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What a newspaper may legally charge to publish a legal notice — by US state

Every self-storage lien sale, foreclosure, probate, name change, DBA filing, estate notice and municipal budget in the United States has to be published as a paid legal notice in a qualifying newspaper, and in most states the price the newspaper may charge is capped by statute. This is a state-by-state comparison of that cap, taken from the statute itself rather than from a compilation. The statutes do not share a unit: Nebraska and Colorado cap cents per line of a specified type size and column width, Ohio and West Virginia work in column inches, Wyoming and Kansas in cents per word or per line with banding, and Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona and Washington set no number at all but tie the legal rate to the newspaper's own lowest commercial or classified rate. Several states charge a lower rate for the second and subsequent insertions of the same notice. Iowa's statutory figure is a base rate that the department of administrative services recalculates every June by CPI and publishes in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin, so the statute alone does not give the current number. The point of the comparison is that it is unit-normalised, dated, and read off the current statute: the leading free compilation in this niche still quotes Nebraska's 1996 rate of forty-five cents per line, where the statute has said fifty cents per line since October 1, 2023. Answers 'how much can a newspaper charge me to run a legal notice', 'is the price I was quoted for a foreclosure or lien-sale notice legal', and 'what is the legal advertising rate in my state'. Relevant to self-storage operators, foreclosure trustees, probate lawyers, county clerks, municipal budget officers, and the newspapers selling the notices.

