Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 618.3 (2026)

Requirements for newspaper for official publication

✓ current as of July 2026

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1. For the purpose of establishing and giving assured circulation to all notices and reports of proceedings required by statute to be published within the state, if newspapers are required to be used, only a newspaper which meets all of the following requirements shall be designated for official publication purposes:

a. Is a newspaper of general circulation that has been published at least once a week for at least fifty weeks per year within the area and regularly mailed through the post office of entry for at least one year.

b. Has a list of subscribers who have paid, or promised to pay, at more than a nominal rate, for copies to be received during a stated period.

c. Devotes at least twenty-five percent of its total column space in more than one-half of its issues during any twelve-month period to information of a public character other than advertising.

d. Is paid for by at least fifty percent of the persons or subscribers to whom it is distributed.

e. If the newspaper operates an internet site, the newspaper must do one of the following:

(1) Provide free access on the homepage of the internet site to all public notices posted on the internet site. The link providing free access to public notices must be displayed conspicuously.

(2) Display a link conspicuously on the homepage of the internet site of the newspaper to the statewide public notice internet site established pursuant to section 618.3A if such an internet site exists.

f. Publish the address of the statewide public notice internet site established pursuant to section 618.3A, if such an internet site exists, in each edition of the newspaper in the section \n Tue Dec 09 21:59:27 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 618 (30, 2) §618.3, PUBLICATION AND POSTING OF NOTICES 2\n\nof the newspaper regularly designated for the publication of public notices, and on the section of the newspaper’s internet site regularly designated for the publication of public notices, if the newspaper operates an internet site.

g. Post all notices and reports of proceedings required by statute to be published within the state by the newspaper to the statewide public notice internet site established pursuant to section 618.3A, if such an internet site exists, at no additional cost.

2. If no newspaper meeting the requirements of subsection 1, paragraphs “a” through “d”, is published in the jurisdiction of a governmental entity, the governmental entity may satisfy public notice requirements through publication in a newspaper meeting the requirements of subsection 1, paragraphs “a” and “c”, and on the statewide public notice internet site established pursuant to section 618.3A, if such an internet site exists. [C35, §11099-e1; C39, §11099.1; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §618.3] 86 Acts, ch 1183, §4; 2003 Acts, ch 76, §1; 2024 Acts, ch 1019, §2, 9 Referred to in §10.9, 49.53, 618.14 2024 amendment effective July 1, 2025; 2024 Acts, ch 1019, §9 Section amended \n

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 5 cases, 1953–2019 · leading case: Smaha v. Simmons, 60 N.W.2d 100 (Iowa 1953).

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Smaha v. Simmons, 60 N.W.2d 100 (Iowa 1953). · cites it 4× “There was one other ground asserted: That the Garwin Sun was not a newspaper within the provisions of section 618.3, Code, 1950, in that it had not been, as said statute provides, “established, published regularly and mailed through the post office of current entry for more than…”

Albia Publ'g Co. v. Klobnak, 434 N.W.2d 636 (Iowa 1989). · cites it 2× “As previously noted, there is no dispute that each newspaper meets the minimum requirements established for an “official” newspaper under Iowa Code section 618.3. It appears that the outward image of a unified publication, however, led the board to ignore the distinct corporate…”

Widmer v. Reitzler, 182 N.W.2d 177 (Iowa 1970). · cites it 4× “The Code 1966, Section 618.3 says, in essence, a paper in which such notices may be carried must be, (1) of general circulation ; (2) published regularly and mailed through the post office of current entry for more than two years; and (3) for the same period had a bona fide…”

City of Cedar Rapids v. Cox, 93 N.W.2d 216 (Iowa 1958). “(See also1 sections 618.3, 618.14.) In accordance with the statute, notice was published in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, the city’s daily newspaper.”

Marcus News, Inc v. O'Brien Cnty. Bd. of Supervisors & Iowa Info., Inc. (Iowa 2019). · cites it 2× “All four publications meet the requirements for official publications under Iowa Code section 618.3. Marcus News and Iowa Information both submitted applications to the Board requesting that their newspapers be selected as official county publications.”

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