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HB0773 • 2026

Newspapers and Publications

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 1, Chapter 3, relative to legal notices.

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Powers, Yager
Last action
2025-05-27
Official status
Effective date(s) 07/01/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on how existing websites that charge fees or require subscriptions will be handled under the new law.

Legal Notices in Newspapers and Websites

This bill amends Tennessee law to require legal notice websites to be free for viewing without fees or subscriptions.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds a new requirement that legal notice websites must not charge fees or require subscriptions for viewing.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who publish legal notices in newspapers or on websites.
  • Website owners who post legal notices online.

Terms To Know

Legal Notice
A public announcement of official information, such as a court order or government decision, that must be shared with the public.
Newspaper of General Circulation
A newspaper widely read by people in a specific area.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how to handle websites that already charge fees or require subscriptions.
  • It is unclear if the exemptions for land sales and sample ballots will affect many legal notices.
  • The effective date of July 1, 2025, means there is a delay before these changes take effect.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0773

Plain English: The amendment changes how legal notices are published on websites in Tennessee by setting rules for fees and subscriptions.

  • Adds requirements that a website where legal notices are posted must not charge a fee or require a subscription to view the content.
  • Specifies that the legal notice website must be separate from and owned by someone other than the newspaper of general circulation.
  • Requires owners of legal notice websites to charge for publication based on word count, with rates comparable to those charged to other advertisers.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if a website owner violates these new rules.
Amendment 2-0 to HB0773

Plain English: The amendment removes a specific part of the bill and replaces it with new rules about when certain legal notices are exempt from a subsection.

  • Removes subdivision (3) in SECTION 2 of the bill.
  • Adds new exemptions to subsection (f): legal notices required by § 35-5-101 and sample ballots required by § 2-5-211.
  • The amendment text does not provide full context, so it's unclear what the original subdivision (3) contained.
  • It is not clear from this excerpt how the rest of SECTION 2 or the bill will be affected by these changes.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0760

Plain English: The amendment changes Tennessee law to require legal notice websites to be free for viewing and separate from the newspapers that own them.

  • Adds a new requirement that legal notice websites must not charge fees or subscriptions for people to view them.
  • Specifies that these legal notice websites must be owned by entities different from those owning the general circulation newspapers.
  • The amendment text does not specify how compliance with these requirements will be enforced or monitored.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  2. 2025-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 500

  3. 2025-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 500

  4. 2025-05-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-05-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-05-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 23, Nays 8, PNV 1

  10. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar 2 for 4/22/2025

  11. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  12. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/22/2025

  13. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rule #83(8) Suspended, to be heard in Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee on 4/22/25

  14. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Re-refer to Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee 4/22/25

  15. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0340)

  16. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  17. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  18. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  19. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  20. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 84, Nays 2, PNV 5

  21. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 2 - HA0533)

  23. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0392)

  24. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/22/2025

  25. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/21/2025

  26. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/17/2025

  27. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  28. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  29. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/17/2025

  30. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  31. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  32. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  33. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  34. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  35. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/9/2025

  36. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/9/2025

  37. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  38. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 4/2/2025

  39. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate State and Local Government Committee to 4/2/2025

  40. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/2/2025

  41. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/2/2025

  42. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 4/1/2025

  43. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/26/2025

  44. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/26/2025

  45. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/19/2025

  46. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  47. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Public Service Subcommittee for 3/12/2025

  48. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Public Service Subcommittee

  49. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  50. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee

  51. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  52. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  53. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  54. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  55. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

When legal notices are required to be published in
a newspaper of general circulation, present law requires the notice to also be published on a news and information website that has a URL, if such a website exists, that meets all of the following criteria:



Has been published continuously for the previous 12-month period.



Has been published using recognized standards of professional journalism.



Must have content revised on a regular basis not less than three times per week.



Bears a fixed title or name and date lines and complies with and abides by all copyright laws.



Does not serve primarily as a platform to promote the interests or opinions of a special interest group, individual, or cause.



Is principally devoted to the dissemination of local or general news with at least 50% of all editorial content reported being original, excluding advertisements.



Exists and is registered pursuant to state law with the secretary of state, and must have an office of publication known to be based in the county in which the notice is required to be published and that is available and open to the public where business is transacted during usual business hours, that maintains a telephone number and email listing, and that includes in each updated publication the contact information of the website.

This bill adds to th
e list of criteria above that the website must not require a fee or a subscription for a person to view the website.

ON APRIL 21, 2025, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENTS #1 AND #2 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 773, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 requires the website to,
also, be a separate and distinct website from the newspaper of general circulation that is owned by an entity other than the newspaper of general circulation.

This amendment requires that the owner of a website where legal notices are published:

(1) C
harge a rate for such publication that is calculated by the word. The rate for each word must be comparable, but must not exceed, the established rates the owner charges other advertisers; and

(2) Include on the invoice to the person or entity paying fo
r such publication an affidavit listing the number of days the notice was published on the website.

This amendment also exempts sales of land to foreclose a deed of trust, mortgage, or other lien from the requirements from the internet publication requir
ements of present law and this bill.

AMENDMENT #2 adds an exemption for the publication of sample ballots from the internet publication requirements of present law and this bill.

ON APRIL 22, 2023, THE SENATE SUBSTITUTED HOUSE BILL 773 FOR SENATE BILL
760 AND REFERRED HOUSE BILL 773 TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 760
By Yager

HOUSE BILL 773
By Powers

HB0773
002547
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 1,
Chapter 3, relative to legal notices.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 1-3-120(f), is amended by adding the
following as a new subdivision:
(8) Does not require a fee or a subscription for a person to view the website.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.