Carbon County’s recorder of deeds office has taken over notary services for county business.

On Thursday, Donna Gentile, recorder of deeds, announced that effective immediately, her office will provide free notary service to any county resident coming in for county-related business within any of the offices.

Prior to this month, the prothonotary’s office served as the county’s notary for county-related business, however, after being advised by the state, that office has stopped the service.

Gentile said that her office can administer oaths when someone is to be commissioned as a notary.

She can also help with applications from the treasurer’s office that need notary service; as well as tax assessment forms.

For residents using this service, they must bring the documentation, as well as a current driver’s license or valid photo ID.

“The whole job of a notary is to properly identify the customer,” Gentile said.

Commissioners’ Chairman Mike Sofranko thanked Gentile for stepping up to bridge the gap that was left when the prothonotary’s office stopped notary service.

“There were some notices that had gone out (to the prothonotary) that under the advice of her state attorney, that they no longer needed to provide notary services and due to the amount of workload on them at times, it became overburdening for them,” he said. “By Donna stepping up to the plate, it really shifted a lot of that workload over. It solved a lot of issues.”

Sofranko pointed out that applications for small games of chance licenses, which the county treasurer oversees, need to be notarized and providing this service free of charge is helping organizations and people to do what needs to be done.