About the Legal Organs

Georgia Legal Organ Newspapers Defined:

Newspaper or journal that publishes public notice advertisements in one or more of Georgia's 159 counties. Most public notices are required by state law to be published in print by the legal organ publication. The publications are made the legal organ by three county officials: Judge of Probate Court, Sheriff and Clerk of Superior Court. In Georgia, the newspapers go a step further by posting the notices online, in a free searchable database: GeorgiaPublicNotice.com In Georgia, the newspapers go a step further by posting the notices online, in a free & searchable database: GeorgiaPublicNotice.com


Requirements to be considered Legal Organ.

(a) No journal or newspaper published in this state shall be declared, made, or maintained as the official organ of any county for the publication of sheriff’s sales, citations of probate court judges or any other advertising commonly known in terms of official or legal advertising and required by law to be published in such county official newspaper unless the newspaper shall meet and maintain the following qualifications:

(1) Newspaper as used in this code section means a printed product of multiple pages containing not greater than 75 percent advertising content in no more than one-half of its issues during the previous 12 months, excluding separate advertising supplements inserted into but separately identifiable from any regular issue or issues of the newspaper.

(2) The newspaper shall be published within the county and continuously at least weekly for a period of two years or is the direct successor of such a newspaper. Failure to publish for not more than two weeks in any calendar year shall not disqualify a newspaper otherwise qualified.

(3) For a period of two years prior to designation and thereafter, the newspaper shall have and maintain at least 75 percent paid circulation as established by an independent audit. Paid circulation shall not include newspapers that are distributed free or in connection with a service or promotion at no additional charge to the ultimate recipient. For circulation to be considered paid, the recipient of the newspaper or such recipient’s employer or household must pay reasonable and adequate consideration for the newspaper.