Chattanoogan.com will offer legal notice publication to local governments, attorneys and individuals beginning July 1 under an amended state law on required public notifications.
Publisher John Wilson said, "For many years, legal notice publications have been authorized to be run only in print newspapers in each Tennessee county. That will remain the case.
"However, the General Assembly has added a requirement that the same notices also be run in an established online news source - if one be available in the county."
Exceptions to the online requirement are for foreclosure and election notices.
Mr. Wilson said, "Chattanoogan.com has long maintained a legal notice section (without charging) in anticipation of the day when online news sources were declared as legally valid for posting the notices. We meet all the requirements for a valid online news source as outlined in the amended law.
"As the shift rapidly continues from print news to use of online news sources by most readers, it follows that public legal notices will be seen by many more people in the online sources."
Mr. Wilson, who founded Chattanoogan.com in 1999 after a 27-year career with the afternoon Chattanooga News Free Press, said he expects that the amended law will encourage startups of online newspapers in other counties in Tennessee.
"That will be good news for their citizens to have a second source supplying news, features, sports and civic and entertainment events about their hometowns - as well as legal notices," he said.
Legal notices in Chattanoogan.com will cost $1.50 per word with a maximum not to exceed charge of $75 per legal notice - regardless of the length. That includes a run of up to four weeks. The charge is well below our charge for display advertisements for the same time period.
Affidavits of Proof of Publication will be supplied.
The legal notices will be posted quickly. There will be no issue of "lead time."
With online notices, the font can be easily adjusted to a large size, making it much more readable than many small-size print notices.
To place a legal notice with Chattanoogan.com, just email the notice to advertise@chattanoogan.com. Invoices and Proof of Publication will be emailed to the enty taking out the legal notice unless requested otherwise.
Payment accepted for legal notices is by check or Venmo.
The new office for Chattanoogan.com is at 110 Somerville Ave., Suite 266, Chattanooga, Tn., 37405, effective July 1.
We can be reached at 423 667-5314 and at news@chattanoogan.com.