Publicize Your Name Change

Most of the time you will be required by the court to publicize the applicant’s name change.

The name change publication needs to be in a newspaper that is published in your county. The name change notification must be published once a week for four consecutive weeks. Evidence of the publication will need to be provided to the court to receive the final decree for the applicant’s name change.

The publishing newspaper can help you with the formatting on the notification and let you know the cost for running it.

What if the applicant requested an exemption from publication?
If you requested an exemption due to being a victim of domestic violence, you may not have to complete this step. The court will let you know if this is necessary at your hearing. If you are unsure please ask the judge or the clerk of court.