Connecticut HOA law guide.

The six Connecticut pages behind this guide.

Complete statutory text, reproduced from the General Statutes of Connecticut, with a plain-language deep dive on each.

Start with the date your community was created.

Created on or after January 1, 1984 — CIOA applies in full. Section 47-214 says the chapter applies to “all common interest communities created within this state on or after January 1, 1984”, and that chapter 825 does not apply to condominiums created on or after that date. Note the words: on or after, not after. Amendments to CIOA reach those communities too, but only as to events and circumstances occurring on or after the amendment’s effective date.

Created before January 1, 1984 — an enumerated list applies. Section 47-216(a) carries a specific list of CIOA sections onto earlier communities, and the list is long. It includes the definitions (§ 47-202), the association’s powers (§ 47-244), meetings (§ 47-250), quorum (§ 47-251), voting (§ 47-252), insurance (§ 47-255), assessments (§ 47-257), the lien (§ 47-258), records (§ 47-260), rules (§ 47-261b), notice (§ 47-261c), removal of directors (§ 47-261d), budgets (§ 47-261e), resale certificates (§ 47-270) and the enforcement and hearing section (§ 47-278). Two limits ride along: those sections reach only events and circumstances occurring after January 1, 1984, and they do not invalidate existing provisions of the declaration, bylaws, surveys or plans.

Three pre-1984 communities are carved out further (§ 47-217). One with no more than twelve units and no development rights, one with only nonresidential units, or one described in § 47-215(a)(3), is subject only to §§ 47-204, 47-205 and 47-206 — unless its declaration is amended to opt into § 47-218, in which case the whole § 47-216 list applies. And a community formed by special act of the legislature before 1984 is outside CIOA altogether unless a majority of unit owners vote to come in.

If you are a pre-1984 condominium, read both statutes. The Condominium Act of 1976 still governs you, but § 47-216 reaches in on top of it — and because § 47-258 is on that list, the lien actually operating over your unit is ordinarily CIOA’s, not chapter 825’s. The difference is a nine-month super-priority over your mortgage lender, which chapter 825 does not have.

Condominium, cooperative or planned community — one statute covers all three.

Connecticut does not split its law by community type the way some states do. CIOA defines all three and applies to all three. A condominium is a common interest community where portions are designated for separate ownership and the rest for common ownership by those owners — and it is not a condominium unless the undivided interests in the common elements are vested in the unit owners (§ 47-202(10)). A cooperative is one where the association owns the real property and each member is entitled by virtue of their ownership interest in the association to exclusive possession of a unit (§ 47-202(12)). A planned community is defined by subtraction: a common interest community that is neither — and a condominium or cooperative may itself be part of a planned community (§ 47-202(25)).

The type still matters in places. Cooperatives get their own treatment in the lien section — on nonpayment a unit owner may be evicted in the same manner as an unlawful holdover tenant, and the lien may still be foreclosed (§ 47-258(i)). And the 2026 solar right expressly excludes cooperatives from its definition of a single-family detached unit (§ 47-261h(a)).

The hearing your association must give you before it sues.

This is Connecticut’s most distinctive homeowner protection and the reason to read § 47-278 before anything else. Notwithstanding any provision of the declaration or bylaws to the contrary, before an association brings an action or institutes a proceeding against a unit owner, it shall schedule a hearing during a regular or special board meeting and send written notice by regular mail at least ten business days beforehand, stating the nature of the claim and the date, time and place (§ 47-278(c)(1)(A)).

At that hearing you have the right to give testimony orally or in writing, personally or through a representative, and the board shall consider that testimony in deciding whether to sue (§ 47-278(c)(1)(B)). The board must then decide and send its decision in writing by regular mail within thirty days of the hearing concluding (§ 47-278(c)(1)(C)).

Two exceptions, and they are narrow: an action to prevent immediate and irreparable harm, and an action to foreclose a lien for an assessment or fines under § 47-258 (§ 47-278(c)(2)).

It runs the other way too, and almost nobody uses it. A unit owner seeking to enforce a right or obligation under CIOA, the declaration or the bylaws against the association or against another owner may submit a written request for a hearing before the executive board, stating the nature of the claim. The association must schedule it within thirty days of receiving the request, give ten business days’ notice, hold it within forty-five days, and deliver a written decision within thirty days of its conclusion (§ 47-278(d)). If the association ignores all of that, it does not cost you your right to sue (§ 47-278(d)(4)).

