The bill amends section 46-05-09 of the North Dakota Century Code to enhance the publication requirements for legal notices. It mandates that when a legal notice is published in a newspaper, it must also be published on a statewide legal notices website maintained by the North Dakota newspaper association, as well as on the newspaper's own website if available, at no extra cost to the entity placing the notice. Additionally, state agencies can request immediate publication on the North Dakota newspaper association's public notice website, which will provide an affidavit of posting. This posting will be considered legal notification if the newspaper fails to publish the notice.

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that if a minor error occurs in the notice due to its placement on the website and the error is the newspaper's fault, it will not invalidate the notice. It also clarifies that a notice published on the statewide legal notices website or a governmental unit's website fulfills the publication requirement if the newspaper fails to publish it. These changes aim to ensure that legal notices are more accessible to the public and maintain their validity even in the event of publication errors.

Statutes affected:
Prepared by the Legislative Council staff for Representative Motschenbacher: 46-05-09
Enrollment: 46-05-09