Eviction Process In Connecticut

Evicting a tenant in Connecticut means following Summary process action in Superior Court (Housing Session, where established) exactly, start to finish. Skipping a step, whether it's the notice period, how the tenant is served, or the lockout procedure, can restart the clock or expose a management company to liability. This guide walks through each step with the statute or court rule behind it.

Everything below is sourced to Connecticut's own statutes and court self-help pages. Specific deadlines and dollar figures do change, so confirm the current text before you rely on a date in a live case.

Overview Of The Eviction Process

Connecticut evictions are "summary process" actions governed by Chapter 832 of the Connecticut General Statutes (§§ 47a-23 et seq.), brought in Superior Court.

• Connecticut's eviction procedure is codified as "Summary Process" in Chapter 832 of the General Statutes, running from § 47a-23 through § 47a-42a. (Conn. Gen. Stat. Ch. 832 (§§ 47a-23 to 47a-42a))

Lawful Grounds For Eviction

Section 47a-23 lists lapse of time, an express lease stipulation, violation of the lease or rules, nonpayment within the statutory grace period, nuisance or serious nuisance, never having had a right to occupy, a terminated right to occupy, certain no-cause grounds tied to rent-increase refusal/market withdrawal/owner-occupancy, and farm- or domestic-employee holdovers.

• Grounds for a notice to quit include lapse of time, an express lease stipulation, violation of the rental agreement or of rules adopted under § 47a-9, nonpayment of rent within the grace period of § 47a-15a, and nuisance (as defined in § 47a-32) or serious nuisance (as defined in § 47a-15). (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23(a)(1))
• Grounds also include occupancy by someone who never had the right or privilege to occupy the premises, or whose right or privilege has since terminated. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23(a)(2), (3))
• Under § 47a-23c, certain no-cause grounds are authorized specifically for a tenant's refusal to agree to a fair and equitable rent increase, permanent removal of the unit from the rental market, or the landlord's bona fide intention to use the unit as a principal residence. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23(a)(4); § 47a-23c)
• A rental agreement may not contain a provision permitting the landlord to dispossess a tenant without resort to a court order; any such provision is void. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-4(a)(5))

Notice Requirements

A written Notice to Quit must be given at least three days before the vacate date; for nonpayment specifically, the landlord may not even send that notice until a 9-day rent grace period (4 days for a weekly tenancy) has run.

• The landlord must give each tenant or occupant notice to quit possession or occupancy at least three days before the termination of the lease, or before the time specified in the notice. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23(a))
• For nonpayment, the tenant gets a 9-day grace period (4 days for a one-week tenancy) after rent is due to pay before the landlord may terminate the rental agreement under the notice-to-quit provisions. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(a))
• If a rental agreement has a valid written late-fee clause, a late charge assessed after the grace period may not exceed the lesser of $5 per day (up to $50) or 5% of the delinquent rent payment, and only one late charge may be assessed per delinquent payment. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(b))

Filing The Case

The action is commenced by a Complaint under § 47a-23a in Superior Court.

• A summary process action is commenced by a Complaint, as separately provided for in § 47a-23a of Chapter 832. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23a)

Serving The Tenant

Chapter 832 addresses service of the notice to quit on a nonresident or unknown-whereabouts lessee; confirm the service requirements for the initial summons and complaint with the Superior Court before filing.

• Connecticut law separately addresses service of the notice to quit or summons where the lessee is a nonresident or their whereabouts are unknown. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23b)

The Tenant's Response

Chapter 832 provides default-judgment consequences for a tenant's failure to appear or plead, confirming an answer/appearance deadline exists; the exact timing sits in the Practice Book and Superior Court rules, so confirm the current deadline there.

• A tenant's failure to appear, or failure to plead, in a summary process action allows the landlord to obtain judgment under §§ 47a-26 and 47a-26a. (Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 47a-26, 47a-26a)

Hearing And Judgment

If the case is contested, § 47a-26d governs the trial, findings, and judgment.

• A contested summary process case proceeds to trial, finding, and judgment under § 47a-26d. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-26d)

The Writ And Lockout

After judgment (and expiration of any stay of execution), a tenant who has not moved out can be removed under an execution carried out by a state marshal, who delivers the tenant's possessions and personal effects to a storage location designated by the local chief executive officer.

• A tenant against whom judgment has been entered must remove themselves and their possessions and personal effects immediately, unless execution has been stayed; if a stay was granted, removal is required immediately once the stay expires. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-42(a))
• If the tenant has not moved out after judgment and expiration of any stay, the landlord may obtain an execution, and a state marshal removes the tenant, along with their possessions and personal effects, delivering the possessions to a place of storage designated by the chief executive officer of the municipality. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-42(a))

Prohibited Practices

Connecticut law voids any lease clause letting a landlord dispossess a tenant without a court order, and separately gives a person who is forcibly or unlawfully put out of possession a summary complaint remedy for restoration and a writ of restitution against the offending party.

• Any rental agreement provision authorizing the landlord to dispossess the tenant without resort to a court order is against public policy and unenforceable. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-4(a)(5))
• A person who is forcibly put out of possession, or held out of possession with force, or who suffers damage to the premises or their personal property from such conduct, may bring a complaint to a Superior Court judge for restoration. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-43(a))
• If the court finds a forcible entry or forcible detainer occurred, it renders judgment restoring the complainant to possession, orders any removed or detained personal property returned, awards a writ of restitution, and grants the complainant costs and execution against the person who committed the violation. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-45a(a))

Recent Changes Worth Tracking

• Public Act 23-207 (2023) reduced the time a landlord has to return a tenant's security deposit, and any accrued interest on it, from 30 days to 21 days after termination of the tenancy, and added the maximum late-rent-charge caps described above. (Public Act 23-207 (2023), amending Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 47a-21, 47a-15a)

Eviction is the last step in a relationship that's already gone wrong. See our guide to Connecticut property management laws and regulations for the licensing, disclosure, and trust-account rules that apply before it gets to this point.

Doing It By The Book

Self-help evictions, changing locks, removing doors, shutting off utilities, are illegal in every state and expose a management company to real liability regardless of how clear the nonpayment is. The court process exists because it's the only lawful way to remove a tenant, and skipping a step (a defective notice, bad service) is the single most common reason a case gets dismissed and restarted from day one.

This guide is a starting point for professional managers, not legal advice. For a specific case, a contested filing, or anything unusual, work with a Connecticut attorney, and confirm the current text of any rule cited above with Superior Court (Housing Session, where established) or the Connecticut legislature.

Sources

Every fact above is drawn from one of the official sources below.

• Conn. Gen. Stat. Ch. 832 (§§ 47a-23 to 47a-42a), Connecticut General Assembly, Connecticut General Statutes (official)
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-4(a)(5), Connecticut General Assembly, Connecticut General Statutes (official)
• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-43(a), Connecticut General Assembly, Connecticut General Statutes (official)