Chap. 34.—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. [H B 56]

Approved February 21, 1946

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

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

Section 3388. Clerks’ offices to be kept open on certain days; rec-
ords, 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 1s 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 and forty thousand
or more according to the last preceding United States census, and in which
city the governing body thereof closes its offices in the months of June,
July, August and September, or any part of such months at noon on Sat-
urday, the judge of such circuit or corporation court may, by order of
record, direct that the clerk’s office close at noon and provided further,
that in cities having a population of one hundred forty 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 holidays 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 ad-
joining a city having a population of one hundred forty thousand or
more, or of any county adjoining a city having a population of one hun-
dred forty thousand 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 hun-
dred 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 manner, or to such extent, as will interfere with the
business of the office, or with 1ts reasonable use by the general public.