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The data

StateMaximum chargeable rateHow the cap is measuredStatuteRate for later insertionsIn force sinceHow it changes over time
Alabamashall not exceed the lowest classified rate paid by or published on a rate card for commercial customers for an advertisement of similar size, and frequency in the same newspapers in which the public notice appearstied to the newspaper's own lowest commercial classified rateAla. Code § 6-8-64(a)
Arizonaa rate per column inch, per insertion, charged for legal advertising as shown by the local rate card of the newspaper in which publication is to be madeper column inch, tied to the newspaper's own rate cardA.R.S. § 39-221(A)
Arkansasnot more than its regular classified advertising rate for publicationtied to the newspaper's own regular classified rateArk. Code § 16-3-103(c)
Coloradoshall not exceed forty-four cents for each single-column line of six-point typecents per line for publicly supported notices; for privately supported notices, tied to the newspaper's own local classified display line rateC.R.S. § 24-70-107(1)(a)shall not exceed thirty-two cents per line for each subsequent insertionOn or after January 1, 1993
Florida70 cents per square inch for the first insertioncents per square inchFla. Stat. § 50.06140 cents per square inch for each subsequent insertion
GeorgiaFor each 100 words, not more than the sum of $15.00 for each insertion for the first four insertionsdollars per 100 wordsO.C.G.A. § 9-13-143(a)For each subsequent insertion, not more than the sum of $14.00 per 100 words
Idahoeight cents (8¢) for each pica in a column line for the first insertioncents per pica of column lineIdaho Code § 60-105seven cents (7¢) for each pica in a column line for each subsequent insertionOn and after October 1, 2008
IllinoisThe maximum rate charged for each insertion of a required public notice shall not exceed the lowest classified rate paid by commercial users for comparable space in the newspapers in which the required public notice appearstied to the newspaper's own lowest commercial classified rate, over a 20-cents-per-column-line floor715 ILCS 15/1 (Legal Advertising Rate Act)
Indianamay not exceed the lowest classified advertising rate charged to advertisers by the newspaper, locality newspaper, or qualified publication for comparable use of the same amount of space for other purposesby the line, computed on a square of 250 ems, capped at the newspaper's own lowest classified rateInd. Code § 5-3-1-1(b)(4)After December 31, 2016After December 31, 2016, a newspaper, locality newspaper, or qualified publication may, effective January 1 of any year, increase the basic charges by not more than two and three-quarters percent (2.75%) more than the basic charges that were in effect during the previous year
Iowathirty-four cents for one insertion and twenty-three cents for each subsequent insertion for each line of eight point type two inches in lengthcents per line, recalculated annually by CPIIowa Code § 618.11twenty-three cents for each subsequent insertionBeginning June 1, 2001, and each June 1 thereafter, the director of the department of administrative services shall calculate a new rate for the following fiscal year as prescribed in this subsection, and shall publish this rate as a notice in the Iowa administrative bulletin prior to the first day of the following calendar month
Kansasa rate not exceeding the lowest regular classified advertising rate charged by the newspaper to its commercial customerstied to the newspaper's commercial rateK.S.A. 28-137
Kentuckya rate per column inch. The advertisement shall be set in no larger than seven (7) point type on solid leading. The rate shall not exceed the lowest noncontract classified rate paid by advertisersper column inch, tied to the newspaper's commercial rateKRS 424.160
Louisianaa maximum of ninety percent of the commercial display advertising rate charged by the newspaper for a similar volume of businessa percentage of the newspaper's commercial display rateLa. R.S. 43:205(A)
MichiganPer Folio Cost of First Publication $30.65dollars per folio, set by an annual State Treasurer notice rather than by the statuteMCL 600.2534, as adjusted by the State Treasurer's annual legal notice publication cost noticePer Folio Cost for Subsequent Publication $12.70March 1, 2026the legal notice publication cost amounts shall remain the same as in the prior year
Minnesotashall not exceed the lowest classified rate paid by commercial users for comparable space in the newspapers in which the public notice appearstied to the newspaper's commercial rateMinn. Stat. § 331A.06
MississippiTwelve Cents (12¢) for each word it contains for the first insertioncents per wordMiss. Code Ann. § 25-7-65Ten Cents (10¢) for each of the words for each subsequent insertion required by law
Missourinot more than its regular local classified advertising ratetied to the newspaper's commercial rateMo. Rev. Stat. § 493.025
Montanashall not exceed the minimum going rate charged any other advertiser for the same publication set in the same sized type and published for the same number of insertionstied to the newspaper's commercial rateMont. Code Ann. § 18-7-201(2)
Nebraskafifty cents per line, single column, standard newspaper measurements of eight-point type and pica width of eleven for the first insertioncents per lineNeb. Rev. Stat. § 33-141(4)forty-three and thirty-four hundredths cents per line, single column, standard newspaper measurements of eight-point type and pica width of eleven for each subsequent insertionBeginning October 1, 2023
Nevada(a) The published open display rate for advertising, if the advertisement is placed in a daily or weekly newspaper with a circulation of 15,000 or less; or (b) The published rate for advertising by a nonprofit or charitable organization, if the advertisement is placed in a daily or weekly newspaper with a circulation of more than 15,000tied to the newspaper's published rate, banded by circulationNRS 238.070
New JerseyIn newspapers published in the State of New Jersey having a bona fide net paid circulation of up to 2,500 copies, the rate shall be $0.25 per line for each insertion; in the case of any newspaper having a bona fide net paid circulation of not less than 2,500 copies nor more than 5,000 copies, the rate shall be $0.31 per line for each insertiondollars per line, banded by newspaper circulationN.J.S.A. 35:2-1
