OK HB2166

Amends 25 O.S. 2021, Section 106 to establish two categories of legal newspapers in Oklahoma: "Periodical Permit Newspapers" (requiring second-class/general periodical mail status) and "Nonperiodical Permit Newspapers" (requiring minimum 200 paid print subscriptions and 25% news content)

Nonperiodical newspapers must petition the district court and provide evidence of meeting requirements before being authorized to publish legal notices, and must undergo annual independent audits to verify circulation and content compliance

Requires all legal newspapers to register ownership with the Oklahoma Secretary of State, publish legal notices on their website outside any paywall, and post notices to a statewide website maintained by Oklahoma newspapers at no additional cost

Legal newspapers must be independent of government and cannot be owned, controlled, funded, or subsidized by any political party, state agency, political subdivision, or religious/fraternal organization

Effective date of November 1, 2025; extends the allowable publication gap from 14 to 21 consecutive days for emergencies without losing legal newspaper status