Court, fees and alternatives. A declarant, association, unit owner or any other person subject to the chapter may bring an action to enforce a right or obligation under CIOA, the declaration or the bylaws, and the court may award reasonable attorney’s fees and costs (§ 47-278(a)). Parties may agree to binding or non-binding alternative dispute resolution — but a declarant may agree with the association only after the period of declarant control has expired, and any agreement to binding ADR must be in a record authenticated by the parties (§ 47-278(b)).

The budget owners can reject, and the special assessment they cannot.

The budget is proposed by the board and put to the owners. At least annually the board adopts a proposed budget; within thirty days it must give every owner a summary including the amount of any reserves and the basis on which they are calculated and funded; and it must set a date ten to sixty days later for a meeting or a ballot vote. The budget is rejected only if a majority of all unit owners (or a larger number the declaration specifies) votes to reject it — otherwise it is approved, and the absence of a quorum does not affect the outcome. Reject it and the last approved budget continues (§ 47-261e(a)(1)).

Read that carefully: it is a veto, not an approval. Silence approves. Very large, long-established communities — established before July 3, 1991 with more than 2,400 residential units — run on a different rule where a majority of those actually voting rejects, provided at least 33⅓ per cent of all votes entitled to be cast actually vote to reject (§ 47-261e(a)(2)).

Special assessments have a threshold. Unless the declaration or bylaws say otherwise, a proposed special assessment that, together with all other special and emergency assessments proposed that calendar year, does not exceed fifteen per cent of the last adopted periodic budget is effective without any owner approval. Above that, it goes to the same reject-or-it-passes vote (§ 47-261e(b)(1)). And if the board determines by a two-thirds vote that a special assessment is necessary to respond to an emergency, it takes effect immediately, owners must be notified promptly, and the money may be spent only for the purposes described in the vote (§ 47-261e(c)).

Before the association borrows, you get notice and a say. Notwithstanding anything in the declaration or bylaws, at least fourteen days before entering into any loan agreement the board must disclose in a record to all owners the amount, the terms and the estimated effect on common expense assessments, and give owners a reasonable opportunity to comment in a record (§ 47-261e(d)). If the board also proposes to assign the association’s right to future income as security, owners holding at least a majority of the votes must vote in favour (§ 47-261e(e)).

How assessments are apportioned, and the four times they are not. Common expenses are assessed against all units per the declaration’s allocations, and interest on a past due assessment may not exceed eighteen per cent per year (§ 47-257(b)). To the extent the declaration requires it, limited common element costs go to the units served, expenses benefiting fewer than all units may be charged to those units, insurance is assessed in proportion to risk and utilities in proportion to usage (§ 47-257(c)). Where a common expense is caused by an owner’s or their tenant’s or guest’s wilful misconduct, gross negligence, or failure to comply with a written maintenance standard adopted by the association, the association may — after notice and hearing — assess the amount exceeding insurance proceeds, including the deductible, against that unit alone (§ 47-257(e)). And where an owner’s own addition, alteration or improvement raises common expenses, the increase is assessed solely against that unit (§ 47-257(h)).

You cannot opt out. No owner is exempt from common expenses by waiving the use of the common elements or by abandoning the unit (§ 47-257(g)).

Nine months ahead of your mortgage — and what has to happen first.

The lien is automatic. The association has a statutory lien on a unit for any assessment attributable to it or fines imposed on its owner, and recording the declaration is record notice and perfection — “no further recordation of any claim of lien … is required” (§§ 47-258(a), (d)). Unless the declaration says otherwise, reasonable attorney’s fees, costs, late charges, fines and interest are enforceable the same way.

The super-priority. The lien is prior to other liens except those recorded before the declaration, a first or second security interest recorded before the assessment became delinquent, and tax liens. But in any foreclosure action the lien is also prior to that first or second security interest to the extent of nine months of common expense assessments based on the periodic budget, immediately preceding the action — excluding late fees, interest and fines assessed during those nine months — plus the association’s costs and reasonable attorney’s fees in enforcing the lien (§ 47-258(b)).

