Connecticut Eviction Process: 3-Day Notice to Judgment, Step by Step

Short answer: The Connecticut eviction process, called summary process, begins with a notice to quit served at least three days before the quit date under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23, but for unpaid rent the landlord must first wait out a nine-day grace period under § 47a-15a. After judgment, execution is stayed five days (Sundays and legal holidays excluded) under § 47a-35, and income-eligible tenants may qualify for a free lawyer through the state’s right to counsel program.

Connecticut is one of the few states with a statewide right to counsel in evictions. Under § 47a-75, every residential notice to quit and every summons and complaint must come with a notice explaining how to apply. Pair that with a nine-day rent grace period, a 15-day chance to cure most lease violations, court housing mediators and stays of up to six months, and a Connecticut eviction gives tenants more off-ramps than most. The sections below walk through Chapters 830, 832, 833 and 834 of the General Statutes.

Connecticut Eviction Process Key Dates

Before the Notice to Quit

The nine-day grace period

Under § 47a-15a, a landlord may terminate for unpaid rent only if you fail to pay within nine days after the due date, or four days for a one-week tenancy. Section 47a-23(a)(1)(D) ties the nonpayment ground to that grace period, so a notice to quit served on the fifth of the month for rent due on the first is premature.

Fifteen days to fix a lease violation

For a material breach of the lease, the building rules, or your duties under § 47a-11 that materially affects other tenants’ health and safety or the premises, § 47a-15 requires a written “kick-out” notice first, setting a termination date at least 15 days after you receive it. If the breach can be fixed by repairs or paying damages and you fix it within 15 days, the lease survives. If substantially the same breach recurs within six months, the landlord may go straight to a notice to quit. Serious nuisance, such as inflicting or threatening bodily harm, skips the cure step.

Good cause for older and disabled tenants

Connecticut has no general just-cause law, so a lease can end by lapse of time. But § 47a-23c protects tenants in buildings or complexes with five or more units, and in mobile home parks, who are 62 or older or have a qualifying disability, or who live with a spouse or certain relatives who meet those tests. These tenants can be evicted only for listed good cause.

The Notice to Quit

Section 47a-23 requires a written notice in the statutory form naming the address, the quit date and the reason, delivered to each lessee or occupant or left at the residence by a proper officer or indifferent person, on any day of the week. The quit date must be at least three days after delivery. Accepted grounds include lapse of time, a lease violation, nonpayment after the grace period, nuisance, and occupants who never had a right to be there.

For a month-to-month or week-to-week tenancy, § 47a-23(d) says a nonpayment notice terminates the rental agreement on delivery and turns you into a tenant at sufferance. Under § 47a-75(f), the landlord must attach the Judicial Branch’s right to counsel notice, which includes a phone number for applying.

The Summons, Complaint and Return Day

If you are still there after the quit date, a commissioner of the Superior Court may issue a writ, summons and complaint under § 47a-23a. The complaint is returnable to the Superior Court, may be made returnable six days, inclusive, after service, and must be returned to court at least three days before the return day. It can be served any day of the week, and venue lies where you live or the property sits, at the landlord’s election. The right to counsel notice must be attached again.

Your Appearance and Defenses

The single most important deadline is in § 47a-26: if you do not file an appearance within two days after the return day, and the landlord files a motion for judgment for failure to appear with an endorsed copy of the notice to quit, the court must enter judgment for possession no later than the next court day. File the appearance, then your answer and any special defenses.

• Premature or defective notice. A notice served before the nine-day grace period ran, a lease-violation case brought without the 15-day kick-out notice, or a quit date fewer than three days away.
• Rent accepted with knowledge it was late. Under § 47a-19, that waives the landlord’s right to terminate for that late payment.
• Retaliation. Section 47a-20 bars a possession action within six months after you in good faith complained to officials, filed with a fair rent commission, asked for repairs, brought a housing code action, or joined a tenants’ union. Section 47a-20a lists exceptions, such as nonpayment of rent or an owner’s good-faith move-in.
• Good cause. If § 47a-23c covers you, the landlord must prove a permitted reason.
• Discrimination. Eviction based on a protected characteristic violates the federal Fair Housing Act.

Housing matters, including summary process, are heard by the Superior Court, and § 47a-69 requires the Chief Court Administrator to appoint housing mediators in every judicial district to help resolve cases.

Judgment

At trial, § 47a-26d directs judgment for the landlord if you hold over after the lease ended and a proper notice to quit was given. If the landlord cannot prove those elements, judgment enters for you and you stay.

Stays of Execution

Section 47a-35(a) stays execution for five days after judgment, excluding any intervening Sunday or legal holiday. Within that same window, you can ask for more time. Under § 47a-37, a tenant evicted for reasons other than nonpayment, nuisance or illegal use may apply for a stay. A tenant evicted for nonpayment may also apply, but only after depositing the full arrearage with the clerk within five days of judgment.

