Notice requirements are creatures of statute, and digital publication supplements them rather than substituting for them unless the statute says so.
Newspaper publication remains required for many actions — ordinance adoption, budget hearings, special assessments, bond notices, elections. The requirements specify the number of publications, the interval and the newspaper’s qualification.
Posting at designated locations, with the number and the duration specified.
Website posting is required in addition by an increasing number of statutes, particularly for meeting notices and agendas, and several statutes now allow electronic publication as an alternative on conditions.
Mailed notice to affected property owners for land use matters, with the radius and the source of the address list specified. Using an outdated assessment roll is the most common defect.
Proofs. Affidavits of publication, posting logs with photographs, mailing lists and certificates of mailing, retained with the file. The adequacy of notice is challenged years later, and the file is the answer.
Consequences. Defective notice invalidates the action in many contexts, including special assessments and zoning amendments, regardless of whether anyone was actually misled.
Accessibility. Posted documents must be accessible, which for scanned PDFs usually means they are not.