Kane County Clerk John Cunningham has announced that the County Clerk’s Office locations in Geneva and Aurora will fully reopen to the public at 8:30 a.m. Monday.
Although the Clerk’s Office has continued to provide essential government services to the public throughout the pandemic, it had been operating by appointment only for the past 13 months in order to limit the amount of people in the office at one time, officials said.
Beginning Monday, individuals will no longer need to make an appointment for in-person service before coming to the Clerk’s Office locations at 719 S. Batavia Ave., Building B, in Geneva, and 5 E. Downer Place, Suite F, in Aurora.
“We appreciate the patience of the public throughout this public health emergency,” Cunningham said in a press release. “During the past year, we have done our best to provide critical services while taking precautions to protect the health of our valued customers and staff. We look forward to reopening and welcoming the public back into the office without appointments. We will continue to follow health and safety protocols as we always have to ensure you have a pleasant and safe experience at our office.”
Health and safety protocols include temperature scanning and hand sanitizing machines at the entrance to the building. The public is encouraged to wear a face covering when inside the office, and social distancing markers on the floor will indicate safe distances for those waiting for service, according to the release.
If crowds form and make social distancing impossible, individuals might be asked to wait outside or in their vehicles until being served, officials said.
“In recent weeks, we have seen a significant increase in appointment requests, and demand is now outpacing appointment slots,” Cunningham said. “As we look optimistically toward a return to normal this summer and fall, we have seen an increased demand for marriage licenses and passports. We also expect an increased demand for copies of birth records with the REAL ID deadline coming up in October and with the beginning of school registration for next fall.”
The clerk’s website at www.kanecountyclerk.org also provides opportunities for the public to order copies of birth, death and marriage records and other documents online or by mail.
