After an extended hiatus, the Fairfax County Circuit Court will bring back its satellite services next month. This time, however, the pop-up will focus on the southern side of the county instead of the north.
The satellite site will provide select court services at the Gerry Hyland Government Center (8350 Richmond Highway) in Woodlawn from 9 a.m. to noon on the second Tuesday of every month, starting April 14.
“Bringing Circuit Court services to the Gerry Hyland Government Center is another example of our commitment to making court services more accessible,” Fairfax Circuit Court Clerk Chris Falcon said when announcing the upcoming launch.
To save residents a trip to the Fairfax County Courthouse, the court first introduced its pop-up satellite site at the Cathy Hudgins Community Center at Southgate in Reston in May 2024. Available services included marriage license application processing, access to certified copies of court records and free notary services.
The initiative was paused last August when the Cathy Hudgins Community Center closed for a remodeling project that included new flooring and HVAC upgrades. Though the facility reopened at the end of January, the satellite court pop-up won’t be returning, circuit court spokesperson Rafael Arancibia says.
“The decision [to relocate] is mainly due to identifying a county owned facility within close proximity to public transport and foot traffic,” Arancibia told FFXnow, adding that the court hopes to offer multiple satellite locations in the future.
The South County location will mostly offer the same services that the Reston one did, including marriage license issuances, free notary services and certified copies of court records. Patrons will also be able to file documents for existing civil cases.
Elected in 2023, Falcon campaigned on the need to expand access to court services and public records. During his first term in office, the circuit court has introduced electronic filing and scheduling options, made basic case information available online, and hosted expungement clinics in the community in addition to offering satellite services.
