Legal Newspapers

Notes:

1. “Flat” means the total charge for publishing any Notice to Creditors 3 times.
2. “/in” means the charge for one publication per inch of copy. The Everett Herald said that with the printing type that they use, $12.60/in is equivalent to $0.90/L, so these two different ways of quoting charges may be related on the basis of 1 inch = 14 Lines (at least for the style of type used by the Everett Herald).
3. “/L” means the charge for one publication per line of copy.
4. If more than one rate is given, the first rate is the charge for the first publication and the second rate is the charge for each successive publication.
5. “Estimate” means that newspaper’s average charge for publishing a Notice to Creditors 3 times. Many salespersons indicated that a Notice to Creditors was seldom shorter than 5 inches, usually was around 7 inches, and occasionally was over 10 inches (eg, multiple Personal Representatives, each with their own attorney). Consequently, the total charge for publishing a 7 inch Notice to Creditors 3 times at a charge of $10/in would be 7 x 3 x $10 = $210.
6. Many papers charge more for weekend or Sunday publication. The above charges are all for weekday publication.
7. Most newspapers’ charge includes their fee for supplying an Affidavit of Publishing, but some do not (eg, Olympia Olympian: $8.50, Bellingham Herald: $13).
8. The rates shown above were obtained in December, 2002 (or later) for publication in January, 2003 (or later) — most over ten years ago. Some rates are current as of January, 2014; others are as originally obtained years ago & have likely been increased since then. Please verify the current rate with each relevant newspaper.
9. Many counties, and most of the more populous counties, have not only a “popular” newspaper but also a “commercial” newspaper that has a lower, often “flat” rate. Publication at the lower rate produces just as “legal” a notice as does publication at a more expensive rate.
10. If the above list omits a newspaper in your county:
    • Check the WNPA Member Newspapers or
    • Go to Washington Superior Courts and click on your county.
    • From that county’s directory, obtain the phone number of its Superior Court Clerk’s Office.
    • Telephone the Clerk and ask for the names of the newspapers where Probate Notices to Creditors are usually published for that county — many of the clerks will provide two or three.
    • Use Google to obtain the website for each newspaper.
    • From that newspaper’s website, obtain the phone number for its classified department.
    • Telephone the newspaper, ask to speak to “Legal ads”, and obtain the rate.