Bill Text: VA SB736 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Clerks' offices; days of operation, clerks' authority to close office.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-04-04 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0521) [SB736 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SB736-Introduced.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §17.1-207 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§17.1-207. Days of operation of clerks' offices.
A. The clerk's office of every court shall be kept open on every day except Saturday, except as provided in subsection B, and Sunday, and the days provided for in §2.2-3300, for the transaction of business; provided that:
1. The clerk's office of the circuit court of any county or city may be closed on any day which is established as a general holiday for the employees of such county or city by a resolution duly adopted by the governing body of such county or city and approved by the judge or judges of the circuit court and filed in the office of the clerk; provided that such general holiday shall have the same force and effect as a legal holiday as set forth in subsection B of §1-210;
2. The judge
or judges of any circuit court in any county or city may authorize the clerk of such the circuit court to of any county or city may
close the
such clerk's office on Christmas Eve; provided that the
closing of any clerk's office as provided by this subdivision shall have the
same force and effect as a legal holiday as set forth in subsection B of §
1-210;
3. The chief judge or
presiding judge of any circuit court may authorize the
clerk of the circuit court to
of any county or city may close
the such
clerk's office on any day when the chief judge or
presiding judge such clerk determines that
operation of the clerk's office, under prevailing conditions, would constitute
a threat to the health and safety of the clerk's office personnel or the
general public. Closing of the clerk's office pursuant to this subdivision
shall have the same effect as provided in subsection B of §1-210;
4. The judge or judges of
the circuit court of any county or city may authorize the clerk of such the circuit court to
of any county or city may close
the such
clerk's office on any day or portion of a day which that the Governor declares as
a holiday for state employees, or on any day or portion of a day on which the
Governor, Supreme Court, or
Judicial Council authorizes state offices to be closed;
provided that such closing of any clerk's office shall have the same force and
effect as a legal holiday as set forth in subsection B of §1-210.
Except for closings pursuant to subdivision 3, whenever the authorization of the judge is necessary to close a clerk's office and a court has more than one judge, the authorization of all such judges shall be necessary.
The judge of the circuit court of any county or city may require the clerk's office to be kept open continuously for the transaction of business during convenient hours on all the days on which it is required by this section to be kept open.
B. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the clerk, with the approval of the chief judge, to open the clerk's office on Saturdays, during such hours as the chief judge may authorize, solely for the purposes of (i) permitting examination and copying of court records, (ii) accepting applications for and granting licenses pursuant to applicable law, and (iii) recording instruments. For all other purposes, including without limitation the filing of actions at law and suits in equity and all pleadings, pleas and motions therein, such clerk's office shall be closed with the force and effect of a statutory closing as provided in subsection B of §1-210.
