Murphy signs law to end most public notices on news sites
By: Katie Sobko
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Governor Phil Murphy signed into law a bill that will effectively end the sue 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 in place since February [2025] have still allowed public notices to be published on New Jersey news organizations' digital platforms. Legislation that allowed for Online publication, which first expired in February [2025] and was extended, expired at the end of June. [2025]
..... Now, through bipartisan legislation sponsored by state Senate President Nick Scutari and state Senator 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 public for free.
..... This will be mandatory beginning March 1, 2026, and optional until then. The state will also cerate a page under the secretary of state's portion of nj.gov with links to the legal notices page for each public entity.
..... an archive of notices will need to be kept for at least a year, and notices would have to be on the site for at least a week, or a time period required by law, before transfer to the archive. The archive would not have to be maintained until July 1, 2026.
.....
For the year starting January 1, 2026, the government entities will be required to advertise at least twice a month, in an eligible Online news publication, the complete text of each legal notice on their websites and the link to the state's legal notices page.
..... Any corporation, individual or other entity that is not in public entity required be law, or by the order or rule of any court, to publish or advertise a legal notice will have to do so in an Online news publications.
..... The notices are intended to make the public aware of meetings and actions being undertaken by their local and county governments. Reconsidering how public notices are presented comes after the Legislature already took steps accountability measures.
..... Legislation passed last year [2024] gutted the Open Public Records Act, limiting access to government records. In 2023, legislation known as the Elections transparency act weakened campaign finance law.
..... Murphy signed both of those bills into law.