Online publication authorized as an alternative to publication in a qualified newspaper.

A bill for an act

relating to local government; authorizing online publication as an alternative to

publication in a qualified newspaper; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections

331A.01, subdivisions 7, 12, by adding a subdivision; 331A.03; 331A.04,

subdivision 1; 331A.06, subdivision 1; 331A.08, subdivision 3; 331A.09; 331A.11;

331A.12, subdivisions 2, 3; Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 331A.10,

subdivision 2; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 331A.12, subdivision

1.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 331A.01, subdivision 7, is amended to read:

Subd. 7.

Public notice.

"Public notice" means every notice required or authorized by

law or by order of a court to be published
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by a qualified newspaper
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in accordance with this

chapter
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, and includes:

(1) every publication of laws, ordinances, resolutions, financial information, and

proceedings intended to give notice in a particular area;

(2) every notice and certificate of election, facsimile ballot, notice of referendum, notice

of public hearing before a governmental body, and notice of meetings of private and public

bodies required by law;

(3) every summons, order, citation, notice of sale or other notice which is intended to

inform a person that the person may or shall do an act or exercise a right within a designated

period or upon or by a designated date; and

(4) this subdivision contains no independent requirement for the publication of any

public notice.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 331A.01, subdivision 12, is amended to read:

Subd. 12.

Publish.

"Publish" means dissemination in the print edition of a qualified

newspaper, and in the e-edition of the qualified newspaper if applicable
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, or publication on

a political subdivision's website
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.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 331A.01, is amended by adding a subdivision to

read:

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Subd. 15.

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Website.

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"Website" means a specific, addressable location provided on a

server connected to the Internet and hosting World Wide Web pages and other files that are

generally accessible on the Internet all or most of the day.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 331A.03, is amended to read:

331A.03 WHERE NOTICE PUBLISHED.

Subdivision 1.

Generally.

Except as provided in subdivision 2, a public notice shall be

published in a qualified newspaper
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, and
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or on the political subdivision's website in accordance

with section 331A.12.
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Except as otherwise provided by law,
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publication in a qualified

newspaper must be made
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in one that is likely to give notice in the affected area or to whom

it is directed. When a statute or other law requires publication in a newspaper located in a

designated political subdivision or area and no qualified newspaper is located there,

publication shall be made in a qualified newspaper likely to give notice unless the particular

statute or law expressly provides otherwise
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, or publication may be made on the political

subdivision's website in accordance with section 331A.12
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. If no qualified newspaper exists,

then publication
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is not required
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must be made on the political subdivision's website or on

the Minnesota Newspaper Association's statewide public notice website, if the political

subdivision does not have a website
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.

Subd. 2.

Exception; certain cities of the fourth class.

A public notice required to be

published by a statutory or home rule charter city of the fourth class located in the

metropolitan area defined in section
473.121, subdivision 2
, is not required to be published

in a qualified newspaper if there is no qualified nondaily newspaper of general circulation

in the city, provided the notice is printed in a newsletter or similar printed means of giving

notice that is prepared by the city and either mailed or delivered to each household in the

city
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, or the notice is published on the city's website in accordance with section 331A.12
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.

Subd. 3.

Alternative dissemination of bids and requests.

(a)
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For a political subdivision

that designates publication in a qualified newspaper as its means of dissemination,
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in addition

to or as an alternative to the statutory requirements for newspaper publication, a political

subdivision may disseminate solicitations of bids, requests for information, and requests

for proposals by a means authorized in paragraph (b), if the political subdivision

simultaneously publishes, either as part of the minutes of a regular meeting of the governing

body or in a separate notice published in the official newspaper, a description of all

solicitations or requests so disseminated, along with the means by which the dissemination

occurred.

(b) A political subdivision may use its website or recognized industry trade journals as

an alternative means of dissemination. A dissemination by alternative means must be in

substantially the same format and for the same period of time as a publication required by

this chapter.

(c) For the first six months after a political subdivision designates an alternative means

of dissemination
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under this subdivision
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, it must continue to publish solicitation of bids,

requests for information, and requests for proposals in the official newspaper in addition to

the alternative method. The publication in the official newspaper must indicate where to

find the designated alternative method. After the expiration of the six-month period, an

alternative means of dissemination satisfies the publication requirements of law for

solicitation of bids, requests for information, and requests for proposals.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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Sec. 5.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 331A.04, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Priority.

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(a)
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The governing body of a political subdivision, when

authorized or required by statute or charter to designate a newspaper for publication of its

public notices, shall designate a qualified newspaper in the following priority.

