Newspaper Closures Muddle Future Of Notice In New Jersey Public

New Jersey lawmakers are racing to update public notice laws before a temporary extension expires on March 1, 2025. The urgency follows The Star-Ledger’s announcement that it has ceased its print edition, raising concerns about where legal notices will be published in the future. The latest proposal, S-4064, originally supported by the New Jersey Press Association (NJPA), introduces several unprecedented changes. The bill would require public notices to be placed behind a paywall — marking a sharp departure from other states, where public notices on newspaper websites must remain free to access. Additionally, the legislation allows newspapers to decide whether to publish notices in print, breaking from long-standing industry arguments that print remains the most effective way to reach the public. S-4064 also establishes new qualifications for publications eligible to publish notices, with separate rules for print newspapers and online-only news sites.

Digital-only publications must have been in business for at least two years and publish paid content before becoming eligible. Meanwhile, all qualifying publications must maintain a physical presence in New Jersey and post notices to NJPA’s statewide public notice website. A key component of the bill is a long-overdue increase in public notice fees, which have remained unchanged since 1983. While NJPA supports updating the fee structure, the association has raised concerns about how the bill calculates subscriber counts and pricing. Some rates in the legislation are reportedly 10 times higher than NJPA’s original proposal due to a drafting error. S-4064 is just one of several bills under consideration.

Other proposals would shift public notices entirely to government websites, potentially allowing state and local agencies to bypass newspapers altogether. NJPA has not taken a position on how to handle public notices when no qualifying newspaper exists in a municipality, but it opposes allowing government agencies to publish their own notices. The status of newspaper notice in New Jersey was thrown into uncertainty when Advance Publications announced on Oct. 30 that early next year it plans to close a production facility and the print editions of several significant newspapers in the state, including the state’s largest paper, the Star-Ledger. Although it isn’t clear how many local government units were using the three daily papers and one weekly newspaper that will cease publication in the wake of Advance’s announcement, the scale of the closure’s... Warren County has been publishing its notices in the Star-Ledger even though the paper is based in Newark, which is located two counties and 63 miles from the county seat.

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here Newsrooms aren’t just understaffed — they’re outpaced by an internet that now produces more content in an hour than many local outlets publish in a week. In E&P’s latest sponsored webinar, former Google news lead and current director of product for Nota, Anntao Diaz, argued that AI isn’t the threat most journalists fear but the accelerant exposing an industry already... He then showed, in real time, how a single municipal meeting could be transformed into a publishable, SEO-optimized story in minutes — without replacing the reporter. His message was clear: in the fight for relevance, cadence and originality are no longer optional. Public entities no longer are required to publish meeting notices in newspapers under a new law Gov.

Phil Murphy signed on June 30, 2025. (Photo by New Jersey Monitor) Legislation signed by Gov. Phil Murphy Monday evening ended the state’s decades-long practice of requiring publication of public notices in newspapers. The measure comes after the Star-Ledger, the state’s largest daily newspaper, announced it would cease printing in February, along with other smaller papers the company owns. That left several municipalities and counties without an official newspaper to publish notices of town meetings, planning board applications, foreclosures, and bid solicitations, as mandated under the state’s Open Public Meetings Act.

Now, under the new law, public entities will be required to publish or advertise legal notices on their official website beginning March 1, 2026, with digital publication of such notices optional until that date. The law requires that the websites be free and accessible, with a direct hyperlink to legal notices placed “conspicuously” on the homepage. The secretary of state also would help set up a website to include notices from public entities statewide. Public agencies will be required to display notices on the website for at least one week and store them in an online archive for at least one year afterward. Local governments will not be required to maintain an archive until July 1, 2026, according to the measure. A decades-old law requiring towns and government agencies in New Jersey to publish meeting notices in newspapers was abolished last week, raising concerns that some local publications covering the state may be forced to...

