Yes, multiple states allow legal notices to be published strictly online without requiring publication in a traditional physical print newspaper.
While state laws historically mandated physical newspaper printings, statutory shifts fall under three main categories:
1. Primary Government Website Posting
- New Jersey: Effective March 1, 2026, public entities (municipalities, county bodies, land use boards) are permitted to satisfy their public notice obligations by posting directly on their official government websites.
- Florida: Under Florida Statute § 50.0211, government agencies and local municipalities can opt for “internet-only” publication of legal notices on a qualifying county or government website. However, the local jurisdiction must first hold a public hearing to confirm that local residents have adequate broadband internet access.
2. Independent Online-Only News Outlets
- Virginia: Under Code of Virginia § 8.01-324, digital-first local news websites can obtain judicial certification to serve as the official outlet for legal notices. If a petitioner or government agency uses a qualifying online-only site, a physical print newspaper is no longer required.
- New Jersey: For private entities (e.g., businesses or land-use developers), legal notices can be placed in certified “eligible online news publications” instead of print.
3. Digital Newspaper Replicas / Newspaper E-Editions
- Indiana & Oregon: Modernized notice statutes allow traditional print newspapers to transition their legal notice obligations onto their digital e-editions or designated digital news platforms, rather than requiring ink-on-paper distribution.
In almost all cases where states permit online-only legal notices, the statutes require the publisher or agency to cross-post the notice to a searchable, centralized statewide public notice database (such as FloridaPublicNotices.com or PublicNoticeVirginia.com) to ensure long-term public access.