985.01 Definitions. As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise:

(1b) “Bona fide paid circulation” means the paid circulation of a newspaper that satisfies all of the following:

(a) The publisher of the newspaper sells 50 percent or more of the circulation of the newspaper.

(b) The publisher of the newspaper has actual subscribers at each publication of not less than 1,000 copies in 1st and 2nd class cities or 300 copies in 3rd and 4th class cities, villages, or towns.

(1g) “Governing body" has the meaning given in s. 345.05 (1) (b) and includes a long-term care district board under s. 46.2895.

(1m)

(a) Except as provided in par. (b), “insertion,” when used to indicate the publication of a legal notice more than one time, means once each week for consecutive weeks, the last of which shall be at least one week before the act or event, unless otherwise specified by law.

(b) With respect to a newspaper published in the town of Washington, Door County, at least 2 times a month, “insertion,” when used to indicate the publication of a legal notice more than one time, means once in each issue of consecutive issues published at intervals of at least one week, the last issue of which shall be published at least one week before the act or event, unless otherwise specified by law.

(2) “Legal notice" means every notice required by law or by order of a court to be published in a newspaper or other publication, except notices required by private and local laws to be published in newspapers, and includes all of the following:

(a) Every publication of laws, ordinances, resolutions, financial statements, budgets and proceedings intended to give notice in an area.

(b) Every notice and certificate of election, facsimile ballot, referenda, notice of public hearing before a governmental body, and notice of meetings of private and public bodies required by law.

(c) Every summons, order, citation, notice of sale or other notice that is intended to inform a person that the person may or shall do an act or exercise a right within a designated period or upon or by a designated date.

(3) “Municipality" has the meaning in s. 345.05 (1) (c) and includes a long-term care district under s. 46.2895.

(3g) “News content” means written information and images, other than advertisements, that are printed in a publication.

(3r) “Newspaper” means a publication that is published at regular intervals and, except as otherwise provided in this subsection, at least once a week, containing, on average, [at least] 25 percent news content per issue, including reports of happenings of recent occurrence of a varied character, such as political, social, moral and religious subjects, designed to inform the general reader. “Newspaper” includes a daily newspaper published in a county having a population of 750,000 or more, devoted principally to business news and publishing of records, which has been designated by the courts of record of the county for publication of legal notices for a period of 6 months or more. “Newspaper” also includes a newspaper published in the town of Washington, Door County, at least 2 times a month.

NOTE: A missing phrase is shown in brackets. Corrective legislation is pending.

(4) “Proceedings," when published in newspapers, mean the substance of every official action taken by a local governing body at any meeting, regular or special.

(5) A newspaper is “published" at the place from which its mailing permit is issued, except that if the place where the newspaper has its major concentration of circulation has no primary post office, then at the place it shall designate as its place of publication in the affidavit required by s. 985.03 (1) (cm), but no newspaper shall have more than one place of publication during the same period of time.

(6) “Substance" is an intelligible abstract or synopsis of the essential elements of the official action taken by a local governing body, including the subject matter of a motion, the persons making and seconding the motion and the roll call vote on the motion, except that ordinances and resolutions published as required by law need not be republished in proceedings, but a reference to their subject matter shall be sufficient.

(7) “Wisconsin newspapers legal notices Internet site" means an Internet site maintained by Wisconsin newspapers for the purpose of providing and maintaining an electronic version of printed and published legal notices.

History: 1981 c. 372; 1983 a. 189 ss. 327, 328, 329 (31); 1993 a. 486; 1999 a. 9, 85; 2007 a. 20; 2009 a. 276; 2011 a. 228; 2015 a. 79, 196; 2017 a. 282 ss. 1 to 3, 12; 2019 a. 32.