How To Submit An Obituary To A Newspaper
A practical checklist for submitting or placing an obituary in a newspaper: where to send it, proof of death, deadlines, costs, photos, funeral-home verification, and final proof review.
Quick Answer
To submit an obituary to a newspaper, find the paper's Obituaries, Death Notices, Classifieds, or Place an Obituary page, then follow that publication's form, email, phone, or funeral-home submission process. Most newspapers need the obituary text, submitter contact details, requested publication date, payment approval, and a way to verify the death before publication.
The safest workflow is to check the newspaper's rules before writing the final version. Confirm the deadline, price, word or line limit, photo format, verification requirement, proofing process, and whether the funeral home should submit on the family's behalf. If the paper has a tight word limit, start with the short obituary examples. For proofing errors before approval, use the obituary mistakes checklist. For quote questions before payment, use the obituary cost guide.
Six Steps Before You Place The Obituary
Choose the publication first
Pick the local newspaper, hometown paper, alumni magazine, trade publication, or online obituary partner before you write the final version. Each publisher sets its own word limits, deadlines, proofing rules, and photo requirements.
Find the obituary or classifieds desk
Look for an Obituaries, Death Notices, Classifieds, or Place an Obituary link on the newspaper site. If there is no form, contact the editor or advertising/classifieds desk and ask how family-submitted notices are handled.
Ask who should submit
Some newspapers prefer funeral-home submissions because the funeral home can verify the death, manage billing, and coordinate deadlines. If the family submits directly, ask what proof or authorization the paper needs.
Prepare proof of death
Common verification paths include funeral-home or crematory contact information, a death certificate, coroner or medical examiner information, or another published official notice. Do not wait until the deadline to ask what the paper accepts.
Check price, length, and photo rules
Paid notices are often priced by word, line, column inch, photo, icon, publication day, or print-plus-online package. Ask for a quote before approving publication, especially if the obituary is long or includes multiple photos.
Review the proof before it runs
Check spelling, dates, service times, relationships, donation links, and privacy-sensitive details. Save the final proof, receipt, publication date, URL, and newspaper name for family records and future genealogy citations.
Information Newspapers Often Ask For
Submitter information
Full name, phone, email, relationship to the deceased, billing contact, and whether a funeral home is also submitting.
Deceased person's public details
Name as it should appear, age or dates, city or town, date of death, and the version of any nickname, maiden name, suffix, or middle name.
Verification details
Funeral home, crematory, coroner, death certificate, prior official notice, or another proof path accepted by the newspaper.
Publication request
Requested publication date, print or online placement, number of days, deadline, whether Sunday or holiday rules apply, and whether a proof is required.
Obituary copy
A clean draft with service details, survivors, donations, and any links already checked for accuracy, privacy, and scam risk.
Photo file
A clear portrait or approved image in the format and resolution the newspaper requests, usually cropped to focus on the deceased.
Avoid These Submission Mistakes
- Do not submit directly if the funeral home is already submitting the same obituary.
- Do not assume the paper will publish before services unless you checked the daily, weekend, and holiday deadlines.
- Do not approve a quote until you understand word, line, column-inch, photo, online, and extra-day charges.
- Do not use a low-resolution web photo if the newspaper requires a print-quality image.
- Do not include home addresses, full birth dates, financial details, or unverified donation links without a privacy review.
- Do not share a copied obituary result until you verify that it came from the newspaper, funeral home, or another official source.
Submitting an Obituary FAQ
How do you submit an obituary to a newspaper?
Contact the newspaper's obituary or classified desk, or submit through its online obituary portal. You provide the written obituary text, any photo, and proof of death, which is usually verified through the funeral home. The paper sends a cost estimate and a proof to approve, then schedules the notice for a chosen publication date.
How much does it cost to put an obituary in a newspaper?
Newspaper obituaries typically cost between $200 and $600, though large metro papers can charge $1,000 or more. Pricing is usually per line, per word, or per column inch, and adding a photo or running on weekends costs extra. Small-town papers are cheaper, and some print short death notices at little or no charge.
Can you submit an obituary yourself, or must a funeral home do it?
You can submit an obituary yourself directly to the newspaper, but many papers require the funeral home to verify the death first. Funeral homes routinely handle submission as part of their services. If you write and place it yourself, expect to provide proof of death, such as the funeral home's name or a death certificate.
How long does it take for an obituary to be published?
Most newspapers publish an obituary one to three days after submission, provided it meets the deadline and the death is verified. Deadlines are often 24 to 48 hours before the print date, and weekend or Sunday editions usually close earlier. Online obituaries can appear within hours once the paper confirms payment and proof of death.
What information do newspapers require to publish an obituary?
Newspapers require the full name of the deceased, the date of death, and verification through a funeral home or death certificate. The obituary text, contact details for the person submitting, billing information, and any photo are also needed. Confirm the word limit, photo rules, and submission deadline before sending the final version.
Sources And Example Newspaper Policies
- Legacy.com: how to submit an obituary online
Overview of submitting obituary or death notice copy online, through newspapers, and through funeral homes.
- Everplans: submit a death notice or obituary
Explains newspaper submission paths, funeral-home submission, and local papers without a dedicated obituary desk.
- The Gazette: submit an obituary
Example newspaper policy with email/in-person submission, prepayment, deadline, proofing, funeral-home verification, and photo pricing.
- The Dominion Post: obituary submission
Example newspaper policy covering funeral-home submissions, family authorization, proof of death, deadlines, pricing, and photo requirements.
- Anchorage Daily News: obituary information
Example policy covering online/email submission, funeral-home recommendation, verification of death, print schedule, pricing, and photo options.
- The Martha's Vineyard Times: obituary submission
Example community-newspaper policy covering free publication, minimum information, verification contacts, deadlines, and editing.
- Legacy.com: Press Democrat obituary placement
Example partner placement page showing death verification, final cost quote approval, deadlines, and photo criteria.
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