Three courthouses closed after positive Legionella tests

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Three city courthouses were closed Monday, Dec. 23 and Tuesday, Dec. 24 after the buildings tested positive for Legionella bacteria. The buildings reopened on Dec. 26.

The Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Courthouse and Elijiah E. Cummings Courthouse and the Baltimore City District Courthouse on Fayette Street will be closed to implement safety protocols and begin remediation. The closures follow positive test results for the bacteria in the building’s water supply. On Friday, Baltimore city officials and the clerk’s office recommended the closure following the positive tests. According to a notice posted on the Maryland courts website, a member of the clerk’s office is suspected of having been exposed to Legionella Pneumonia.

Emergency matters usually heard in the city’s Circuit Courts will be heard Monday and Tuesday at the Juvenile Justice Center at 300 N. Gay Street. All emergency housing matters typically held at the district court in Baltimore will be moved to the Wabash District Court on Monday and Tuesday.

On Dec. 6, the Wabash and Patapsco district courthouses tested positive for Legionella. The water supply systems in both buildings have been flushed and treated along with other measures. On Thursday, test results continued to show positive results for the bacteria. The Maryland Department of General Services confirmed an updated remedial plan has been put in place for those courthouses including plans to flush and sanitize the water lines on Dec. 28.

Based on the information provided by MDGC and Maryland Department of health, it was determined the Wabash and Patapsco buildings can safely remain open.

The city says it conducted “proactive” testing after concerns were raised in other state and federal government facilities in downtown Baltimore.

Testing in the Baltimore City District Courthouse and Mitchell Courthouse occurred on Dec. 9, with results received Thursday afternoon. Testing for the Cummings Courthouse occurred on Dec. 12 and results were received on Friday, according to the city.

The Cummings MECU building was also tested on Dec. 12, according to the city, with Friday’s results showing “extremely low levels of Legionella,” where it was determined the building does not require a closure recommendation. The Baltimore City Circuit Court Clerk’s office said water testing at the Juvenile Justice Center revealed no presence of Legionella bacteria.

Legionella can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a rare and severe form of pneumonia, and can spread in the plumbing and HVAC systems of large buildings.

In recent months, the bacteria has also been found at the State Center complex and at 200 St. Paul Place in Baltimore, a downtown office building that houses the Maryland Attorney General’s Office (and The Daily Record, among other companies).

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had to close its headquarters in Woodlawn for about two months after a Legionella detection, and the Social Security Administration’s headquarters just down the road turned off water fixtures because of the bacteria’s presence, according to an August report from the Federal News Network, which caters to federal agency managers.

The bacteria can be common in office buildings, according to a 2022 study published in the National Library of Medicine.