Which Newspaper for a Statutory Notice? Does the Postcode Decide?
A postcode is an efficient way to find publications associated with an area. It is not a statutory register of approved newspapers, and it does not replace the publication test for the particular notice.
Editorially reviewed 14 July 2026. This article explains the role of postcode matching. Use the main newspaper-selection guide before making a final choice.
The postcode must belong to the right thing
Different processes attach publication to different locations:
- HGV operator licence: the proposed operating centre.
- Premises or club-premises application: the licensed premises.
- Section 27: the locality of land included in the estate.
- Traffic order: the affected road or roads.
The applicant's home, registered office or adviser's office may therefore produce the wrong newspaper candidates.
The notice type supplies the legal test
Current HGV guidance requires a local—not regional or national—newspaper covering the relevant traffic area, with editorial stories and other public notices; free sheets are excluded.
Premises licensing uses a local newspaper circulating in the area of the premises, with a specific local alternative if no newspaper exists. Section 27 refers to a newspaper circulating in the locality of land. Traffic-order procedures refer to the area in which the affected road is situated.
Those tests overlap, but they are not identical. A paper suitable for a premises notice at a postcode should not automatically be assumed suitable for every other notice type there.
How postcode matching should be used
- Enter the complete relevant postcode.
- Select the exact notice type.
- Review the suggested paper, edition and publication format.
- Compare it with the current official criteria.
- Check the print date, rate unit and complete quote.
- Ask the authority or professional adviser where coverage remains uncertain.
- Keep the selection rationale and publication evidence.
Gazetted's result is a suggestion for review, not a guarantee that a regulator will accept a newspaper regardless of the application facts.
Review the result before ordering
Use the postcode pricing lookup to see the suggested publication and available rate information. Confirm the newspaper, wording, publication date and final total before payment.
