Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 1 - Construction of Statutes
Section 1-1h. - Identity cards.

(a) Any person who does not possess a valid motor vehicle operator's license may apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles for an identity card. The application for an identity card shall be accompanied by the birth certificate of the applicant or a certificate of identification of the applicant issued and authorized for such use by the Department of Correction and a fee of twenty-eight dollars. Such application shall include: (1) The applicant's name; (2) the applicant's address; (3) whether the address is permanent or temporary; (4) the applicant's date of birth; (5) notice to the applicant that false statements on such application are punishable under section 53a-157b; and (6) such other pertinent information as the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles deems necessary. The applicant shall sign the application in the presence of an official of the Department of Motor Vehicles. The commissioner may waive the fee for any applicant (A) who has voluntarily surrendered such applicant's motor vehicle operator's license, (B) whose license has been refused by the commissioner pursuant to subdivision (4) of subsection (e) of section 14-36, (C) who is both a veteran, as defined in subsection (a) of section 27-103, and blind, as defined in subsection (a) of section 1-1f, or (D) who is a resident of a homeless shelter or other facility for homeless persons or a certified homeless youth or certified homeless young adult. The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to establish the procedure and qualifications for the issuance of an identity card to any such homeless applicant. For the purposes of this subsection, “certified homeless youth” and “certified homeless young adult” have the same meanings as provided in section 7-36.

(b) (1) An identity card shall indicate its date of expiration, contain a picture of the applicant and specify the applicant's height, sex and eye color.
(2) An original identity card shall expire within a period not exceeding seven years following the date of the applicant's next birthday. Any person who holds an identity card may be notified by the commissioner before its expiration and may renew such card in such manner as the commissioner shall prescribe. Upon renewal of an identity card, the commissioner may issue an identity card for a period to be determined by the commissioner, provided such period does not exceed eight years. The fee for the renewal of an identity card that expires eight years from the date of issuance shall be thirty-two dollars. The commissioner shall charge a prorated amount of such fee for an identity card that expires less than eight years from the date of issuance. The commissioner shall not provide notification by mail to the holder of an identity card if the United States Postal Service has determined that mail is undeliverable to such person at the address for such person that is in the records of the department.
(c) A distinctive identity card shall be issued to any applicant less than twenty-one years of age. The identity card shall contain a statement that it is issued subject to the same verification of the applicant's identity as required for the issuance of a motor vehicle operator's license. The card may thereafter be exhibited to establish the age and identity of the person to whom it was issued.
(d) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, in consultation with the Liquor Control Commission, shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to carry out the purposes of this section and section 30-86.
(e) Any person who misrepresents his or her age or practices any other deceit in the procurement of an identity card, or uses or exhibits an identity card belonging to any other person, shall be guilty of a class D misdemeanor and shall have such identity card revoked by the commissioner.
(P.A. 84-478, S. 1, 5; P.A. 85-613, S. 2, 154; P.A. 87-479, S. 1, 3; P.A. 91-215, S. 3; P.A. 95-260, S. 1; P.A. 99-181, S. 36; 99-268, S. 9; P.A. 00-169, S. 22; P.A. 01-63; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-4, S. 27; P.A. 05-218, S. 1; P.A. 08-150, S. 30; P.A. 11-197, S. 1; 11-213, S. 1; P.A. 12-80, S. 51; P.A. 19-165, S. 1; P.A. 21-106, S. 1; 21-121, S. 72.)
History: P.A. 84-478, S. 1, effective July 1, 1985; P.A. 85-613 made technical changes; P.A. 87-479 permitted persons who are 16 to 20 years of age, inclusive, to apply for an identity card and required the issuance of a distinctive identity card to applicants under 21; P.A. 91-215 deleted requirement that photographs submitted along with applications for identity cards be validated by the office of vital statistics of the town where the applicant resides, increased the fee for such application from $4 to $10, required that such cards specify the holder's height, sex and eye color and required that such card contain a statement re verification of holders' identity; P.A. 95-260 divided section into Subsecs., permitted any person who does not have a valid operator's license, regardless of age, to apply for an identity card, eliminated requirement that application be accompanied by a photograph of applicant, made technical changes in Subsec. (a) and inserted as Subsec. (b) a requirement that identity card expire not later than 4 years from its date of issuance and that each card indicate its expiration date and provisions re renewal of card; (Revisor's note: In 1997 references throughout the general statutes to “Motor Vehicle(s) Commissioner” and “Motor Vehicle(s) Department” were replaced editorially by the Revisors with “Commissioner of Motor Vehicles” or “Department of Motor Vehicles”, as the case may be, for consistency with customary statutory usage); P.A. 99-181 amended Subsec. (a) by allowing an application for an identity card to be accompanied by a certificate of identification issued by the Department of Correction and by making technical changes re gender neutrality; P.A. 99-268 amended Subsec. (a) by adding a provision allowing for the commissioner to waive $10 fee for an applicant who has voluntarily surrendered such operator's license or whose license has been refused pursuant to Sec. 14-36(e)(4), making a technical change and making changes re gender neutrality; P.A. 00-169 revised effective date of P.A. 99-268 but without affecting this section; P.A. 01-63 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that a certificate of identification issued by the Department of Correction may be used to obtain an identity card if it is “authorized for such use” by said department; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-4 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to increase fee for issuance and renewal of identity card to $15, effective January 1, 2005; P.A. 05-218 amended Subsec. (b) by adding “shall be notified by the commissioner before its expiration and”, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 08-150 amended Subsec. (a) to replace “birthdate” with “date of birth”, increase issuance fee from $15 to $22.50 and add provision authorizing commissioner to waive fee for applicant who is a homeless person and requiring commissioner to adopt regulations re procedure and qualifications for issuance of card to homeless applicant and amended Subsec. (b) to increase maximum expiration period from 4 to 6 years from date of issuance of card and increase renewal fee from $15 to $22.50, effective January 1, 2009; P.A. 11-197 amended Subsec. (a) by inserting Subpara. (A), (B) and (D) designators in existing provisions re fee waivers and adding Subpara. (C) re fee waiver for blind veterans; P.A. 11-213 amended Subsec. (b) to change “shall” to “may” re notification and prohibit notification by mail if determined to be undeliverable, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 12-80 amended Subsec. (e) to replace penalty of a fine of not more than $50 or imprisonment of not more than 30 days or both with a class D misdemeanor; P.A. 19-165 amended Subsec. (a) to increase fee from $22.50 to $28, delete provision re contents of identity card and make a technical change, and amended Subsec. (b) to designate existing provision re indication of expiration date on identity card as Subdiv. (1) and amended same to add provision re contents of identity card, designate existing provision re renewal as Subdiv. (2) and amended same to increase maximum expiration from 6 years to 7 years from date of issuance of original card and add provisions re commissioner to determine period of validity upon renewal and renewal fee, effective January 1, 2020; P.A. 21-106 amended Subsec. (e) to add provision re revocation and make a technical change, effective July 1, 2021; P.A. 21-121 amended Subsec. (a) by adding references to certified homeless youth and certified homeless young adult in Subdiv. (6)(D) and adding definitions for “certified homeless youth” and “homeless young adult”, effective July 1, 2021.

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