Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a § 47a-53
(Formerly Sec. 19-344). Orders of enforcement agency. Municipal lien for expenses in executing order.
Operative Text
(a) Whenever any tenement, lodging or boarding house or any building, structure, excavation, business pursuit, matter or thing in or about such house or the lot on which it is situated, or the plumbing, sewerage, drainage, lighting, paint or ventilation of such house, is, in the opinion of the board of health or other enforcing agency, in a condition which is or in its effect is dangerous or detrimental to life or health, or whenever any tenement, lodging or boarding house in the opinion of the board or enforcing agency, is in violation of the provisions of section 19a-109, the board or other enforcing agency may declare that the same, to the extent specified by the board or other enforcing agency, is a public nuisance. The board or enforcing agency may order such public nuisance to be removed, abated, suspended, altered or otherwise remedied, improved or purified. The board of health or other enforcing agency may also order or cause any tenement house or part thereof, or any excavation, building, structure, sewer, plumbing pipe, paint, passage, premises, ground, matter or thing in or about a tenement, lodging or boarding house or the lot on which such house is situated, to be purified, cleansed, disinfected, removed, altered, repaired or improved. If the board or enforcing agency issues an order to a registrant, such order may be delivered in accordance with section 7-148ii, provided nothing in this section shall preclude a board or enforcing agency from providing notice in another manner permitted by applicable law. (b) If any order of the board of health or other enforcing agency is not complied with, or not so far complied with as the board or other enforcing agency regards as reasonable, within five days after the service thereof, or within such shorter time as the board or other enforcing agency designates, such order may be executed by the board or other enforcing agency, through its officers, agents, employees or contractors. The expense of executing such order, including an amount not to exceed five per cent of the expense thereof as a service charge and ten per cent of the expense thereof as a penalty shall be collected from the owner by an action in the name of the city, borough or town. (c) (1) Any expense of executing an order, including any service charge and penalty imposed by the board of health or other enforcing agency pursuant to the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, and remaining unpaid for a period of sixty days after its due date, shall constitute a lien upon the real estate against which the expense was imposed, provided a notice of violation is recorded in the land records and indexed in the name of the property owner not later than thirty days after the expense was imposed. (2) Each such notice of violation shall be effective from the time of the recording on the land records. Each lien shall take precedence over transfers and encumbrances recorded after such time. (3) Any municipal lien pursuant to the provisions of this section may be foreclosed in the same manner as a mortgage. (4) Any municipal lien pursuant to this section may be discharged or dissolved in the manner provided in sections 49-35a to 49-37, inclusive. (d) Any board of health or other enforcing agency imposing an expense, including a service charge and penalty, pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, shall maintain a current record of all properties with respect to which such expenses remain unpaid in the office of such board or agency. Such record shall be available for inspection by the public.
Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-53, Connecticut's local boards of health and other enforcing agencies have authority to declare unsafe or unhealthy conditions at tenement, lodging, or boarding houses to be public nuisances and to order corrective action. If an owner does not comply with such an order within five days (or a shorter deadline set by the agency), the agency may carry out the work itself and bill the owner for the cost, plus a service charge of up to five percent and a penalty of up to ten percent of that cost. Unpaid expenses can become a municipal lien on the property, recorded in the land records, and may ultimately be foreclosed like a mortgage.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners subject to an enforcement order under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-53 generally act promptly—within the five-day compliance window, or any shorter deadline specified—to address conditions the board of health or enforcing agency has identified as dangerous or detrimental to health. Operators who allow the agency to execute the order on their behalf face collection of the remediation costs plus a service charge of up to five percent and a penalty of up to ten percent, which can become a lien on the property if left unpaid for sixty days. Compliant operators also monitor the public records maintained by the enforcing agency to confirm that any previously recorded notices of violation have been properly discharged once corrective work is complete.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-53 gives local boards of health and enforcing agencies the power to act when housing conditions are dangerous or detrimental to life or health—meaning tenants who observe such conditions may report them to the local board of health or relevant municipal agency to trigger an inspection and potential enforcement order. If an owner fails to comply and the agency steps in to remedy the problem, the resulting costs and penalties become a matter of public record that tenants and others can inspect at the agency's office. Tenants seeking to understand how this provision interacts with their broader rights may wish to consult a tenant-rights organization or legal aid provider familiar with Connecticut housing law.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 17, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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