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Fairfax County’s Pennino Building will reopen to the public Monday, July 6, ending a five-month closure caused by extensive flooding.
The human services office building at 12011 Government Center Parkway has been closed since Feb. 6, 2026, when a broken water line flooded the facility. It houses the Department for Family Services, Neighborhood and Community Services and several other county programs.
Repairs throughout the building included work on elevators and other building systems. Damage had also affected carpeting, drywall, electrical components and technology.
The county said air-quality testing found no elevated levels of airborne contaminants. Final tests and inspections are underway ahead of the reopening.
Officials initially expected the building to remain closed for at least a week. By late March, however, the county said the damage was extensive enough to prevent safe occupancy until summer.
Walk-in services have been unavailable during the closure, although programs continued online and at alternate locations. Some Neighborhood and Community Services offerings, including child care assistance and registration, operated next door in the Herrity Building.
The Department for Family Services directed residents to human services centers at the Gerry Hyland Government Center, as well as locations in Annandale and Reston. The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board provided telephone assistance for its mental health, substance use and disability services.
All services normally offered at the Pennino Building are expected to return when it reopens.
The flooding, combined with the December closure of the county’s Historic Courthouse after a heating-system failure, intensified calls from Fairfax leaders to prioritize preventive maintenance at aging public facilities.
The county’s fiscal 2027-2031 capital improvement program, taking effect with the new budget July 1, includes increased infrastructure funding and a revised bond schedule emphasizing facilities with the most urgent needs.