§ 77. Notice of application therefor. Every applicant for a grant of land under water shall, previous to his application, cause notice thereof to be published at least once a week for four weeks, successively, in a newspaper printed in the county in which the land so intended to be applied for is situated, unless the said lands are situated wholly or in part in a city or village where a newspaper is published then such notice shall be published in such newspaper; and a copy of such notice to be posted for the same period upon the door of the court house of such county or at such other place in or at the court house as is generally used for the posting of legal notices, and if there be no court house in the county, at such place as the commissioner directs. The aforementioned four-week period shall be a full period of twenty-eight days. In cities having a population of one million or more inhabitants, the applicant for a grant comprising ten thousand or more square feet shall also serve personally, or by registered or certified mail, a written notice containing a description of such land under water, together with the name and address of the applicant, upon all owners of waterfront land within three hundred feet from the side boundaries of the upland of the applicant. For purposes of identifying such owners of waterfront land, the latest completed assessment roll may be used in lieu of title search. The applicant shall file with the commissioner proof of service of such notice at least twenty days prior to the date of application. However for the purposes of jurisdiction and the validity of any grant issued under this section, the commissioner's finding that the notice requirements of this section have been complied with is final and conclusive.