(a) Merced County contains the following public notice districts:
(1) Atwater District, which is comprised of the City of Atwater and the unincorporated areas known as Cressey, McSwain, and Winton.
(2) Dos Palos District, which is comprised of the City of Dos Palos.
(3) Gustine District, which is comprised of the City of Gustine.
(4) Livingston District, which is comprised of the City of Livingston and the unincorporated areas known as Ballico, Delhi, and Stevinson.
(5) Los Banos District, which is comprised of the City of Los Banos and the unincorporated area known as Santa Nella.
(6) Merced District, which is comprised of the City of Merced and the unincorporated area known as Franklin.
(b) For the purpose of publishing notice arising from a location within Merced County that is not within one of the districts described in subdivision (a):
(1) If the location is within 10 miles of a district, notice shall be published in the nearest district.
(2) If the location is not within 10 miles of a district, notice shall be given as if the location is in a public notice district without a newspaper of general circulation.