As the Carbon County courthouse renovation project swings into full gear, county residents needing to use the services of the register of wills/clerk of orphans’ court will be visiting the office in another location temporarily.

On Thursday, the county commissioners announced that the register of wills office will relocate to the second floor of the 76 Susquehanna St. building at the close of business on Dec. 15 and will remain at this location until the courthouse project is completed.

The register of wills office processes matters involving nonprofit organizations, issues marriage licenses, probates wills and appoints fiduciaries for estates, files and processes adoptions and parental terminations, acts as an agent for inheritance taxes and more.

Once the renovation project is completed, which is expected to take 18 months, the register of wills will be shifted back into the courthouse, Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said, noting that this was due to the judges wanting to keep the court-related offices inside the courthouse.

In other courthouse related matters, the commissioners acknowledged the litigation that Sheriff Daniel Zeigler filed last month regarding the use of additional space on the first floor of the courthouse.

The two parties have already reached an agreement under visiting Senior Judge Edward D. Reibman. A second settlement conference is scheduled for Jan. 4.