About Public Notices

Public notices inform citizens of the everyday activities of government and the courts, and provide transparency and accessibility to citizens who want to know more about government actions. They allow the public to influence governing bodies and to be an active participant in a democratic society.

Newspapers are the watchdogs of their local communities and can most effectively monitor the actions of their respective local governments. This not only allows local residents to be informed, but it also forces local public officials to be held accountable. Additionally, public notices in newspapers are permanent records that cannot be altered or deleted.

To be effective, public notices must have these attributes:

• Public notices must be published by an independent third party, such as local newspapers.
• Public notices must be archivable in a secure and publicly available format like print newspapers.
• The notice is conveniently accessible by all segments of society.
• Public notices must be verified with an affidavit of publication.

In South Carolina, legislators have long recognized the importance of maintaining an accountable and transparent government by requiring the publication of public notices in newspapers. In order to expand and enhance public access to these public notices, the South Carolina Press Association has partnered with the Palmetto State’s newspapers to establish this digital public notice database. This convenient and searchable site is maintained by the S.C. Press Association, which represents 100 daily and weekly newspapers in South Carolina, and is available at no cost to the public.

For a guide to public notice/legal advertising laws in South Carolina, visit scpress.org.