The Public Notice Resource Center will host a free, 1 p.m. EST (12 noon CST)
webinar on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 to discuss the best practices to help keep
public notices in newspapers.
The event has been promoted by the Michigan Press Association with an advertisement containing a QR code, and has been advertised on recent postings and emails from PNRC.
All Wisconsin Newspaper Association members are welcome to attend the PNRC webinar free of charge.
Register here: https://michiganpress.formstack.com/forms/pnrc_public_notice_webinar
The Public Notice Resource Center, established in 2003 by the
American Court and Commercial Newspapers, aims to educate the public about
their right to know and the role of notices. The WNA is a member of the PNRC.
PNRC and state press associations nationwide have urged journalists and citizens to keep an eye on what local governments are doing as well as the state house. WNA’s position is that public notices must remain in newspapers and not on government websites.
For more than a century, some of the most important laws ensuring transparency in American government have been those that require that all units of government publish their activities in newspapers. These publications are commonly referred to as public notices or legal notices.
Chapter 985 of the Wisconsin State Statutes outlines the publication requirements for legal notices in newspapers.
WisconsinPublicNotices.org provides online access to all public notices that have been published by Wisconsin newspapers. These include notices about foreclosures, hearings, advertisements for bids, financial reports, ordinances and other government activities required by law to be published. Users can download the step-by-step user guide, which provides instructions on how to search by keyword, date range, city or publication.
The website is a service is provided by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association at no cost to the public.
