New Jersey Legislature Issues Permanent Solution to Changing Public Notice Publication Requirements

By: Annette Vera, Law Clerk

In response to the continued decline of local print newspapers and the growing need for reliable digital alternatives, the New Jersey Legislature passed the long-awaited public notice legislation, Senate Bill No. 4654, on June 30, 2025. This law is a permanent solution to the issue, as it extends and expands the guidance provided by the temporary relief addressed in March 2025. While the law takes effect immediately, most of its provisions do not become mandatory until March 1, 2026. In the interim, the bill extends the temporary provisions, originally set to expire on June 30, 2025, through March 1, 2026.

After March 1, 2026, public entities must publish their legal notices on their website, in a prominent place and accessible to the public free of charge. If the notice is not located on the public entity’s homepage, a hyperlink to the notice’s location must exist therein. Each public notice must be displayed for at least a week. In addition, public entities must establish an online archive of past legal notices, maintaining the expired notices for at least a year after removal from the website. The online publication requirement replaces the newspaper publication requirement. However, public entities may, at their option, continue to publish public notices in print newspapers in addition to the website publication.

The law also requires the Secretary of State to launch a centralized portal which will link each public entity’s legal notice webpage. This centralized portal is required to be launched by March 1, 2026, and public entities are required to submit their hyperlinks to the portal.

In addition to posting notices on their website and submitting them to the Portal, public entities must also be proactive in notifying the public about this change. Beginning January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, public entities must also place twice-monthly advertisements in “qualifying online news publications” which inform the public that the full legal notice is available on its website. The publication must also include a hyperlink to the location of the notice on the website, and hyperlink to the Secretary of State’s portal.

The bill defines “qualifying online news publications” as a “news publication in electronic format”, which meets certain technical and operational standards established by the new legislation. This includes a clear and recognizable domain name, no charge for accessing legal notices, and meet certain visitor data thresholds.

Ultimately, the key takeaway is that public entities are now required to ensure that their legal notices are posted on their website in a free and easily-accessible fashion. School boards, school districts, and local governments should work towards reviewing their current methods for publishing notices, revamping their websites to comply with the bill ahead of their relevant deadlines and conducting diligence prior to engaging any third-party services to ensure that they meet the bill’s technical and legal requirements. Early compliance efforts will position them for a smooth transition ahead of the 2026 deadlines.