BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has found a new headquarters.

The county announced on Monday, Oct. 27 that it’s reached a tentative agreement to relocate the office to Bellingham’s Cordata neighborhood.

It would be housed just off the Guide Meridian in the former headquarters of printing technology manufacturer Ryzex.

The move comes as conditions have worsened at the current Sheriff’s Office workspace in the basement of the county jail.

“The Sheriff’s Office has long endured a substandard workspace, and earlier this year the County Council asked my office to prioritize action on this,” said Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu. “After a thorough exploration of options available for lease as well as potential construction of a new facility, we are pleased to have identified a solution that both meets the unique needs of the Sheriff’s Office and allows for relocation as early as next summer.”

The space was not originally designed for that use and has what county executive Satpal Sidhu calls “substandard” conditions.

Annual rent for the new headquarters would be just over $500,000 and the county has the option to buy the property in the future.

The county council will vote to approve the relocation at its meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 5, and the move is expected to be made as early as summer 2026.