Tennessee legislation · 114th General Assembly
Tennessee SB2450: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 1, Chapter 3 and Title 8, Chapter 44, relative to public notices.
Status: Chaptered, May 27, 2026
Fiscal Summary LOCAL GOVERNMENTEXPENDITURESPermissiveFY27-28 & Subsequent YearsNET >($100,000) Bill Summary Throughout Tennessee Code Annotated, there are several instances in which a public notice or legal notice is required to be published in a newspaper of general circulation. Beginning July 1, 2027, this bill authorizes a local government to satisfy such requirement to publish a notice in a newspaper of general circulation if the local government publishes the required notice electronically online, either by the local government or a third party. Electronic public notice systems must provide easy, equitable, and barrier-free access for all users across commonly used platforms and be accessible to the public free of charge. In order to utilize electronic publication for a required notice, this bill requires a local government to (i) pass an ordinance or resolution detailing the date electronic publication of notices will begin, how the public can access the notices, and what types of notices will be published electronically and (ii) adopt a policy governing the posting of notices electronically. The policy must meet all of the following requirements: Ensure the security, reliability, integrity, and maintenance of the system and published notices and records to verify compliance with public notice requirements. Specify clear, legally compliant timeframes that govern the posting, archiving, and retention of public notices and related records. Standardize a legally compliant format and appearance for electronically published notices, including supplemental information that may be posted with such notices. This bill authorizes operators of third-party websites permitting local governments to post electronic notices on the third party's website to charge a reasonable fee for such service. ON APRIL 13, 20
What the bill says
From the amended text:
Amendment No. 2 to HB2114 Crawford Signature of Sponsor AMEND S e n ate Bill No. 2450 House Bill No. 2114* by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting: SECTION 1. The Tennessee advisory commission on intergovernmental relations (TACIR) shall conduct a study to determine if newspapers of general circulation remain the most efficient and effective manner for governments to provide the public with transparent and accessible information. TACIR shall also examine how the efficiency of public notice methods has changed historically as part of the study. SECTION 2. TACIR shall further study how the public has historically obtained its news and information compared to today. This comparison must include how the number of newspapers has changed in Tennessee, how their publication frequency has changed, and whether the number of subscribers as a percentage of the population has changed historically. SECTION 3. TACIR shall examine the ability of governmental entities to create public notice systems, including their ability to maintain permanent public archives, protect against data corruption, and ensure independent verification of publication. This examination must also include the review of the costs associated with governmental entities maintaining online public notice platforms. SECTION 4. TACIR shall review all governmental and public entities to determine the amount of taxpayer money used to meet newspaper publication requirements in this state. …