Three preconditions before a foreclosure can even start (§ 47-258(m)(1)): the owner must owe at least two months of common expense assessments; the association must have made a demand for payment in a record and simultaneously copied the security interest holder; and the board must have voted to foreclose against that specific unit or adopted a standard policy providing for it. Separately, at least sixty days before commencing, the association must send written notice by first class mail to the holders of those security interests setting out the amounts owed, its fees and costs, its intention to foreclose, its contact details and how to pay (§ 47-258(m)(2)). Failing to send that notice does not cost the association its nine-month priority, but the priority amount then excludes costs and attorney’s fees (§ 47-258(m)(5)).

Time limits and the payoff statement. A lien for unpaid assessments is extinguished unless enforcement proceedings begin within three years after the full amount becomes due, tolled during a bankruptcy stay plus thirty days (§ 47-258(e)). On request made in a record the association must furnish a statement of unpaid assessments in recordable form within ten business days, and it is binding on the association, the board and every unit owner (§ 47-258(h)).

Fees follow the winner. A judgment or decree in any action under this section “shall include costs and reasonable attorney’s fees for the prevailing party” — which cuts both ways (§ 47-258(g)). Every aspect of a foreclosure or sale must be commercially reasonable (n). And a buyer at a lender’s foreclosure sale is not liable for assessments that came due before the sale beyond the priority amount; the shortfall becomes a common expense collectible from all owners, the buyer included (l).

Eleven categories, thirty days’ notice, and two dates back within five business days.

Section 47-260(a) lists eleven categories an association must retain: detailed receipts and expenditures including reserve account records; minutes of owner and board meetings other than executive sessions, plus records of actions taken without a meeting; the owner list with addresses and votes; organisational documents, bylaws, amendments and all rules currently in effect; three years of financial statements and tax returns; current board members and officers; the most recent annual report to the Secretary of the State; records detailed enough to produce a resale certificate; current contracts; records of architectural approvals and denials; and ballots and proxies for one year after the vote.

Notwithstanding the declaration or bylaws, all retained records are available for examination in person or electronically and for copying by an owner or their authorised agent, during reasonable business hours or at a mutually convenient time, on thirty days’ notice in a record reasonably identifying what is wanted — and the association must, within five business days of receiving that notice, offer two dates (§ 47-260(b)).

What must be withheld (§ 47-260(c)): personnel, salary and medical records about specific individuals unless waived; unredacted ballots, proxies and anything identifying how an owner voted; and information whose disclosure would break another law. What may be withheld (d): contracts and commercial transactions currently being negotiated, existing or potential litigation and proceedings, privileged attorney communications, executive session records, and other owners’ unit files.

The association may charge a reasonable fee for copies and for supervising inspection, and copying includes electronic transmission where available and requested (§ 47-260(e), (f)). Two limits cut the other way: the association is not obliged to compile or synthesise information (g), and what you get may not be used for commercial purposes (h).

If your association is a nonstock corporation, you have a second, independent right — and it is stronger in one respect. Section 33-1236 opens one tier of records on five business days’ written notice with no purpose required, and § 33-1236(d) provides that the inspection right “may not be abolished or limited by a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws.” Its remedy is the part worth knowing: if a court orders inspection it shall award your costs including reasonable attorney’s fees, unless the corporation proves it refused in good faith with a reasonable basis for doubt about your right (§ 33-1238(c)). CIOA has no equivalent fee-shift for records.

Board meetings are open, and executive session has five subjects.

Owner meetings. An association must meet annually, and a special meeting must be held if the president, a majority of the board, or owners holding twenty per cent of the votes (or any lower percentage in the bylaws) request it. If the association does not notify owners within fifteen days of a valid request, the requesting owners may notify everyone themselves. Notice runs ten to sixty days ahead and must state the agenda, including any proposed amendment, any budget changes, and any proposal to remove an officer or board member. Owners must be given a reasonable opportunity to comment on any matter affecting the community (§ 47-250(a)).

