Fairfield County, Connecticut

Sets statutory limits on local municipal police zoning powers under C.G.S. § 8-2, prohibiting municipalities from banning accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as of right on single-family lots unless the municipality formally adopted an opt-out resolution by January 1, 2023. Prohibits zoning regulations from establishing arbitrary minimum floor area sizes for residential buildings beyond applicable building/public health codes, restricting multifamily or cluster housing, or imposing unreasonable cost burdens on residential land use.

Public Act 21-29, codified at Conn. Gen. Stat. § 8-2 (effective October 1, 2021).

Under C.G.S. § 29-453, prior to the transfer of title of any one- or two-family residential property, the seller must present to the buyer an affidavit certifying that the residence is equipped with operational smoke detection and carbon monoxide detection equipment complying with state fire and building regulations. If the seller fails to provide this affidavit, the seller must credit the buyer the statutory penalty sum of $250 at closing.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-453; Connecticut State Fire Prevention Code and State Building Code.

Requires sellers to affirmatively disclose any known presence of lead-based paint/hazards, elevated radon levels, asbestos, underground fuel storage tanks (USTs), contaminated private wells, or toxic/hazardous chemical releases on the property. Residential dwellings constructed prior to 1978 must additionally provide federal/state lead warnings and inspection option periods; failure to disclose known contamination allows buyers legal rescission and damage claims.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-327b(d); Conn. Agencies Regs. Title 19a (Radon & Lead Prevention).

Mandates that sellers explicitly disclose on the state-prescribed disclosure report whether the residential parcel is situated within a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), 100-year/500-year floodplain, or floodway, whether flood insurance is required or currently maintained, and any documented history of surface, riverine, or basement flooding/drainage issues. Failure to disclose triggers statutory liability and remedies under C.G.S. § 20-327c.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-327b; Department of Consumer Protection Residential Disclosure regulations.

applies when — Applies to all parcels lying within the statutorily defined coastal boundary along Long Island Sound and tidal rivers.

Subjects parcel development, subdivision, and shoreline modifications to mandatory Coastal Site Plan Review (CSPR) administered by municipal zoning commissions in accordance with state statutory policies under C.G.S. § 22a-105. Imposes severe restrictions on structural flood barriers, coastal seawalls, and bulkheads, requiring adherence to setbacks and preservation of coastal resources, tidal wetlands, and public coastal access.

Connecticut Coastal Management Act, Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 22a-90 through 22a-112.

applies when — Applies to any residential parcel containing or situated within designated wetland soils, watercourses, or within municipal upland review areas (typically 100 feet from wetland boundaries).

Prohibits any 'regulated activity'—including excavation, clearing, grading, filling, septic installation, or residential construction—without a prior permit issued by the local municipal Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency. The mandate restricts land use regardless of local zoning classification to preserve ecological function, water quality, and natural flood control.

Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Act, codified at Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 22a-36 through 22a-45.

applies when — Applies to all residential units located within a common interest community (condominiums, planned unit developments, cooperatives) formed on or after January 1, 1984, or earlier communities governed by CIOA opt-in provisions.

Imposes binding statutory governance on unit owners, including mandatory assessments for common expenses, adherence to association bylaws/rules, and right-to-resell certificate disclosures under C.G.S. § 47-270. Under C.G.S. § 47-258, the association holds an automatic statutory lien against each parcel for unpaid common charges, which carries a six-month (or nine-month under specific amendments) super-priority over first mortgages in foreclosure actions.

Conn. Gen. Stat. Title 47, Chapter 828 (§ 47-200 et seq.); modeled after the Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act.

applies when — Applies to residential properties constructed with concrete foundations poured between 1983 and 2015, particularly within designated municipalities in north-central and eastern Connecticut impacted by pyrrhotite contamination.

Sellers must complete the concrete foundation section of the Connecticut Residential Property Condition Report (and Foundation Condition Report), specifically disclosing any knowledge or visual presence of deteriorating foundation concrete, cracking, or testing for the presence of pyrrhotite. Under C.G.S. § 8-440 et seq., special state assessments and captive insurance funds (CRBIC) exist, and local tax assessors may be required upon request to inspect and reduce the assessed value of homes with crumbling foundations under C.G.S. § 12-62r.

Enacted under P.A. 16-45 and codified across Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 8-440, 12-62r, and 20-327b.

applies when — Applies to 1-to-4 family owner-occupied residential properties where the borrower is a named defendant in a residential mortgage foreclosure action and the property serves as their primary residence.

Imposes a mandatory statutory stay on foreclosure judgment entry while the mortgagor and mortgagee participate in court-supervised mediation administered by judicial branch mediators under C.G.S. § 49-31l et seq. Requires lenders to negotiate in good faith regarding loan modifications, short sales, or forbearance plans and furnish standardized loan accounting documents before obtaining a foreclosure judgment.

Established under Public Act 08-176 and codified at Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 49-31k through 49-31o; extended by subsequent legislative enactments.

Connecticut is strictly a judicial foreclosure jurisdiction; non-judicial foreclosures and power-of-sale clauses in standard residential mortgages are not recognized. Foreclosure proceeds under two paths: (1) Strict Foreclosure, where no public auction occurs, the court sets law days for the mortgagor and subordinate lienholders to redeem by paying the full debt, and upon the expiration of law days without redemption, absolute title vests directly in the foreclosing lender without an equity auction; or (2) Foreclosure by Sale, where the court appoints a committee to sell the property at public auction when equity exists above senior encumbrances. Connecticut grants no statutory post-sale redemption right; redemption rights terminate strictly when the assigned law day passes in strict foreclosure or upon court confirmation of the auction committee sale.

Governed by Conn. Gen. Stat. Title 49, Chapter 846 (specifically §§ 49-14 through 49-25) and Connecticut Practice Book rules.

Mandates that before a prospective purchaser executes a binder, contract, option, or lease with purchase option, the seller must deliver a completed State Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) Residential Property Condition Report answering questions regarding known structural, mechanical, environmental, and legal defects to the best of their knowledge. Under C.G.S. § 20-327c, failure to furnish the disclosure report prior to contract execution requires the seller to credit the buyer $500 at the closing of title, though non-delivery or failure to disclose known material defects does not preclude independent tort liability or breach of contract claims.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-327b through § 20-327e; administered by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.

Under C.G.S. § 12-62a, all taxable real property is assessed uniformly at a mandatory 70% assessment ratio of its fair market value (FMV). Real property tax is computed annually using the formula: Assessed Value = Fair Market Value × 0.70; Net Tax Liability = (Assessed Value - Allowable Exemptions) × (Municipal Mill Rate / 1,000). Connecticut does not have a broad universal state homestead exemption; however, statutory exemptions exist under C.G.S. § 12-81 for qualifying low-income elderly, disabled individuals, and veterans (which reduce assessed valuation by statutory fixed amounts or provide tax credits under the circuit-breaker program). Unpaid property taxes automatically become a perpetual first-priority municipal tax lien on the parcel under C.G.S. § 12-172.

Governed by Conn. Gen. Stat. Title 12, Chapter 203 (specifically §§ 12-62, 12-62a, 12-81, and 12-172). Revaluations occur every five years.