Guided tours of the main courthouse in West Palm Beach are offered to middle and high school students and adult civic groups.

Tours must be scheduled with the Volunteer Coordinator (561-355-3574) at least a month in advance.  Tours are given Tuesday and Thursday beginning at 10 am and concluding at approximately 11:30 am.

The topic of discussion is “The structure of the court system—the third branch of government”.   The sites visited are the jury room (how a juror is selected), the law library (who it serves and what it holds), Clerk of the Court (the keeper of records),
courtrooms, etc.

We explore the different divisions of the court --circuit and county, civil and criminal- while also pointing out the positions of the courtroom personnel and their responsibilities.  We then visit a court in session to watch the court/judge in action.

We visit the area where digital court recording is monitored .  Palm Beach County was the first county in Florida to have courtrooms centrally recorded.

Because we want this to be an enjoyable learning experience, we ask that these rules prevail:

• No gum chewing
• Follow your guide closely
• Do not take up the entire hallway
• No talking is allowed in the hallways
• Please stand if addressing the Judge in court.
• Address Judge as “Your Honor”
• Please dress appropriately—it may be a field trip to you,but it is business as usual in the courthouse!

We expect visitors to be aware of their surroundings and to show respect for what the court represents.

Courthouse guided tours - new notice to discontinue school tours

Effective May 17, 2011, guided tours of the Main Courthouse are suspended until further notice. Regrettably, current staff shortages and the prevailing State hiring freeze preclude the assignment of staff to coordinate these tours.

Please note that the Courthouse remains a public building, so visitors are free to enter and view all public areas. Court proceedings are open to the public.

Updates regarding the status of guided tours will be posted on this website when the program can be resumed.