Board meetings are open to owners and to a representative designated by any owner, except during executive session (§ 47-250(b)(1)). Executive session may be held only during a regular or special meeting, and no final vote or action may be taken in it. There are five permitted subjects: consulting the association’s attorney on legal matters; existing or potential litigation, mediation, arbitration or administrative proceedings; labour or personnel matters; contracts and commercial transactions currently being negotiated, including bids, where premature general knowledge would disadvantage the association; and preventing public knowledge that the board determines would violate someone’s privacy.

The anti-evasion sentence is explicit. A gathering where board members do not conduct association business is not a meeting — but the board and its members “may not use incidental or social gatherings of board members or any other method to evade the open meeting requirements” (§ 47-250(b)(2)).

Notice, papers and the record of the vote. Unless the meeting is on a schedule already given to owners or is an emergency, notice goes to every board member and to the owners at least five days ahead with time, date, place and agenda; where the meeting is on a published schedule, an agenda must be made available at least forty-eight hours ahead (§ 47-250(b)(5)). Materials distributed to the board before a meeting must be made reasonably available to owners at the same time, excluding unapproved minutes and executive-session materials (b)(6). Owners must get a reasonable opportunity to comment at each board meeting (b)(4). And the minutes must record how each board member voted on any final action, unless it passed by unanimous consent or without objection (b)(8).

Two practical rules. The board may act without meeting by not less than two-thirds consent of all members documented in an authenticated record, and the secretary must then promptly notify all owners of the action taken (§ 47-250(b)(9)). And a challenge to a board action for failing to comply with this section may not be brought more than sixty days after the minutes are approved or the record distributed, whichever is later — the action stays valid unless a court sets it aside (b)(10).

Quorum. Unless the bylaws provide otherwise, twenty per cent of the votes present in person or by proxy at the beginning of an owner meeting is a quorum (§ 47-251(a)). For the board, a majority of the votes on it must be present at the time the vote is taken (b). Unless the declaration, bylaws or other law provides otherwise, meetings run under Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised — suspendable by two-thirds of the votes present (§ 47-250(c)).

Voting, plurality elections and removing a director.

How you may vote. Unless the declaration or bylaws prohibit or limit it, owners may vote by electronic or paper ballot before or at a meeting held in person, electronically or both; by proxy; or by ballot where a vote is conducted without a meeting (§ 47-252(a)). Where a unit has several owners and only one attends, that owner casts all the unit’s votes; where more than one attends, the votes may be cast only per a majority in interest unless the declaration expressly provides otherwise — and there is majority agreement if one owner casts them without prompt protest from another (§ 47-252(b)(1)).

Directors are elected by plurality, not majority, unless the declaration, bylaws or certificate of incorporation require more (§ 47-252(b)(3)). A majority of votes cast decides other questions unless a greater number is required (b)(2).

Removal of officers and directors is governed by § 47-261d, which is on the CIOA page and applies notwithstanding the declaration or bylaws. If your association is also a nonstock corporation, note the contrast: § 33-1088(a) allows removal with or without cause unless the certificate of incorporation says directors may be removed only for cause. Note the difference in reach: § 47-261d(a) overrides the declaration or bylaws and does not mention the certificate of incorporation, while § 47-252(b)(3) expressly lets a certificate of incorporation raise the vote needed to elect directors. Which instrument controls a for-cause removal clause is not settled by the text.

The board’s duties, and the four things it cannot do. Board members appointed by the declarant owe the care and loyalty required of a trustee; members not appointed by a declarant owe the care and loyalty of a corporate officer or director under chapter 602 and are subject to its conflict-of-interest rules — regardless of the form in which the association is organised (§ 47-245(a)). The board may not amend the declaration except under § 47-236, terminate the community, elect board members (beyond filling vacancies for an unexpired term), or determine the qualifications, powers, duties or terms of board members (b).

Two clean-election rules worth knowing. No one may offer, and no board member or candidate may accept, any item of value on an understanding that their vote, official action or judgment would be influenced by it (§ 47-245(j)). And no managing agent or person providing association management services may campaign for any candidate for the board (k).

When the developer has to hand over — and what has to come with it.

