Connecticut Eviction Notice Requirements

In Connecticut, the eviction process starts with a notice to quit under General Statutes § 47a-23. For unpaid rent, the landlord may serve it only after the grace period in § 47a-15a ends, which is nine days for monthly rent and four days for weekly rent, and it must give at least three days before the date to quit. For most other lease violations, § 47a-15 first requires a written notice giving the tenant 15 days to fix the problem before the rental agreement ends.

A notice to quit must be in writing, state the address, the date to quit and the reason, and be delivered to each tenant or left at their residence by a proper officer or indifferent person. Under § 47a-75, a copy of the Judicial Branch's one-page notice about the state's right-to-counsel program must be attached to the notice to quit. A month-to-month tenancy can end for lapse of time, and tenants who are 62 or older or have a disability, in buildings with five or more units, have good-cause protection under § 47a-23c.

If the tenant stays past the quit date, the landlord files a summary process case in Superior Court, where the tenant can appear and raise defenses. Connecticut does not allow self-help: a tenant who is locked out or whose belongings are removed or held can bring an entry and detainer case under § 47a-43 to be restored to the unit and recover costs. After judgment, only a state marshal acting on an execution can remove a tenant and their belongings.