New jersey seeks to expand newspaper public notice eligibility, regulations

TRENTON, N.J. — The New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced a bill that would extend the eligibility of newspapers and online publications for public notices and legal advertisements while imposing new reporting requirements on these publications.

The legislation, Senate Bill 4136, would allow newspapers used for legal notices between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, to remain eligible through June 30, 2025 in either print or electronic format. This marks a four-month extension from the current deadline of March 1, 2025.

Additionally, the bill mandates that within 30 days of enactment, newspapers and online publications providing public notice services must submit detailed data to the Governor and the Office of Public Information in the Office of Legislative Services. Required data includes:

Number of paid and unpaid digital or print subscriptions per public body
Daily newspaper sales by retailers
Amounts billed for public notices and legal ads (2020-2024)
Average retail price of digital and print subscriptions
Daily page views for public notices on digital platforms since January 1, 2024
Any other information requested by the Legislative Services Commission

The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.

The legislation aims to ensure continued access to public notices while increasing transparency on the financial and readership metrics of newspapers and online publications providing these services.

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