Chap. 39.—An ACT to amend and re-enact Section 3388 of the Code of Virginia, as
amended, relating to when clerks’ offices shall be kept open, and when they may
be closed. [S 50]

Approved February 19, 1944

Be it enacted by the General .\ssembly of Virginia:

1. That section thirty-three hundred eighty-eight of the Code of Vir-
ginla, as amended, be amended and re-enacted, as follows:

Section 3388. Clerks’ offices to be kept open on certain days ; records,
et cetera, Open to inspection; copies authorized.—The clerk’s office of
every court shall be kept open on every day, except Sunday, Fourth of
July, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, during convenient hours,
for the transaction of business ; provided that in cities it may be closed on
New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Armistice Day, and
the judge of the circuit court of any county may authorize the clerk to
close the office on such day or days. The judge of the circuit court of
any county 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 herein required to be kept open. The judge of any circuit
or corporation court, with the approval of the governing body of the
county or city, as the case may be, may also authorize the clerk to close
the office on Saturday at one o’clock, post meridian; and provided fur-
ther, that in cities having a population of one hundred seventy thousand
or more according to the last preceding United States census, the clerk’s
office of any court may be closed on all days which are made legal holi-
days under the provisions of section fifty-seven hundred fifty-eight of the
Code and amendments thereto. The judge of the circuit court of any
county adjoining a city having a population of one hundred eighty thou-
sand or more according to the last preceding United States census may
authorize the clerk to close the office on all days which are made legal
holidays under the provisions of section fifty-seven hundred fifty-eight of
the Code of Virginia and amendments thereto. The records and papers
of every court shall be open to inspection by any person, and the clerk
shall, when required, furnish copies thereof, except in cases in which it is
otherwise specially provided. No person shall be permitted to use the
clerk’s office for the purpose of making copies of records, in such man-
ner, or to such extent, as will interfere with the business of the office,
or with its reasonable use by the general public.