Public Meetings Law Notice Requirements 

What does the notice need to include?

• The date, time, and physical location of the meeting.

• For purely virtual meetings, include either a link or phone number for the public to contact in order to join, or the physical location where the general public can go to watch the meeting in real time.* 

• The name, number, and email address of a person at the public body to contact in order to request an interpreter or other communication aids.

• A list of topics that will be considered at the meeting. This list can be the meeting agenda. Changes can be made to the meeting agenda after posting the notice.

• If the notice is for a stand-alone executive session, it needs to cite the statutes that give the governing body permission to meet in executive session.

*All meetings, whether purely virtual or in-person, must, to the extent reasonably possible, provide members of the general public with an opportunity to access and attend by telephone, video, or other electronic or virtual means.

 Who needs to be notified? 

• The governing body members

• The general public

• Interested persons who have requested notice*

• The media who have requested notice*

*Interested persons and media members only need to be notified separately if they have requested it of your governing body.

When does the notice need to be posted? 

That will depend on the type of the meeting.

• A regularly held meeting needs to be noticed at least 48 hours in advance.   

• A special meeting needs to be noticed at least 24 hours in advance.   

• An emergency meeting needs to be noticed as soon as possible but can happen with less than 24 hours’ notice.*

*Emergency meetings require the minutes to describe the emergency and why the meeting could not be delayed to give at least 24 hours notice.

Where do you need to post the notice?

• The public or governing body’s website, or an accessible third-party website with a link provided on your public or governing body’s website.  

• The Oregon Transparency Website (required for State Agencies, Boards, Commissions and Educational Service Districts, optional for other governing bodies).  

• Governing bodies that do not have a publicly accessible website can satisfy the noticing requirements by posting on the Oregon Transparency Website or by issuing the notice through newspaper, community bulletin board, social media accounts, mail, or email. 

Find more information on noticing requirements:

• Oregon Revised Statutes: ORS 192.640 Public notice required, special notice for executive sessions or special or emergency meetings

• Oregon Administrative Rules: OAR 199-050-0040 Notice Requirements

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