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)
By SOPHIE NIETO-MUNOZ
Republished with permission of N.J. 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.
Local governments could still publish legal notices in online news sites. Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, public entities will have to publish an advertisement twice a month in online news outlets, and the ads must include links to their legal notices webpage.
The measure goes into effect immediately. It caps off several stopgap measures the Legislature advanced as lawmakers attempted to address the waning newspaper presence in the Garden State. Lawmakers first began exploring changes to the law back in November and tried to act quickly — towns have to designate their official newspaper by January and could face fines for failure to provide notice.
The changes have plenty of critics.
Assemblyman Brian Rumpf (R-Ocean) said the new law is a disservice to people who rely on physical publications to get their community news. Legislators should have compromised by including weekly and monthly papers, many of which are free at town grocery stores or libraries, he added.
“There are other methods by which this could be … without cutting all print notices out in one fell swoop,” said Rumpf, one of two Assembly members to vote against the bill.
Brett Ainsworth, president of the New Jersey Press Association, slammed the bill last week, saying it “diminishes transparency and erodes trust in government.”
Assemblyman Michael Inganamort (R-Sussex), a supporter, said 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,” he said.
It also will save money for towns that were doling out public funds to pay for these notices, he added.
“We’re not in the ’70s anymore, and New Jerseyans, and frankly all Americans, are getting their information on primarily digital platforms,” he said.
The legislation was introduced last week by Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), the Senate president. It advanced out of the upper chamber unanimously. In the Assembly, the legislation was voted out 69-2 with two abstentions.
