§ 43:140 — Definitions

Louisiana § 43:140

• Jurisdiction: Louisiana
• Title 43: Public Printing and Advertisements

Text

§140. Definitions
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them
in this Section:
(1) "Bona fide paying subscribers" shall mean persons who have subscribed at a
subscription rate which is not nominal, whether by mail subscriptions, purchases through
dealers and carriers, street vendors and counter sellers, or any combination thereof, but shall
not include free circulation, sales at token or nominal subscription price, and sales in bulk
for purposes other than for resale for individual subscribers.
(2) "General paid circulation" shall not include publications when one-half or more
of all copies circulated are provided free of charge to the ultimate recipients, or are paid for
at nominal rates by the ultimate recipients.
(3) "Newspaper" shall mean a publication that complies with the requirement of R.S.
43:141.1(A) and during each year of the two-year period prior to the first publication of any
legal or official notice therein:
(a) Has been published at regular intervals of not less than weekly.
(b) Has been originated and published for the dissemination of current news and
intelligence of varied, broad, and general public interest, including regular news coverage of
local public meetings and events, and is not devoted to the interests of, or published for the
entertainment or instruction of, or has a circulation restricted to, any particular sect,
denomination, labor or fraternal organization, or other special group or class of citizens.
(c) Has not been published primarily for advertising purposes and has not contained
more than seventy-five percent advertising in more than one-half of its issues, excluding
separate advertising supplements inserted into but separately identifiable from any regular
issue or issues.
(d) Has maintained a general paid circulation to bona fide paying subscribers within
the area the publication is required.
(4) "Nominal rate(s)" shall mean a price which is so small or slight that it is not
considered real or substantial in comparison with what might reasonably be expected.
(5) "Office" shall mean the newspaper's principal public business office and need not
be the place at which the newspaper's printing presses are physically located. A newspaper
shall have only one principal public business office; however, any newspaper with a principal
business office in a parish adjoining Jefferson Parish which within one year prior to June 1,
1986, has actually published official proceedings of any municipal corporation, parish
council, police jury, or school board in Jefferson Parish shall be deemed to be published in
an office physically located in both the parish where the newspaper maintains its principal
business office and Jefferson Parish.

Legislative History

Acts 1986, No. 378, §1, eff. July 2, 1986; Acts 2011, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 36, §1; Acts 2023, No. 178, §1; Acts 2024, No. 464, §1.