Heirs property

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Terry Alexander and 24 co-sponsors

Plymouth may publish legal notices online (in addition to or instead of print) without changing deadlines, expanding access while potentially cutting local newspaper revenue.

Referred to Committee on Judiciary

Main purpose

The bill authorizes the town of Plymouth (including Plymouth public schools and their subdivisions, committees, boards, commissions and offices) to satisfy statutory, ordinance, by-law or judicial requirements to publish legal notices by posting them in online/digital locations in addition to, or instead of, publishing in a print newspaper. The aim is to allow digital publication as an alternative means of providing legally required public notice.

Key provisions

Overrides applicable constraints (notwithstanding subsection (b) of G.L. c. 4, §13 or other law) to permit alternative notice methods where law now requires publication in a newspaper or newspaper of general circulation.

Entities required to publish legal notices (the person, corporation, agency, authority, municipality or legal entity) may fulfill that requirement by one or more of the following:

A print newspaper of local or general circulation;
The website of an online news site reporting local news and opinion;
A townwide website maintained as a repository for such notices;
A statewide website maintained as a repository for such notices.

Section 2 clarifies the act does not change statutory deadlines or the timing/frequency of required publication.

The act takes effect upon passage.

The filing notes “Local Approval Received,” indicating town-level authorization was obtained.

Who is affected

Primary: Town of Plymouth government bodies and Plymouth public schools (and their committees, boards, commissions, offices).

Secondary: Any person, corporation, agency, authority or legal entity that must publish legal notices under state law, local ordinance/by-law, or court order concerning matters tied to Plymouth.

Indirect: Local print newspapers, online local news outlets, and residents who rely on public notices (access to internet required for digital notices).

Procedural status and timeline (selected actions)

Filed: House Docket No. 5037 (filed 8/13/2025; House bill No. 4510).

Referred: Municipalities and Regional Government Committee (9/11/2025).

Hearing: Written testimony only scheduled 9/23/2025.

Committee reported favorably and referred to House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (10/14/2025).

Committee placed matter in Orders of the Day; Rules suspended; read second and ordered to a third reading (11/10/2025).

Effective date: upon enactment.

Notes and observations

The bill preserves existing timing requirements for publications; it simply permits digital alternatives.

Implementation will require establishing and maintaining townwide or statewide notice repositories if those options are used.

Potential impacts include reduced publication costs for the town and increased accessibility for internet users, while potentially reducing revenue for local print newspapers and raising accessibility concerns for residents without internet access.

The supplied materials also include an unrelated South Carolina draft (amendments to S.C. Code Section 12-51-90 concerning heirs’ redemption of property). That South Carolina text is not part of Massachusetts H 4510; this summary addresses the Massachusetts bill text (digital legal notices for Plymouth).

Bill