Control ends at the earliest of four triggers (§ 47-245(d)): sixty days after sixty per cent of the units that may be created have been conveyed to owners other than the declarant; two years after all declarants stopped offering units in the ordinary course of business; two years after any right to add new units was last exercised; or the date the declarant records an instrument voluntarily surrendering control, after notice to owners. Earlier, at sixty days after one-third of the units are conveyed, at least one member and not less than one-third of the board must be elected by owners other than the declarant (e).

The handover package is itemised. Within thirty days after owners other than the declarant elect a majority of the board, the declarant must deliver twelve categories of property and documents, including the recorded declaration as amended, bylaws, minute books and rules; an accounting and financial statements audited by an independent CPA for the whole period the association held funds — and the cost of that audit may not be charged to the association; association funds; tangible personal property; construction plans and specifications for improvements completed within two years before the declaration was recorded; insurance policies in force; certificates of occupancy; permits; written warranties of the contractor, subcontractors, suppliers and manufacturers still effective; the owner and mortgagee roster; and employment and service contracts (§ 47-245(h)).

During declarant control, the declarant must give owners a current financial statement at least every six months — cash basis, unaudited — showing income and expenses year to date, accounts payable and receivable with their ages and all sums due to and from the declarant and its affiliates, funded replacement reserves and other fund balances (§ 47-245(i)).

Solar, EV charging, flags, signs and assembly.

Solar arrived on January 1, 2026, and it is narrower than the headlines. Section 47-261h makes unenforceable any declaration or bylaw provision that prohibits or unreasonably restricts a solar power generating system on the roof of a single-family detached unit. That term is defined to exclude cooperatives and any unit with vertical or horizontal boundaries in common walls between units — so a townhouse sharing a wall is outside it. There is a sixty-day deemed approval: the board must acknowledge an application in writing within thirty days, and approve, deny or request more information within sixty, or the application is deemed approved (thirty days after any additional information). The board “shall not unreasonably withhold approval”.

Approval comes with obligations. An approved owner must sign a written agreement, recordable on the land records, to comply with the declaration’s alteration rules; use a registered, insured contractor licensed under chapter 393 who supplies within fourteen days a certificate of liability insurance of not less than one million dollars naming the association, its manager and the owner, evidence of workers’ compensation, and a mechanic’s lien waiver; pay every associated cost including increased master policy premiums and the association’s attorney’s fees; indemnify the association and its board; and assume full responsibility for the roof over the unit at their sole expense (§ 47-261h(d)). Those duties run with the system, and a seller must disclose the system and the buyer’s assumption of it (f)(5).

And it can be switched off. An association formed on or before January 1, 2026 may, not later than January 1, 2028, by a seventy-five per cent vote of its board, opt out of subsections (a) to (d) — recording notice of the vote within thirty days (§ 47-261h(e)). Check whether yours did.

Electric vehicle charging is covered separately by § 47-261g for a unit parking space or a limited common element parking space, and is reproduced in full on the CIOA page.

Flags, signs and assembly. A rule regulating display of the United States flag must be consistent with federal law, and the association may not prohibit display, on a unit or an adjoining limited common element, of the state flag or of signs regarding candidates for public or association office or ballot questions — though it may set reasonable time, place, size, number and manner rules (§ 47-261b(d)). Owners may peacefully assemble on the common elements to consider matters relating to the community, again subject to time, place and manner rules (e).

What the board may regulate, and how a rule gets made.

Every rule must be reasonable — § 47-261b(h) says so in one sentence: “Each rule of the association shall be reasonable.” And rulemaking has a procedure: at least ten days before adopting, amending or repealing a rule, the board must give all owners notice including the text of the proposed rule and the date on which the board will act after considering owner comments; afterwards it must notify owners of the action and include a copy (§ 47-261b(a), (b)).

Architectural rules come with a deadline requirement. Subject to the declaration, an association may adopt rules establishing and enforcing construction, design and aesthetic standards — but if it does, it shall also adopt procedures for enforcement and for approving applications, including a reasonable time within which the association must act and the consequences of failing to act (§ 47-261b(c)). A community with aesthetic standards and no stated turnaround is not following the section.

Rules reaching inside a unit are limited to three grounds. An association may adopt rules affecting the use of or behaviour in units that may be used for residential purposes only to implement a provision of the declaration; to regulate behaviour or occupancy that violates the declaration or adversely affects other owners’ use and enjoyment; or to restrict leasing (§ 47-261b(f)).

