When the clock struck 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2008, the positions of Recorder of Deeds, Register of Wills, Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary were eliminated in Allegheny County. Voters passed a referendum in the 2005 election to eliminate the elected positions along with the two jury commissioner posts.

The manager of the Real Estate Division replaces the Recorder of Deeds office, and the director of the Department of Court Records combines offices of the prothonotary, clerk of courts and register of wills.

While the notary appointment process will remain the same for the time being, there is one significant change that will take effect at the end of the month. All checks must be made payable to the Department of Real Estate after Jan. 31, 2008. Checks made payable to the Recorder of Deeds will be accepted up to that time, but will not be accepted following that date.