Chapter 985 — PUBLICATION OF LEGAL NOTICES; PUBLIC NEWSPAPERS; FEES

985.01 Definitions. As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise: (1b) “Bona fide paid circulation” means the paid circulation of a newspaper for which the publisher of the newspaper has actual print, digital, or electronic subscribers for each publication of no…

985.02 Method of notification. (1) Except as otherwise provided by law, a legal notice shall be published in a newspaper likely to give notice in the area or to the person affected. Whenever the law requires publication in a newspaper published in a designated municipality or are…

985.03 (1) (am), “newspaper” means a publication that is published at regular intervals and at least once a week, with a minimum of 50 issues each year containing, on average, at least 25 percent news content per issue, including reports of happenings of recent occurrence of a va…

985.04 Official state newspaper. The joint committee on legislative organization shall recommend to the legislature to designate some newspaper published in Wisconsin to be the official state newspaper, which shall publish all legal notices required to be published therein. Any s…

985.05 Official municipal newspapers. (1) The governing body of every municipality not required to have an official newspaper may designate a newspaper published or having general circulation in the municipality and eligible under s. 985.03 as its official newspaper or utilize th…

985.06 Official city newspaper. (1) In 2nd and 3rd class cities, the clerk shall, on or before the 2nd Tuesday of April, advertise in the official city newspaper, or if there is none, in a May 22, 2026, are designated by NOTES. (Published 5-22-26) 3 Updated 23-24 Wis. Stats. news…

985.065 Publication and printing; counties with population of 250,000 or more. (2) (a) In counties having a population of 250,000 or more and that have at least 2 English newspapers published daily, the county board of supervisors, at its annual meeting shall direct the county cl…

985.07 Classes and frequency of legal notices. There shall be 3 classes of legal notices under this chapter. The designated number of insertions is the minimum required by law, and the frequency may be increased at the discretion of the requisitioning agency. (1) CLASS 1 NOTICES.…

985.075 Substance of 2nd and 3rd insertions. (1) In this section, “summary” means a brief, precise, and plain-language description that can be easily understood. (2) Except as provided in sub. (3), when a governing body of a municipality is required by law to publish a legal noti…

985.08 Fees for publishing. (1) The fee for publishing a legal notice shall be not more than the rate issued by the department of administration for the first and subsequent insertions per standard line. The charge for the publication of a facsimile ballot shall be computed as if…

985.09 Computation of time, Sundays, legal holidays. (1) The time for publication of legal notices shall be computed so as to exclude the first day of publication and include the day on which the act or event, of which notice is given, is to happen or which completes the full per…

985.10 Publication on Sunday. Any legal notice may be published in a newspaper printed on Sunday, and such publication is a lawful publication and a full compliance with the order of the court or officer ordering such publication; and any such notice that may, by law or the order…

985.11 Fees and work on Sunday. (1) In any action to recover compensation for publication of legal notices, it shall be no defense that such publication was dated, printed or issued on the first day of the week. (2) In any action to recover compensation for labor performed on any…

985.12 Proof of publication. (1) AFFIDAVIT OF PRINTING. The affidavit of the editor, publisher, printer or proprietor of any newspaper, or of his or her foreman or principal clerk, of the publication of any legal notice, annexed to a copy of the notice clipped from the newspaper …

985.13 Change of name or discontinuance of paper. (1) Whenever a legal notice is required or ordered to be published in a particular newspaper and the name of such newspaper is changed before such publication is commenced or before it is completed, the publication shall be made o…

985.14 Refusal to publish. When there is only one newspaper in a county and the publisher thereof refuses to publish a legal notice, such legal notice may be published in a newspaper printed in an adjoining county; and proof by affidavit of the reason why such publication was mad…

985.15 Forfeiture for refusal to publish. If the publisher or printer of a newspaper shall, after payment or tender of the publisher’s or printer’s legal fees therefor, refuse or willfully neglect to publish any legal notice required in pursuance of law or a lawful order of publi…