Nj S Public Notice Rules Set For Major Changes Njbiz

Leo Migdal
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nj s public notice rules set for major changes njbiz

Learn how new legislation may modernize compliance NJ’s public notice rules set for major changes Learn how new legislation may modernize compliance Public notice requirements in New Jersey are changing. And, if you are an applicant, developer or municipality – or work for or with any of them – it is important to be aware of where the rules stand today and what might... What led to the change?

Although there have long been complaints about the somewhat archaic nature of newspaper publication requirements, print publication has always been how municipalities and members of the public appearing before public bodies were required to... Indeed, various New Jersey statutes, including the Open Public Meetings Act and the Municipal Land Use Law, have mandated that municipalities and applicants publish notices advising of public meetings, ordinance adoptions, zone changes and... NJBIZ, the definitive voice of New Jersey business news, is the most mature and distinguished voice in the state. Serving the community since 1987, NJBIZ provides business leaders and executives with the news and information that matters most. We connect and inform businesses through targeted networking and lead-generation opportunities via our recognition events, thought-leadership panel discussions, weekly lists, the annual Book of lists, along with premium online data. NJBIZ is in the business of connecting people and brands with information and each other.

NJBIZ produces a weekly print edition with a readership of more than 19,000, as well as providing 24/7 business news coverage through NJBIZ.com, multiple daily e-newsletters and social media. It is owned by BridgeTower Media, the leading provider of business-to-business information, research and marketing solutions across more than 20 local economies in the U.S. Copyright © 2025 BridgeTower Media. All Rights Reserved. For top headlines, breaking news and more, visit njbiz.com or sign up for our newsletter. A bombshell came crashing into the White House health narrative Monday when longtime cardiologist Jonathan Reiner publicly rejected the official spin on President Trump’s recent MRI, calling the explanation “laughable” and suggesting the whole...

Many of us dismiss a rash as “just allergies,” “just dry skin,” or “probably nothing.”. But doctors warn there is one rash that can turn deadly in hours, not days — and Americans rarely recognize it until it’s too late. On June 30, 2025, Gov. Phil Murphy signed public notice reform legislation into law. The new law (S-4654/A-5878) requires – beginning March 1, 2026 – a public entity to publish or advertise legal notices on its official website. The new law also mandates that private entities required to publish legal notices do so on an online news publication.

To avoid compliance missteps, we strongly encourage land use applicants and municipal officials to be proactive in familiarizing themselves with the new requirements. This new law will affect both private developers and land use applicants, as well as municipal clerk’s offices. The modernization of New Jersey’s legal notice requirements respond to the fact that paper newspapers are quickly becoming scarce in the digital age and online publications are often subject to pay walls. The new law also aims to provide greater accessibility to the public and boost government efficiency. Below are several key provisions: Finally, S-4654/A-5878 extends the provisions of two prior laws that provided temporary relief from the requirement that all public notices be published in print newspapers.

Applicants and public entities may continue to use print or electronic newspapers for legal notices. Land use applications and approvals often require notice publication pursuant to New Jersey’s Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL). Specifically, the MLUL mandates that notice must be sent by certified mail to all property owners within 200 feet of the subject property. Additionally, notice must be published in an official newspaper of general circulation in the municipality at least 10 days prior to the scheduled public hearing. 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. On June 30, 2025, Governor Murphy signed into law new requirements for the publication of legal notices. Under the new law, as set forth in N.J.S.

35:3-1 et seq., legal notice publication by both public entities and private entities that were once required to be published in print newspapers must be published on official digital platforms. The new law aims to preserve transparency, reduce costs and improve public access to essential legal notices in the ever-evolving digital landscape. Historically, legal notices in New Jersey were required to be published in local or regional print newspapers, for matters such as public bids, ordinances, foreclosures, governmental meetings and land use applications. Many have argued publication in the print newspaper is costly, outdated, has limited reach, and fails to reflect a modern approach to information consumption. Applicability to New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL), N.J.S. 40:55D:

While the public notice as required by the MLUL will now be published on a public entity website and/or eligible online news publication website, the MLUL notice requirements essentially remain unchanged: The new public notice provisions will require municipalities, land use applicants and land use practitioners to revamp their internal notice procedures to ensure compliance with the statute and the MLUL. It will be important for practitioners to understand the process, including how to post public notices and to maintain records of the digital public notices so as to provide proof of notice where required. The statute modernizes the approach to legal notice requirements, providing further transparency, efficiency and reach to the public at large but requires a new and careful approach to ensure that land use applications and... 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 New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law (MLUL) has long established strict procedural requirements for providing public notice of land use applications. Under the current law, applicants seeking approvals for development, variances, or other land use actions must provide notice in two primary ways: These notice requirements are foundational to the MLUL’s commitment to public participation and due process in local land use decision-making.

New Legislation: Modernizing Legal Notice Publication A newly enacted bill—S4654/A5878—recently passed with overwhelming support in both the Senate and Assembly and expected to be signed by Governor Murphy, brings significant changes to the way legal notices, including those required under... The legislation, effective March 1, 2026, modernizes the notice process by shifting the focus from traditional print newspapers to digital platforms. Key provisions include: Implications for Land Use Applicants and Municipal Authorities On June 30, 2025, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Senate Bill No.

4654, which was introduced on June 16, 2025, into law, enacting significant reforms to the state’s requirements for the publication or advertisement of legal notices. Traditionally, legal notices are required to be published in printed newspapers to afford the public notice of municipal and county meetings. Since many print newspapers in New Jersey ended daily print publication, the new law revises the manner in which legal notices are to be communicated to the public. Effective March 1, 2026, all governmental and public entities will be required to publish or advertise legal notices electronically on their own official website. Such websites will be required to clearly link to legal notices on its home page and be accessible and available to the public without charge. All governmental and public entities will be required to maintain public notices on the website for a minimum of a week, or the time required by law, before transferring the notice to archives and...

A local government unit is not required to maintain an archive until July 1, 2026. The State is required to create a webpage under the Secretary of State’s website which links to the legal notice page for each public entity. Effective January 1, 2026, governmental entities may, in addition to the publication on its official Internet website, advertise a legal notice in an “eligible online news publication.” Any corporation, individual, or other entity that is not a public entity and is required by law or a court order or court rule to publish or advertise a legal notice will be required... Corporations, individuals, or other entities shall select an “online news publication” based on the geographic target as established or implied under the law, court order or court rules requiring publication.

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