Leasing restrictions are the narrowest of the three. A rule restricting the leasing of residential units is permitted only to the extent it is reasonably designed to meet the underwriting requirements of institutional lenders that regularly make or purchase first mortgages on units in common interest communities — and no such restriction is enforceable unless notice of it is recorded on the land records of each town where any part of the community lies, indexed in the grantor index in the association’s name (§ 47-261b(f)(3)). Two independent hurdles: a lender-underwriting justification, and recording.

And a rule that clears § 47-261b still has to clear fair housing law. Housing assistance is a “lawful source of income” under § 46a-63(3), and discriminating in the terms, conditions or privileges of a rental on that ground is inside § 46a-64c(a)(2) — while a denial solely for insufficient income is expressly not prohibited (§ 46a-64c(b)(5)).

Fines. The association may impose charges or interest for late payment and, after notice and an opportunity to be heard, levy reasonable fines for violations of the declaration, bylaws and rules (§ 47-244(a)(11)). Where a tenant is the violator, the association may exercise that power directly against the tenant, and after notice to both the tenant and the unit owner and an opportunity to be heard fine the tenant or the owner or both (§ 47-244(d)(1), (2)).

The duty CIOA does not contain.

Nothing in CIOA or the Condominium Act tells an association it may not discriminate. That duty comes from chapter 814c and nowhere else. The operative words are in § 46a-64c(a)(2): it is a discriminatory practice to discriminate in “the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection therewith” — which is the rulebook, the amenities and the approval process.

The two duties most disputes turn on. An association may not refuse to permit, at the disabled person’s expense, reasonable modifications of the premises necessary for full enjoyment; and it may not refuse to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services where necessary to give equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling (§ 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)). The second is the assistance animal against a no-pets rule and the accessible parking space — and nothing in it shifts the cost to the owner.

The protected class list is not one list. Section 46a-64c writes it out nine times and the lists differ — status as a victim of domestic violence appears in subdivision (a)(1) alone, and sexual orientation and civil union status are not in § 46a-64c at all; housing is § 46a-81e. The Human Rights page sets out which list belongs to which subdivision.

Age-restricted communities rely on a defined term. The age and familial status prohibitions do not apply to “housing for older persons” as defined in § 46a-64b — whose third route requires at least one person fifty-five or older per unit “in accordance with the standards set forth in the Fair Housing Act” and HUD’s regulations. That imports federal compliance. And the age exemption carries a proviso: no discrimination on the basis of age among older persons eligible for the housing.

Two routes, two clocks. A complaint to the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities must be filed within three hundred days (§ 46a-82(f)(2)) and, for a housing claim, need not be notarized (§ 46a-82(a)) and skips pre-answer conciliation, case assessment review and early legal intervention (§ 46a-83(a), (c)). Separately — and this is the route people miss — § 46a-98a lets you sue in Superior Court within one year with no complaint and no release of jurisdiction, though that door closes once the Commission obtains a conciliation agreement or commences a hearing.

Three clauses your management contract cannot do without.

Connecticut requires a certificate of registration — not a licence — from the Department of Consumer Protection before anyone may hold themselves out as a community association manager or provide association management services for remuneration (§ 20-451(a)). Any director, officer or other member managing their own association is exempt, unless they own or control more than two-thirds but less than all of the votes (§ 20-452(c)(2)).

The contract rule is the one boards should act on. A management contract is not valid or enforceable — “No contract … shall be valid or enforceable unless the contract is in writing” — unless it is in writing and provides that the manager will be registered and insured, will not issue a check or transfer money above an amount the association sets without written approval of a designated officer, and will not bind the association to a contract above an amount the association sets except in an emergency (§ 20-458(a)). The statute requires the mechanism but leaves the amounts to your board — if nobody set figures, the clause is doing nothing.

And two prohibitions. A management contract may not be sold or assigned without approval of a majority of the executive board, and may not indemnify or hold the manager harmless from liability for its own negligence or wilful misconduct (§ 20-458(b)).

