Flooding over the weekend has forced the Franklin County Municipal Court to postpone hearings, adding yet another problem to a courthouse building that judges and staff say is falling apart.
In an 11-page statement, court officials and judges described a facility where elevators frequently break down and trap people inside, the fire alarm system and security equipment are aging, electrical wiring sometimes smokes, and plumbing problems have caused repeated leaks. City fire inspectors found 33 code violations in the courthouse on Aug. 7 and again on Aug. 19.
The courthouse was built in 1979, and officials say maintenance has been repeatedly deferred as plans for a replacement building took shape. Court staff expressed concern that planned renovations cannot fix the building’s underlying safety and accessibility problems.
City officials offered differing accounts of the weekend flooding. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office directed questions about the building to Columbus Water and Power, whose representative said he could only speak to city water infrastructure. Court staff could not say whether the building’s ongoing plumbing issues contributed to the flood.
For now, hearings remain postponed while cleanup and repairs are assessed. Judges said they are working to reschedule affected cases and minimize disruptions for litigants, attorneys and jurors.
The flooding is the latest chapter in a long-running debate over the courthouse’s future, and it is likely to sharpen calls for a faster timeline on a new facility.
