Cities, towns and counties may now meet legal notice requirements in their governing laws by posting notices on their own official website and on the website of a newspaper qualified to publish notices, instead of only in print.
Official title: cities; towns; counties; posting; website
- September 12, 2026
What changes
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NowA city or town may satisfy any advertising, publishing or printing requirement in the city and town title of state law by posting the notice on its official website and on the official website of a newspaper qualified to publish notices under that title.
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NowA county may satisfy any advertising, publishing or printing requirement in the county title of state law the same way: posting on the county's official website and on a qualified newspaper's official website.
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NowTo use this option, the city, town or county must electronically send the notice to the newspaper at least 1 full business day before the required notice date, and must post it on its own website by the required notice date.
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NowA city, town or county that posts public notices on its website must put a 'public notices' link on its home page that links to all statutorily required notices, listed by category.
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NowFor cities and towns, this website option does not apply to publishing notice of a proposed city charter.
Who it affects
- Residents who read public notices from their city, town or county
- Newspapers qualified to publish legal notices
- Cities and towns
- Counties
What you need to do
Nothing.
What the law doesn't answer
- Whether the newspaper may charge for posting notices on its website, and how much
- Whether a printed newspaper notice is still required when the website option is used
- How a city, town or county chooses which qualified newspaper to use
- What happens if a notice is posted late or not posted correctly
- How long notices must stay posted online
This summary describes the law as enacted. Later laws, court rulings or referendum petitions can change the picture. Check the official text for the current wording.