Many Quincy residents have noticed an active construction site on Lee Road near the veterinarian’s office in East Quincy. The site is slated to become a new California Highway Patrol office serving Plumas and Sierra counties.
This new building will replace an outdated facility on Quincy’s Main Street. It no longer meets the needs of CHP staff or emergency responses, said CHP Lieutenant Ryan Pedersen. The new office on Lee Road will have expanded space for multi-agency use in disasters, act as a local training space for new academy graduates and expand Plumas County CHP’s capacity as a 24-hour response facility.
Current facility inadequate
CHP’s current office is outdated and insufficient for community needs, Pedersen said. The space is too small, with limited parking for both staff and officers, and limited overall workspace. It also offers no space to serve patrons, host public and press briefings, coordinate with partner agencies, store necessary emergency response equipment or perform in-house maintenance on CHP vehicles, he said. In winter, equipment needed for snow management cannot be stored or maintained at the current office, creating additional operational and logistical challenges.
The new CHP office will be situated on a five-acre parcel off Lee Road. The 26,000-square-foot building is a significant increase from the roughly 6,000 square-feet of the current office. The site will include an attached auto service facility, allowing CHP to fuel and maintain vehicles on site. Additional features include a communications tower, which will be available for community use, and an emergency generator. It has been designed to meet modern Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility and seismic safety standards, and it incorporates water-efficient systems, solar panels and other elements required under the state’s current green-building standards.
The new East Quincy location is intended to serve as a central hub for emergency response and interagency coordination throughout the two counties, particularly during severe weather events, wildfire and other emergencies.
The project has been in planning for roughly 10 years, said Pedersen. That was when the state acquired the five-acre parcel. New construction for state-operated buildings follows a hierarchical approval process, with project prioritization determined by the state of California. Plumas County was identified for CHP upgrades years before construction began, Pedersen said. Construction began in September 2025, with CHP staff and officers expected to occupy the site in September 2027.