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(b) This section does not apply to a political subdivision that designates website

publication under section 331A.12 as its means of dissemination.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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Sec. 6.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 331A.06, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Maximum rate.

The maximum rate charged for publication of a public

notice
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in a qualified newspaper
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shall not exceed the lowest classified rate paid by commercial

users for comparable space in the newspapers in which the public notice appears, and shall

include all cash discounts, multiple insertion discounts, and similar benefits extended to the

newspaper's regular customers.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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Sec. 7.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 331A.08, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3.

Publication of proceedings.

Notwithstanding other statutory publication

requirements, if the governing body of a political subdivision conducts regular meetings

not more than once every 30 days, the governing body need not publish the meeting minutes

in the official newspaper
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or on the political subdivision's website
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until ten days after the

proceedings have been approved by the governing body.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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Sec. 8.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 331A.09, is amended to read:

331A.09 PUBLICATION ON SUNDAY OR HOLIDAY.

Any public notice may lawfully be printed in a newspaper
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or on a political subdivision's

website
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published on a Sunday or holiday. Any notice that, by law or the order of any court,

is required to be published for any given number of weeks may be published on any day in

each week of the term, and if published as many weeks and as many times in each week as

required by the law or order, it is a lawful publication.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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Sec. 9.

Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 331A.10, subdivision 2, is amended

to read:

Subd. 2.

Discontinuance.

(a) When a newspaper ceases to be published before the

publication of a public notice is commenced, or when commenced ceases before the

publication is completed, the following procedures apply: (1) when the publication is required

by court order, the order for publication may be amended by order of the court or judge, to

designate another newspaper, as may be necessary; or (2) when the publication is required

by law, rule, or ordinance, the publication may be made or completed in any other qualified

newspaper.

(b) If no qualified newspaper is available for publication of a public notice after the

discontinuance of a newspaper, the political subdivision must post the information required

to be published on the political subdivision's website until another qualified newspaper is

identified, which shall then be designated. During the time when no qualified newspaper is

available, the political subdivision must also post the public notice on the Minnesota

Newspaper Association's statewide public notice website, at no additional cost to the political

subdivision.

(c) Any time during which the notice is published in a newspaper prior to the newspaper's

discontinuance shall be calculated as a part of the time required for the publication, proof

of which may be made by affidavit of any person acquainted with the facts.

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(d) This section does not apply to a political subdivision that designates website

publication under section 331A.12 as the political subdivision's means of dissemination.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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Sec. 10.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 331A.11, is amended to read:

331A.11 APPLICATION.

Subdivision 1.

Application.

Sections
331A.01
to
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331A.11
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331A.12
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apply to all political

subdivisions of the state.

Subd. 2.

Notices excluded.

Sections
331A.01
to
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331A.11
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331A.12
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do not apply to

notices required by private agreements or local laws to be published
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in newspapers
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, unless

they refer expressly or by implication to this chapter or to particular provisions of this

chapter.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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Sec. 11.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 331A.12, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Designation.

At the meeting of the governing body of a political subdivision

at which the governing body designates its
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official newspaper for the year
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means of

dissemination
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, the governing body may designate
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in the same manner
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publication of
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transportation projects
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public notices
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on the political subdivision's website.
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Notwithstanding

any law to the contrary,
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publication on the website may be used in place of or in addition

to any other required form of publication. Each year after designating publication on the

website for
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transportation projects
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public notices
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, the political subdivision must publish,
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in

a qualified newspaper in the jurisdiction
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on the Minnesota Newspaper Association's statewide

public notice website
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and on the
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political subdivision's
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website, notice that the political

subdivision will
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publish any advertisements for bids on its website
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only publish public

notices on its website
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.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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Sec. 12.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 331A.12, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3.

Form, time for publication same.

A political subdivision that publishes
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public

notices
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on its website under this section must post the information in substantially the same

format and for the same period of time as required for publication in an official newspaper

or other print publication.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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Sec. 13.
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REPEALER.
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Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 331A.12, subdivision 1,

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is repealed.

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EFFECTIVE DATE.

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This section is effective the day following final enactment.

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APPENDIX

Repealed Minnesota Statutes: 26-07130

331A.12 WEBSITE ADVERTISEMENT FOR TRANSPORTATION PROJECT BIDS.

Subdivision 1.

Definitions.

(a) The terms defined in this subdivision and section
331A.01
apply to this section.

(b) "Website" means a specific, addressable location provided on a server connected to the Internet and hosting World Wide Web pages and other files that are generally accessible on the Internet all or most of the day.