Last year, NJ Gov. Phil Murphy ended the state’s decades-long practice of requiring publication of public notices in newspapers.
Towns needed to identify 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.
All that is changing.
Public entities are now 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 new law requires that the websites be free and accessible, with a direct hyperlink to legal notices placed “conspicuously” on the homepage.
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.
Local governments could still publish legal notices in online news sites.
New Jersey Press Association says the move “diminishes transparency and erodes trust in government.” Supporters say the new law is a modern solution to a changing media environment. It allows residents to avoid paying for subscriptions to news outlets and securing physical newspapers, and instead access online information “from the comfort of their own home or their local library”.
“We’re not in the ’70s anymore, and New Jerseyans, and frankly all Americans, are getting their information on primarily digital platforms”.
The legislation was introduced last year by Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), the Senate president.
Excerpts from Sophie Nieto-Munoz, New Jersey Monitor
