The current courthouse, built in 1926, has stood in Kerrville’s town square for nearly a century. 

Although county services are expected to resume normally by midweek, several key offices will be affected for an extended period. Officials said a total of six feet of water entered the lower level of the courthouse’s basement offices, including the county attorney’s office, human resources, and the treasurer’s office. The lower level will need to be completely cleared, reconstructed, and re-equipped before those departments can return, which could take up to one year. 

“We understand that, over the coming weeks and months, this may be confusing or disorienting for some members of the public when they need to find a specific office that has been relocated. But this was the best possible plan we could develop to deal with these circumstances,” said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly.

Officials said the building will be closed to the public for an “undetermined amount of time.” A photo shared by the county shows what appears to be significant damage to the building’s lower level, including a door knocked off its hinges, a large amount of debris and office supplies atop low-lying floodwaters and mud. 

A courthouse elevator was also severely damaged, forcing some offices on the second floor to relocate for what officials say could be at least two months. 

Offices inside the courthouse will temporarily relocate to other county-owned facilities over the coming days and are tentatively scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, July 22. The local tax office will relocate for approximately one to two weeks. 

The offices on the basement level, where the flood left more than 6 feet of water in the building, will be displaced the longest. While the building has been deemed structurally sound, the entire basement interior will need to be cleared, reconstructed and re-equipped before those departments may return. This could take up to 1 year, officials said. Affected offices include the county attorney’s office, human resources, the treasurer’s office and others.

 A county news release says officials are coordinating a “massive moving operation” over the next few days, but the displaced offices will be open for business as soon as possible. All other county offices reopened on Monday, July 20. 

You can see a full list of where county offices will relocate online.