Rebates belong to the association. Discounts, rebates, commissions or other consideration a manager receives on account of goods or services furnished to the association shall be credited to the association or the affected unit owners and not retained by the manager — the only carve-out is where another law, ordinance or regulation prohibits the credit; there is no disclosure exception and no consent exception (§ 20-459(c)). A manager also may not require the association to buy other services from it (b).

A breach of that chapter is also an unfair trade practice. Section 20-457(b) deems any violation of §§ 20-450 to 20-462 an unfair or deceptive trade practice under § 42-110b — which brings in actual damages for ascertainable loss, discretionary punitive damages, and attorney’s fees based on the work performed rather than the size of the recovery, within three years (§ 42-110g). See the related-laws page.

The resale certificate, its price, and the deadline that makes your contract voidable.

Before conveyance or transfer of possession, a selling owner must give the buyer the declaration, the bylaws, the rules and a certificate containing nineteen specified items (§ 47-270(a)). Among the ones buyers most need: any right of first refusal or restraint on alienation; the periodic assessment and any unpaid amounts; capital expenditures over one thousand dollars approved for this and next fiscal year; reserves; the current budget; unsatisfied judgments and pending suits; insurance; how many units are at least sixty days delinquent; how many foreclosure actions the association brought in the past twelve months and how many are pending; whether the last financial report was a compilation, review or audit; any restrictions on the owner’s right to use, occupy or lease the unit; and any recorded environmental use restriction.

The price is fixed by statute. On request in a record and payment of one hundred eighty-five dollars, as adjusted under § 47-213, plus five cents a page for copies or a flat ten dollars for an electronic set, the association must furnish the certificate within ten business days. Expedited three-business-day delivery may carry no more than ten dollars extra. And “no fee under this subsection may include costs for services provided by an attorney or paralegal” (§ 47-270(b)(1)).

The buyer’s protection is a right to walk. A purchaser is not liable for any unpaid assessment or fee greater than the amount in the certificate, and while the seller is not liable for the association’s delay, the purchase contract is voidable by the purchaser until five days (excluding weekends and holidays) after delivery of the certificate and documents — seven if sent by registered or certified mail — or until conveyance, whichever comes first (§ 47-270(c)).

Where to send the request. Every January the association must file with the town clerk a certificate naming the officer or managing agent from whom a resale certificate may be requested, updating it within thirty days of any change; the clerk records it in the land records (§ 47-270(e)).

Two related points sit on the related-laws page: the 2013 ban on private transfer fees expressly excludes association dues, fines and estoppel or resale certificate fees (§ 47-17a(a)(2)(B)(vii)), and a racially restrictive covenant in an old declaration is void, with a free filing to flag it (§ 47-12b).

Four things owners look for and will not find.

Each of these was checked against all 113 sections of CIOA rather than assumed, because an absence claim deserves the same care as a positive one.

No reserve study requirement. The phrase appears nowhere in the chapter. What CIOA does require is disclosure: the budget summary must state the amount of any reserves and the basis on which they are calculated and funded (§ 47-261e(a)(1)), reserve account records are among the records that must be retained (§ 47-260(a)(1)), and reserves for capital expenditures appear on the resale certificate (§ 47-270(a)(5)). No study, no funding target, no schedule.

No state HOA office or ombudsman. There is no Connecticut equivalent of the resource centres some states run. The closest provision is § 47-261a, which requires the board or a designated officer to “encourage” members, officers and any managing agent to attend a basic education programme “when available”, and permits the board to arrange one through a private entity. It is a duty to encourage, not a duty to provide, and it creates no agency to complain to.

No general registration of associations. Section 47-288 does require registration with the Commissioner of Housing — but only where a community contains or will contain a conversion building, or land currently or formerly in a mobile manufactured home park in which a unit was last occupied as a dwelling. An ordinary association files nothing with the state under CIOA.

No cap on fines. Section 47-244(a)(11) permits “reasonable” fines after notice and an opportunity to be heard, and sets no dollar limit and no per-day limit. Contrast § 47-257(b), which does cap the other charge: interest on past due assessments may not exceed eighteen per cent per year. The legislature capped one and not the other, so “reasonable” is the only ceiling on a fine — and, given § 47-278(c), a fine the association wants to sue to collect still runs through the hearing first.