with an adjacent log jail, was erected on Court Street. A new two story wooden courthouse with a bell tower was built on the hill in 1853. The log jail burned in 1855, and in 1857, a new two story brick jail was built to the west of the courthouse on the hill.