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ew Jersey's largest newspaper, the Star-Ledger, will stop printing editions early next year, leaving real estate developers scrambling to meet legal requirements. In many states and municipalities, developers must publish notices of planning and zoning processes in local newspapers, a mandate that's becoming increasingly difficult to fulfill as print publications close.

    As daily print publications dwindle, land use attorney Kathryn Razin warns that developers and municipalities will need to adapt their notice-publishing strategies. "You have to be diligent about checking if the publication you're using is still in print," she said. "And you also need to verify that the municipality hasn't designated a new 'official newspaper'."

    The decline of print publications may prompt discussions about whether public notice mandates are outdated or need updating, Razin suggested. "This has raised questions about whether a newspaper's website can satisfy these requirements instead of a print publication," she said. From an applicant's perspective, this requirement could be seen as antiquated and in need of revision.

    For now, developers must find ways to remain compliant with the existing rules, even as print publications become less common.