What are public notices?

Public notices, or “legals,” are required by South Dakota law. Public notices are published by government entities to keep the public informed about actions taken by elected officials. It assures government entities that a purely objective written record of their actions must be published, in addition to news stories or editorials which officials may feel are incomplete or slanted.

Public notices are important to the protection and strengthening of this country’s democracy. The single most important premise of public notices is that people must be informed if they are to govern themselves competently.

Public notices in newspapers are required in every state and have been since this country was in its infancy. Sometimes government officials argue against paying for the publication of public notices because they believe citizens are not interested and therefore public notices serve no useful purpose. Three statewide surveys commissioned by the South Dakota Newspaper Association in recent years prove that South Dakotans are indeed very much interested in and value government public notices.

Are Public Notices necessary to South Dakotans?

Overwhelmingly, South Dakotans believe public notices should be published in newspapers.

And their sentiments have not changed through the years.

In 2005, 87.8 percent of those surveyed said public notices should be printed in newspapers.

A 1999 statewide survey found that 85 percent of South Dakotans believe public notices should be published in newspapers. A similar statewide survey in 1994 found that 81.6 percent of South Dakotans believed public notices should be published in newspapers.

Do South Dakotans read public notices?

Through the years, statewide surveys have demonstrated that South Dakotans do read public notices. The most recent statewide survey, taken in 2005, found that more than half of all South Dakotans (67.4 percent) read public notices in their newspaper on a continuing basis. That was an increase from numbers reflected in a 1999 survey showing 53 percent of South Dakotans read public notices.

Statewide surveys taken in 1994 and 1983 found similar results. Clearly, South Dakotans believe public notices are important and guarantee their right to know what their government is doing.