New Mexicoa reasonable rate, to be set by rule or regulation of the secretary of general servicesset by an agency scheduleN.M. Stat. Ann. § 14-11-7Changes in economic conditions within the newspaper industry, the general economy and inflation shall be considered in determining a reasonable rate
New Yorktwenty-nine cents per line of a column width not less than ten pica ems, provided that in computing such charge per line the line shall average at least five words for each insertion in newspapers having less than two thousand five hundred circulationcents per line, banded by newspaper circulationN.Y. Public Officers Law § 70-a
North Carolinanot to exceed the local commercial rate of the newspapers selectedtied to the newspaper's commercial rateN.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-596
North DakotaAll newspapers must use the rates, type size, and column width as shown on its legal notice rate certification issued by the office of management and budgetset by an agency scheduleN.D.C.C. § 46-05-03The office of management and budget shall biennially review and adjust rates to reflect changes in economic conditions within the newspaper industry and the general economy, and those adjustments become effective on each July first following the review
OhioThe government rate shall not exceed the lowest classified advertising rate and lowest insert rate paid by other advertiserstied to the newspaper's commercial rateOhio Rev. Code § 7.10
Oklahomafifteen cents ($0.15) per word for first insertioncents per word28 O.S. § 121(A)(2)fourteen cents ($0.14) per word for each subsequent insertionEffective November 1, 2005
Oregona rate not to exceed that published by a newspaper as its open display advertising rate, that is, the per column inch rate charged local advertisers not under contract to a newspaper for a fixed rate or minimum quantity of advertisingper column inch, tied to the newspaper's open display rateORS 193.090
Pennsylvaniashall not be in excess of the rates usually charged or received by the publication publishing such official and legal advertising for commercial, general, or other advertisingper column line or per column inch, capped at the publication's usual commercial rate45 Pa.C.S. § 303
South Carolinacharged not more than the local retail display advertising rate shown on the newspaper's rate card or the rates published in the newspaper, deducting any and all applicable discounts earned by the volume or frequency of the legal advertisingtied to the newspaper's retail display rateS.C. Code Ann. § 15-29-80
South Dakota35.5 cents per line for eight-point type, and 31.4 cents per line for nine-point type, for a column width of eleven picascents per line or per column inch, banded by newspaper circulationSDCL § 17-2-19Beginning July 1, 2025Beginning July 1, 2025, and again on each July first thereafter, the maximum rates described in this section are to increase by either two percent or the index factor described in §10-13-38, whichever is less. The commissioner of human resources and administration or its designee shall publish the adjusted rates for the following year in the South Dakota Register by December fifteenth each year
Tennesseenot more than its regular classified advertising ratetied to the newspaper's commercial rateTenn. Code Ann. § 8-21-1301
Texasthe newspaper’s lowest published rate for classified advertisingtied to the newspaper's commercial rateTex. Gov't Code § 2051.045
Washingtonshall not exceed the national advertising rate extended by the newspaper to all general advertisers and advertising agencies in its published rate cardtied to the newspaper's published national advertising rateRCW 65.16.091
West Virginia(1) Four cents per word if the qualified newspaper has a bona fide circulation of less than one thousand, except as provided in subdivision (1), subsection (a) of this section; (2) Eight and one-half cents per word if the qualified newspaper has a bona fide circulation of one thousand to five thousand; (3) Nine cents per word if the qualified newspaper has a bona fide circulation of more than five thousand but less than ten thousand; (4) Ten cents per word if the qualified newspaper has a bona fide circulation of more than ten thousand and less than thirty thousand; or (5) Eleven cents per word if the qualified newspaper has a bona fide circulation of thirty thousand or morecents per word, banded by newspaper circulationW. Va. Code § 59-3-3(a)Provided, That on July 1, 2003 and on July 1, 2004 and on July 1, 2005 the allowable rate per word in each of the classifications of qualified newspapers with reference to circulation as set forth in this subsection shall, for each classification, increase 1¢ per word over the prior year's rate
Wisconsinnot more than the rate issued by the department of administration for the first and subsequent insertions per standard lineper standard line, at a rate set annually by the state department of administrationWis. Stat. § 985.08The standard line rate shall be reviewed annually, the adjustment, if any, to be effective on January 1 of each year to reflect the relevant change in costs of the newspaper publishing industry during the previous year, as determined by the department of administration in consultation with representatives of the daily and weekly newspaper industry of the state
Wyominga rate not to exceed the amount charged by a daily newspaper at the lowest rate for display advertising or by a weekly newspaper at the open local display advertising ratetied to the newspaper's display advertising rateWyo. Stat. Ann. § 18-3-518(a)

Where this came from

Every record above links the page it was taken from and quotes the sentence that states it. These are the 37 sources this dataset was assembled from.

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From your own code

Same records, same quotes, without scraping the page: refsource is on PyPI and npm. Each value comes back carrying the URL it was read from and the sentence on that page that states it — .source and .quote sit on the value itself rather than in a side channel, so the checking step is available instead of skipped.

pip install refsource
refsource lookup legal-notice-publication-rates-by-state state=Alabama

npx -y refsource lookup legal-notice-publication-rates-by-state state=Alabama

37 records. last verified against source . due for re-check by .

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