NEWS & NOTICES For local governments
Public notices and news that come down on time.
News & Notices lets your staff post public notices and news from the same editor they use for pages, in minutes. Schedule a notice ahead, pin the important ones to the home page and set the date it comes down, so residents see what's current and expired notices don't linger on your community's website.
- Every tool included
- WCAG 2.1 AA
- Works with BS&A
Why do old notices stay up on so many local government websites?
Posting a notice is easy to remember. Taking it down is not. Without an end date, the home page becomes a stack of hearings that already happened and closures that already ended.
What residents run into
- A resident reads a notice about a road closure that ended last month and plans around it anyway.
- The one notice that matters this week is buried under six that don't.
- Local reporters have to check the website every day to catch new notices.
What your staff deal with
- Your staff post a notice at 8 a.m. on the right day by remembering to log in at 8 a.m.
- Someone has to go back and remove expired notices, and it rarely happens.
- News and notices live in a separate system with its own login and its own quirks.
How does posting a public notice work?
Write it once, set its dates, and the website handles the rest.
Write the notice
Use the same editor your staff already use for pages. No separate system, no new login.
Set when it goes up and comes down
Pick a posting date and an expiry date. The notice appears on schedule and comes down on its own.
Pin it if it matters
Pin a hearing notice or an urgent closure to the home page so it's the first thing residents see.
Residents and media follow along
Every notice goes into an RSS feed, so residents and local newsrooms get it without checking the website.
What's included in News & Notices?
The home page stays current without anyone babysitting it.
Scheduled posting and expiry
Set a notice to go live at a specific date and time and to come down when it no longer applies. Staff can prepare next week's notices today and stop worrying about cleanup.
Pinned notices on your home page
Pin the notices residents can't miss, like a public hearing or a boil water notice, so they sit at the top of the home page until their expiry date.
RSS feed for residents and local media
Each new notice and news item goes into a feed that residents, local reporters and newspapers can follow in a feed reader.
Built accessible
Notices residents can read on any device
A notice posted as a scanned flyer can't be read by a screen reader. Notices written in the editor are web pages built to meet WCAG 2.1 AA, the standard in the ADA Title II rule, so they work with assistive technology and on a phone. If you attach a PDF, Document Center checks it for accessibility problems on upload.
Can a local government post legal notices only on its website?
In most states, not yet. Legal notices usually still go in a newspaper, though some states now allow the government's website for certain notices. These rows come from our state guides. Follow a state for the full rule.
| State | Requirement | What the law says | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | Legal notices | Qualifying newspaper, which also posts the notice free online | MCL 691.1051 (opens in a new tab) |
| Illinois | Legal notices | Qualifying newspaper, which posts to the statewide notice site | 715 ILCS 5/3.1 (opens in a new tab) |
| Indiana | Legal notices | Website publication under IC 5-3-5 allowed for any required notice from July 1, 2027 | IC 5-3-1-1.5 (opens in a new tab) |
| Ohio | Township resolutions | Newspaper, official public notice website, or the township's website and social media account | R.C. 504.121 (opens in a new tab) |
| Ohio | Municipal ordinances and summaries | At least one of newspaper, official public notice website, or the municipality's website and social media | R.C. 731.21 (opens in a new tab) |
| Wisconsin | Legal notices in lieu of publication | One public place plus the website, instead of three places, where posting is allowed | Wis. Stat. § 985.02(2) (opens in a new tab) |
Questions about News & Notices.
Short answers, linked to the law where it applies. Ask us anything else on a demo.
Does posting a notice on our website count as legal publication?
Usually not by itself. Most states still require legal notices in a qualifying newspaper. A few allow the website for certain notices: Ohio townships can use the township's website and social media for resolutions (R.C. 504.121 (opens in a new tab)). Check your state guide and your attorney.
How do we make sure a notice comes down after the meeting?
Give it an expiry date when you post it. The notice comes down on its own on that date, so nobody has to remember. If a hearing is moved, change the dates on the notice and it stays up until the new one has passed.
Can we post a special meeting notice on the home page?
Yes. Pin it, and it stays at the top of the home page until it expires. That matters in Michigan, where special meeting notices go on the homepage or a notices page with a prominent homepage link if your website posts agendas or minutes monthly (MCL 15.265 (opens in a new tab)).
What's the difference between News & Notices and Alerts?
News & Notices puts the notice on your community's website and in an RSS feed. Alerts & Notify Me sends a message to residents who subscribed, by text and email, and can show a banner across every page. For a road closure or a water notice, many offices use both.
Want notices that take themselves down?
We'll schedule a sample hearing notice on a demo, pin it to the home page and show it expiring on its own.