Table of Contents
Can I Submit Public Notices Online?
Why Submit Public Notices Online?
Newspapers and Platforms That Support Online Submissions
Choosing the Right Platform for Public Notices
How Column Can Help with Public Notices
Other Public Notice Platforms to Consider
Can I Submit Public Notices Online?
As the world moves online, public notices have changed too. Public notices go way back to when people made announcements in public squares or posted them on church doors. The printing press made these notices easier to share, and they’ve been part of legal communication ever since. If you want to dive deeper into the history of public notice, check out our article The Important History of Public Notice: How It’s Evolved Over Generations.
Today, many newspapers let you submit notices digitally. This makes things easier, helping you meet deadlines, reduce paperwork, and handle payments faster. But remember, many laws still require notices to be printed in newspapers. Platforms like Column connect online submissions with print publications.
In this article, we’ll cover the best ways to submit public notices online, what platforms are available, and how to make sure your notice is both legal and properly published.
Why Submit Public Notices Online?
Submitting a public notice online can save you time and hassle. Traditional methods often involve contacting individual newspapers, filling out forms by hand, and coordinating publication dates through phone calls or emails.
With online submissions, you can:
- Streamline the process: Easily submit your notice at any time of day.
- Meet tight deadlines: Digital platforms allow quicker turnaround times.
- Track progress: Many platforms offer submission tracking to ensure your notice goes live on the correct date.
- Ensure compliance: Platforms like Column have done the work to check and adhere to the regulatory requirements of your jurisdiction. This means that the software has all the rules preprogrammed in, giving you peace-of-mind!
However, keep in mind that print requirements remain vital in many jurisdictions. Even if you submit your notice digitally, laws may still require that it be printed in a local or regional newspaper to fulfill legal obligations. Therefore, you need a platform that facilitates the connection between digital submission and print publishing.
Newspapers and Platforms That Support Online Submissions
1. Local and Regional Newspapers
Many local newspapers now offer direct submission forms through their websites. You can usually find a section for legal or public notices, where they outline the process and offer an online submission portal. This can be a good option if you already know the specific newspaper where you want to publish.
- Advantages: Direct relationship with the newspaper, familiar with local requirements.
- Disadvantages: The process can be manual, and you may have to fill out forms for multiple papers if your notice needs to be published in more than one location.
2. Public Notice Software Platforms
Public notice software platforms like Column provide a more streamlined and centralized way to manage the publication of public notices across multiple newspapers. Platforms like these often handle the entire process for you, from drafting to submission, payment, and confirmation of publication.
- 4 Key Advantages:
- Time-saving: You can submit notices to multiple newspapers from a single platform.
- Comprehensive: Platforms typically ensure your notice meets all the legal requirements, so you don’t have to worry about compliance issues.
- Ease of use: These platforms often come with pre-set templates and automated workflows.
- Print integration: They also make sure your notice is published in the required print publications, ensuring compliance with local laws.
- Disadvantages: There may be some fees involved for platform usage, and you still need to ensure the newspapers they work with meet your jurisdiction’s print requirements.
3. Government and Legal Portals
In some jurisdictions, local governments or legal bodies may offer online portals for submitting specific types of public notices, such as foreclosure, probate, or estate notices. While convenient, these portals are often limited in scope and may not offer flexibility for more complex notices or multiple publication requirements.
- Advantages: Typically, low cost or free for government notices.
- Disadvantages: Not comprehensive, and often limited to very specific types of notices.
Choosing the Right Platform for Public Notices
When selecting where to submit your public notice online, consider the following factors:
1. Jurisdiction Requirements
Many jurisdictions require that public notices be printed in a local or regional newspaper. Even if the submission is completed online, you need to ensure the platform you use coordinates the print publication with the required newspaper. Column is one such platform that excels in this area, connecting users to hundreds of newspapers across the U.S. and ensuring that your notice is both digitally submitted and printed where it’s legally required.
2. Notice Type
Different types of public notices, such as probate, foreclosure, divorce, or government notices, may have specific requirements regarding where and how they are published. Platforms like Column allow users to select the type of notice they’re submitting and automatically program the steps and legal requirements into the submission process.
3. Ease of Use
Submitting a public notice can be time-sensitive and stressful, especially for individuals unfamiliar with the process. Opt for a platform that simplifies the experience through intuitive user interfaces, pre-populated templates, and clear instructions. Column’s platform was designed with user-friendliness in mind, ensuring a seamless submission experience even for first-time users.
4. Customer Support
Not everyone is familiar with public notice submissions, especially if it’s their first time placing a notice for a legal requirement like a divorce or estate settlement. Choose a platform that offers robust customer support, ensuring that if you hit any roadblocks, you have someone to assist you. Column has an excellent support team that you can always reach at [email protected]!
How Column Can Help with Public Notices
At Column, we’ve built an all-in-one solution for submitting public notices online because, frankly, we know it can be a hassle. As a platform that specializes in legal, obituary, and classified notices, we connect you to a broad network of newspapers nationwide that still meet print requirements (because, yes, that’s still a thing).
Here’s why we’re confident Column is the best choice for submitting public notices:
- Submit with ease: Whether you’re on your couch or your phone, you can submit your notice anytime, anywhere, through our intuitive platform.
- Stay compliant, stress-free: Our software automatically checks all the jurisdiction-specific boxes to make sure your notice is legally sound and, crucially, gets printed where it needs to.
- Templates galore: Don’t worry about starting from scratch. We’ve got templates for every type of notice, so you can hit the ground running. For more on templates, you can also read Public Notice Templates: Tips & Best Practices for Posting Your Legal Ad.
- Print coordination, done right: Just because you submit online doesn’t mean we forget about print. We make sure your notice is in the right local paper, keeping you compliant with all those pesky local regulations.
- Payment and tracking, no surprises: From the moment you submit to the day it’s published, we keep things transparent, so you can track your notice’s progress and handle payments with ease.
Whether it’s a foreclosure notice or an estate settlement, Column makes the process simple, compliant, and as painless as possible—leaving you with more time for, well, anything else.
Other Public Notice Platforms to Consider
We know we’re not the only option out there. In fact, we’ve met some of the other vendors at industry conferences and they’ve built solid platforms and strong relationships with newspapers too. So, while we’re proud of what we’ve created, we also recognize that there are other choices when it comes to submitting public notices online.
Here are a few worth mentioning:
- LegalNotice.org: A platform that specializes in legal notices and offers online submissions—great for law firms and attorneys.
- US Legal Pro: Another solid choice for legal and public notices, often catering to businesses and law firms.
- Notices.com: A general platform that covers a wide range of public notice submissions.
We’re all working toward the same goal—making public notice submissions easier and more accessible. Each platform has its strengths, but we’ve focused on building an experience that’s easy to use and fully integrates with print requirements. Whether you choose us or another platform, the important thing is finding the solution that works best for you. And hey, if you decide to go with Column, we’ll make sure the process is as smooth as possible!
Conclusion
Submitting a public notice online has never been easier, but it’s crucial to choose the right platform that meets both digital convenience and print requirements. With Column, you get a seamless experience that bridges the gap between online submission and print publication, ensuring full compliance and a stress-free process. Whether you’re submitting for the first time or managing multiple notices, Column is your go-to platform for efficient, legally-compliant public notice submissions.
Be sure to visit our Essential Guide on Public Notice for a comprehensive breakdown of the process, legal requirements, and more tips on getting your notice published successfully.
