The Athens-Clarke County Municipal Court is being treated for bed bugs, requiring partial closure of the Courthouse today, Friday, November 14.
The first floor Courthouse side entrance and Sheriff’s main office area are closed today for pest control treatment. Visitors to the Courthouse and employees can enter through the East Washington Street entrance on the second floor.
The closure and treatment are only for the Municipal Court area. All other courts and courthouse operations are not affected by the closure and will remain open as normal. Court and Sheriff operations on the first floor are expected to re-open as normal on Monday, November 17.
While no court business will be conducted on site during the closure, the Municipal Court website is available during the closure for online payments and other information.
The precautionary treatment started yesterday after a Municipal Court visitor exhibited signs of possible bed bugs. Athens-Clarke County Central Services Department sent the on-call pest control company for an assessment and treatment as per standard practice.
Bed bugs are small parasitic insects that cannot fly. They are usually transported on people from many different sources, such as schools, hotels, and used furniture.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bed bugs are not known to spread disease and do not usually pose a serious medical threat.
