{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-424.120","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 424.120","heading":"Qualifications of newspapers.","body":"(1) Except as provided in subsections (2) and (4) of this section, if an advertisement for\na publication area is required by law to be published in a newspaper, the publication\nshall be made in a newspaper that meets the following requirements:\n(a) It shall be published in the publication area. A newspaper shall be deemed to\nbe published in the area if it maintains its principal office in the area for the\npurpose of gathering news and soliciting advertisements and other general\nbusiness of newspaper publications, and has a periodicals class mailing permit\nissued for that office. A newspaper published outside of Kentucky shall not be\neligible to carry advertisements for any county or publication area within the\ncounty, other than for the city in which its main of fice is located, if there is a\nnewspaper published in the county that has a substantial general circulation\nthroughout the county and that otherwise meets the requirements of this\nsection;\n(b) It shall be of regular issue and have a bona fide circulation i n the publication\narea. A newspaper shall be deemed to be of regular issue if it is published at\nleast once a week, for at least fifty (50) weeks during the calendar year as\nprescribed by its mailing permit, and has been so published in the area for the\nimmediately preceding two (2) year period. A newspaper meeting all the\ncriteria to be of regular issue, except publication in the area for the\nimmediately preceding two (2) year period, shall be deemed to be of regular\nissue if it is the only qualified paper  in the county. A newspaper shall be\ndeemed to be of bona fide circulation in the publication area if it is circulated\ngenerally in the area, and maintains a definite price or consideration not less\nthan fifty percent (50%) of its published price, and is p aid for by not less than\nfifty percent (50%) of those to whom distribution is made;\n(c) It shall bear a title or name, consist of not less than four (4) pages without a\ncover, and be of a type to which the general public resorts for passing events\nof a pol itical, religious, commercial, and social nature, and for current\nhappenings, announcements, miscellaneous reading matter, advertisements,\nand other notices. The news content shall be at least twenty -five percent\n(25%) of the total column space in more tha n one -half (1/2) of its issues\nduring any twelve (12) month period;\n(d) If, in a publication area there is more than one (1) newspaper which meets the\nabove requirements, the newspaper having the largest bona fide paid\ncirculation as shown by the average n umber of paid copies of each issue as\nshown in its published statement of ownership as filed on October 1 for the\npublication area shall be the newspaper where advertisements required by law\nto be published shall be carried; and\n(e) For the purposes of KRS  Chapter 424, publishing shall be considered as the\ntotal recurring processes of producing the newspaper, embracing all of the\nincluded contents of reading matter, illustrations, and advertising enumerated\nin paragraphs (a) to (d) of this subsection. A new spaper shall not be excluded\nfrom qualifying for the purposes of legal publications as provided in this\nchapter if its printing or reproduction processes take place outside the\npublication area.\n(2) (a) If, in the case of a publication area smaller than th e county in which it is\nlocated, there is no newspaper published in the area, the publication shall be\nmade in a newspaper published in the county that is qualified under this\nsection to publish advertisements for the county. If the qualified newspaper\npublishes a zoned edition which is distributed to regular subscribers within the\npublication area, any advertisement required by law to be published in the\npublication area may be published in the zoned edition distributed in that area.\n(b) If, in any county there is no newspaper meeting the requirements of this\nsection for publishing advertisements for that county, any advertisements\nrequired to be published for the county or for any publication area within the\ncounty shall be published in a newspaper of the largest bona fide circulation\nin that county published in and qualified to publish advertisements for an\nadjoining county in Kentucky. This subsection is intended to supersede any\nstatute that provides or contemplates that newspaper publication may be\ndispensed with if there is no newspaper printed or published or of general\ncirculation in the particular publication area.\n(3) If a publication area consists of a district, other than a city, which extends into more\nthan one (1) county, the part of the district in each county shall be considered to be\na separate publication area for the purposes of this section, and an advertisement for\neach separate publication area shall be published in a newspaper qualified under\nthis section to publish advertisements for the area.\n(4) If an advertisement for a publication area is required by law to be published in a\nnewspaper, the publication may, alternatively, be made in a digital newspaper that:\n(a) Maintains an active news gathering office in the publication area;\n(b) Has been actively publishing for at least one (1) year, and is updated on at\nleast a weekly basis;\n(c) Has as its primary pur pose reporting on matters of import to the public, and\ncontains regular reporting regarding local and community issues in the\npublication area;\n(d) Is easily accessible to the public through common Internet search engines or\nother Internet search means;\n(e) Contains conspicuous links or headings on its landing page that direct\nmembers of the public to public notices; and\n(f) Distributes, or has ownership interest in another entity that distributes,\nnewspapers printed in Kentucky, and is capable of circulati ng printed\nnewspapers throughout the publication area.\nFor purposes of satisfying publication requirements of this chapter, an\nadvertisement is deemed to be published on the date that it is posted on the website\nof the digital newspaper. Any other statute  requiring newspaper publication that\ncontains requirements related to the physical dimensions, typesetting, font, or other\naspects particular to a printed newspaper are not applicable where the advertisement\nis made in a digital newspaper that qualifies under this subsection.","path":["KRS Chapter 424"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=53711","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:59:41Z","sha256":"5675f28fb97f340a3b08275f521515c8e5b00210a1ff1a5f73f6f3be757a7190","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-424.110","next":"us-ky/krs-424.130"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}