With the start of the new year, Fulton County in Georgia has made a significant change regarding the publication of legal notices. The county has shifted to a new legal organ that publishes these notices once a week, but is not currently distributed county-wide.
Under state law, certain legal documents such as foreclosures and court calendars must be advertised in the county’s legal organ. The South Fulton Neighbor has now taken over this role from the Fulton County Daily Report.
Fulton County officials state that they were forced to make this change because the Daily Report shifted to an online-only format on December 28th. Georgia law requires these legal notices to be published in print.
While this transition is due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, we have carefully evaluated all available options. We are confident that Fulton County residents will still have access to important notices in print and online, explained Fulton County Clerk of Courts Che Alexander.
However, some individuals, like Atlanta real estate investor Steve Chaudoin, express concerns about meeting the legal requirements for foreclosure notices, which need to be published for four consecutive weeks. Chaudoin worries that with the new once-a-week publication schedule, missing a single issue could lead to missing the entire month of notices.
I’m concerned that with only one day of publication each week, if you happen to miss that day, you may miss the entire month, Chaudoin expressed.
Chaudoin also faced difficulties locating a copy of the South Fulton Neighbor where his advertisement was supposed to appear. He had to search across the county and eventually had to go outside the county to the printer to obtain a copy of the newspaper.
However, the publisher of the company that owns the South Fulton Neighbor, Otis Brumby, assures residents that single copy locations can be found on their website, and additional locations will be added in the coming weeks. Brumby highlights that even though the South Fulton Neighbor is the official legal organ, the notices will also be published in the North Fulton Neighbor and online at FultonNeighbor.com.
Our weekly print distribution of over 40,000 copies is one of the largest in Georgia, Brumby reassured.
He further added, The majority of legal organ publications in Georgia also print weekly, and we are dedicated to collaborating with our customers during this transition to ensure accurate and timely publication.
While the change in the legal organ publication has raised concerns for some individuals like Chaudoin, Fulton County officials and the publisher of the South Fulton Neighbor are working to ensure that residents have continued access to important legal notices.
Overall, this change in the location of legal notice publication reflects the evolving landscape of media and the need to adapt to digital trends while still adhering to legal requirements. Fulton County residents can stay informed by keeping an eye on both print and online sources to stay up to date with important notices affecting their community.