Under § 47a-39, the court may grant a stay totaling up to six months from judgment if you cannot find comparable housing nearby despite diligent effort, apply in good faith and follow the court’s terms. If the judgment was for nonpayment, the stay cannot exceed three months in total.

Appeals and Use-and-Occupancy Payments

An appeal must be filed within the same five-day period under § 47a-35(b). A timely appeal stays execution until the case is decided, unless the trial judge finds it was taken only for delay or you fail to post the bond. Under § 47a-35a, the Superior Court must hold a hearing within 14 days after learning of the appeal and may order you to deposit your share of the last agreed rent, or the reasonable value of use and occupancy, while the appeal is pending.

The Marshal, the Town and Your Belongings

Once any stay ends, the landlord may obtain an execution, and you and your belongings may be removed by a state marshal, under § 47a-42. Before removal, the marshal must use reasonable efforts to notify you of the date and time, serve each occupant with a copy of the execution, and give the town’s chief executive officer 24 hours’ notice. The execution form must tell you in large bold type to contact a lawyer if you claim a right to stay, and how to reclaim your belongings.

Your possessions go to a storage place designated by the town, at your expense. If you do not reclaim them and pay the storage cost within 15 days after the eviction, the town must sell them at public auction after trying to notify you and posting notice for a week. Under § 47a-41a, an execution that is not used within six months is void.

Lockouts Are Illegal

A landlord who changes the locks, removes your belongings, or holds you out by force can be taken to court under the entry and detainer statute, § 47a-43. A Superior Court judge must issue a summons requiring the landlord to appear within eight days of your complaint. If the court finds forcible entry, forcible holding, or damage to or removal of your property, § 47a-46 lets you recover double damages and costs in a civil action.

Worked Example: Tomás in Waterbury

Tomás pays $1,375 on the first of each month for his Waterbury apartment and misses June 2026 rent. The nine-day grace period runs through Wednesday, June 10, so the earliest his landlord may terminate is Thursday, June 11. A state marshal serves a notice to quit that day, with a quit date of Monday, June 15, and the right to counsel notice attached. He calls the number and applies for a free lawyer.

The summons and complaint are served on Wednesday, June 17, with a return day of Monday, June 22. His appearance is due within two days after that, by Wednesday, June 24. If the court entered judgment on Wednesday, July 8, the five-day stay, skipping Sunday, July 12, would run through Tuesday, July 14. To ask for up to three more months, he would have to deposit the full arrearage with the clerk within those five days.

Connecticut Eviction Timeline

Fastest figures track the statutes. Typical figures are estimates and vary by judicial district.

Legal Help and Your Record

The right to counsel program under § 47a-75 provides free representation to income-eligible tenants, defined as household income at or below 80 percent of state median income or receipt of benefits such as SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, TANF or a Housing Choice Voucher. It covers notices to quit, summary process cases and certain subsidy terminations. CTLawHelp offers forms and guides. A filed case can appear on tenant screening reports, so read how to seal an eviction record.

Frequently Asked Questions

How soon after rent is late can a Connecticut landlord serve a notice to quit?

Not until the nine-day grace period under § 47a-15a has passed, or four days for a weekly tenancy. For rent due June 1, that means June 11 at the earliest.

Do I qualify for a free eviction lawyer in Connecticut?

You may if your household income is at or below 80 percent of state median income, or you receive benefits like SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, TANF or a Housing Choice Voucher, under § 47a-75. Use the phone number on the notice attached to your papers.

What happens if I miss the appearance deadline?

If you do not appear within two days after the return day, § 47a-26 requires the court to enter judgment for possession by the next court day after the landlord files a proper motion.

Can I get more time to move after losing?

Yes. Apply within five days of judgment under § 47a-37. The court can grant up to six months, or up to three months for nonpayment cases, and only after you deposit the full arrearage.

Who stores my things after a marshal eviction?

The town. Under § 47a-42, belongings go to a town-designated storage place, and you have 15 days to reclaim them and pay storage before a public auction.

If you receive a notice to quit, check whether the nine-day grace period had passed, call the right to counsel number on the attached notice, and calendar your appearance date; you can also use the LSC legal help finder. This guide is general information, not legal advice. For deposit and interest rules after you move, see Connecticut security deposit law, and compare states on the eviction process by state hub or the eviction notice timeline.

Sources

• Conn. Gen. Stat. Chapter 830 (§§ 47a-15, 47a-15a, 47a-19, 47a-20)
• Conn. Gen. Stat. Chapter 832, Summary Process (§§ 47a-23 to 47a-42)
• Conn. Gen. Stat. Chapter 833, Entry and Detainer (§§ 47a-43, 47a-46)
• Conn. Gen. Stat. Chapter 834, Housing Matters (§§ 47a-69, 47a-75)
• Connecticut Judicial Branch, Right to Counsel Program notice
• 42 U.S.C. § 3604, Fair Housing Act
• CTLawHelp
• Legal Services Corporation, Get Legal Help