It was designed by William Robertson in the Scottish baronial style, built in ashlar stone, and was completed in 1839.

Internally, the principal rooms were some vaulted rooms in the tower, six prison cells, and a courtroom, which featured a coffered ceiling and stained glass windows depicting Saint Lawrence, on the first floor of the block behind.

[1] A mercat cross, designed by Thomas Mackenzie closely resembling the Scott Monument, was erected just to the west of the tolbooth in 1844.

[4] The building was closed to the public in 1991 and was subsequently left largely vacant except for two offices used by Moray Council.

After extensive restoration works, which included refurbishment of the courtroom, a new staircase in the tower and masonry repairs, the building re-opened as a visitor attraction in 2022.