(Lawrenceville, Ga., March 18, 2020) – With uncertainty surrounding how long the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to impact the community, Gwinnett officials are taking steps to ensure residents can continue to conduct important business with county government with as few interruptions as possible over the long term.

Gwinnett County Government buildings in the Lawrenceville area will be closed to the public March 19 – 23, 2020, in order for professional cleaners to thoroughly clean and disinfect the facilities.

During this time, county leaders will also evaluate and rework as needed traffic flow within buildings, reception areas and public queuing areas to address current social distancing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help ensure the health and safety of employees and the public.

Exceptions to the closures include the animal shelter, voter registrations and elections office, police headquarters and precincts and fire headquarters and stations to accommodate the critical functions that must continue to take place in those buildings. While these facilities remain open, additional cleaning measures will be applied within the buildings.

Once the buildings reopen, the county’s housekeeping staff will be supplemented by temporary cleaning staff to increase the frequency of cleaning high-touch surfaces, such as door handles, stair railings and elevator buttons. The professional cleaning service will be retained to clean and disinfect the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center and other high-traffic buildings more frequently.

The County will continue to deliver police and fire protection, road maintenance and traffic operations, building and development inspections, code enforcement operations and other essential services during the three business day closure.

The Clerks of Court offices housed in the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center and the Juvenile Court and Recorder’s Court building will be closed under the order of Chief Superior Court Judge George Hutchinson. In the order, Hutchinson states, “I hereby temporarily designate as that alternate facility for the conduct of judicial business to be the Court Facility at the Gwinnett Pretrial Detention Center, 2900 Hwy. 316, Lawrenceville, Ga. 30043.” Clerks will be available at the Gwinnett County Jail to accept filings in person for Superior, State, Magistrate, Juvenile, Probate and Recorder’s courts. Customers are encouraged to file electronically in the courts which offer electronic filing. Filing information and helpful telephone numbers can be found on the Gwinnett Courts website, GwinnettCourts.com. A Magistrate Court judge also will available at the jail during the closure of GJAC.

Other County facilities that already announced closures –indoor recreation facilities, aquatics centers, libraries, senior recreation centers and senior congregate centers – remain closed. In addition, all programs and events in these facilities have been canceled until further notice.

Temporary Designation of an Alternate Facility Order 18 March 2020

A multitude of county services are available online, reducing the need for person-to-person interaction. These include paying water bills, citations and property taxes, renewing vehicle tags, and applying for building permits online. These services can be accessed through the County’s website at GwinnettCounty.com under online services.