Print and online newspapers have long been paid by state and local governments to publish everything from town council meeting notices to planning board applications and other announcements. The fees were a steady source of revenue for newspapers, which provided a consistent site for meeting notices — also referred to as legal ads — for New Jerseyans who might struggle to find... Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law last week that ended the public notice requirement after years of battles and negotiations in Trenton over the issue. The new law will allow the government to bypass news outlets and post all public notices on their websites by March. The state will also set up a central website with links to all the sites.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law a bill that will effectively end the use of media for public notices. These advertisements were legally required to be printed in newspapers to make the public aware of municipal and county meetings, planning board applications, sheriff's sales and many other official government actions. Under New Jersey law, they have appeared in print newspapers for decades. The reform was made necessary, its sponsors have said, by the end of daily print publication of The Star-Ledger, Jersey Journal, Times of Trenton and South Jersey Times, but short-term fixes that have been... Legislation that allowed for online publication, which first expired in February and was extended, expired at the end of June.

Now, through bipartisan legislation sponsored by state Senate President Nick Scutari and state Sen. Anthony Bucco, all governments and public entities will publish or advertise legal notices on their own official websites. Each government website will be required to display a clearly marked link to legal notices on its home page, and the listings would have to be available to the public for free. This will be mandatory beginning March 1, 2026, and optional until then. The state will also create a page under the secretary of state's portion of nj.gov with links to the legal notices page for each public entity. The status of newspaper notice in New Jersey was thrown into uncertainty when Advance Publications announced on Oct.

30 that early next year it plans to close a production facility and the print editions of several significant newspapers in the state, including the state’s largest paper, the Star-Ledger. Although it isn’t clear how many local government units were using the three daily papers and one weekly newspaper that will cease publication in the wake of Advance’s announcement, the scale of the closure’s... Warren County has been publishing its notices in the Star-Ledger even though the paper is based in Newark, which is located two counties and 63 miles from the county seat. New Jersey lawmakers are racing to update public notice laws before a temporary extension expires on March 1, 2025. The urgency follows The Star-Ledger’s announcement that it has ceased its print edition, raising concerns about where legal notices will be published in the future. The latest proposal, S-4064, originally supported by the New Jersey Press Association (NJPA), introduces several unprecedented changes.

The bill would require public notices to be placed behind a paywall — marking a sharp departure from other states, where public notices on newspaper websites must remain free to access. Additionally, the legislation allows newspapers to decide whether to publish notices in print, breaking from long-standing industry arguments that print remains the most effective way to reach the public. “Trust is at the core of what we do, and innovation is how we move forward. Mega-Conference is designed to help newspaper executives take real-world strategies back to their teams — whether it’s building stronger audience relationships, developing new revenue streams or making content more impactful.” Dean Ridings, CEO of America’s Newspapers For local newspapers, trust isn’t just a buzzword — it’s essential to long-term success.

Readers rely on their local newspapers for credible, fact-based journalism, and publishers need fresh strategies to grow revenue and engage audiences in new ways. A bill that would end the requirement to publish most legal notices via news outlets is headed to the governor’s desk after both legislative chambers overwhelmingly approved the legislation on Monday. The mandatory legal notices served as a significant revenue source for many newspapers in the state, but many residents in the state do not have access to print newspapers, a situation that worsened when... The legislation, if signed into law, would allow local and county governments to instead publish the notices on their official websites. Some localities, like Warren County, say no outlet qualifies as a local newspaper. The Senate voted to approve the bill 36-0.

The Assembly voted 69-2 with two abstentions. GOP Assemblymen Brian Rumpf (R-Little Egg Harbor) and Don Guardian (R-Atlantic City) voted against the legislation. Legislation passed earlier this year essentially punted the issue today, the last day before the Legislature adjourns for the summer. “This stop-gap measure will give us time to establish a plan that both recognizes and utilizes technological advancements while maintaining the familiarity and transparency that constituents are accustomed to,” said Sen. Bucco. “Now that it is signed into law, we can slow down the process, bring all stakeholders to the table, and ensure we find a solution that works for everyone.”

Due to the impending closure of several major print newspapers in New Jersey, there has been confusion among local governments as to how to proceed while also staying in compliance with the Open Public... You can read the full bill (S-3957) here.

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