The Novato Advance has been published since July 1, 1922. Its first editor was William Hanen. Subsequent owners include Scripps Enterprises. It is now owned by Marinscope Community Newspapers, a private company dedicated to the revitalization of community newspapers, who acquired it from Scripps in 2008.^[1] It is owned and operated by veteran newsman Sherman R. Frederick.

The papers owned by Marinscope include the Novato Advance, the Sausalito Marin Scope, the San Rafael News Pointer, the Mill Valley Herald, the Twin Cities Times (Larkspur & Corte Madera) and the Ross Valley Reporter.