Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 832 - Summary Process
Section 47a-42. (Formerly Sec. 52-549). - Eviction of tenant and occupants from residential property. Removal and sale of unclaimed possessions and personal effects.

(a) Whenever a judgment is entered against a defendant pursuant to section 47a-26, 47a-26a, 47a-26b or 47a-26d for the recovery of possession or occupancy of residential property, such defendant and any other occupant bound by the judgment by subsection (a) of section 47a-26h shall forthwith remove himself or herself, such defendant's or occupant's possessions and all personal effects unless execution has been stayed pursuant to sections 47a-35 to 47a-41, inclusive. If execution has been stayed, such defendant or occupant shall forthwith remove himself or herself, such defendant's or occupant's possessions and all personal effects upon the expiration of any stay of execution. If the defendant or occupant has not so removed himself or herself upon entry of a judgment pursuant to section 47a-26, 47a-26a, 47a-26b or 47a-26d, and upon expiration of any stay of execution, the plaintiff may obtain an execution upon such summary process judgment, and the defendant or other occupant bound by the judgment by subsection (a) of section 47a-26h and the possessions and personal effects of such defendant or other occupant may be removed by a state marshal, pursuant to such execution, and delivered to the place of storage designated by the chief executive officer for such purposes.

(b) Before any such removal, the state marshal charged with executing upon any such judgment of eviction shall give the chief executive officer of the town twenty-four hours notice of the eviction, stating the date, time and location of such eviction as well as a general description, if known, of the types and amount of property to be removed from the premises and delivered to the designated place of storage. Before giving such notice to the chief executive officer of the town, the state marshal shall use reasonable efforts to locate and notify the defendant of the date and time such eviction is to take place and of the possibility of a sale pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. Such notice shall include service upon each defendant and upon any other person in occupancy, either personally or at the premises, of a true copy of the summary process execution. Such execution shall be on a form prescribed by the Judicial Department, shall be in clear and simple language and in readable format, and shall contain, in addition to other notices given to the defendant in the execution, a conspicuous notice, in large boldface type, that a person who claims to have a right to continue to occupy the premises should immediately contact an attorney, and clear instructions as to how and where the defendant may reclaim any possessions and personal effects removed and stored pursuant to this section, including a telephone number that may be called to arrange release of such possessions and personal effects.
(c) Whenever the possessions and personal effects of a defendant are removed by a state marshal under this section, such possessions and effects shall be delivered by such marshal to the designated place of storage. The plaintiff shall pay the state marshal for such removal in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of section 52-261. Such removal and delivery shall be at the expense of the defendant and may be recovered by the plaintiff. If such possessions and effects are not reclaimed by the defendant and the expense of such storage is not paid to the chief executive officer within fifteen days after such eviction, the chief executive officer shall sell the same at public auction, after using reasonable efforts to locate and notify the defendant of such sale and after posting notice of such sale for one week on the public signpost nearest to the place where the eviction was made, if any, or at some exterior place near the office of the town clerk. The chief executive officer shall deliver to the defendant the net proceeds of such sale, if any, after deducting a reasonable charge for storage of such possessions and effects. If the defendant does not demand the net proceeds within thirty days after such sale, the chief executive officer shall turn over the net proceeds of the sale to the town treasury.
(1949 Rev., S. 8284; 1963, P.A. 479; P.A. 76-195; P.A. 79-571, S. 69; P.A. 84-146, S. 16; P.A. 87-507, S. 4; P.A. 97-231, S. 7; P.A. 00-99, S. 96, 154; P.A. 01-195, S. 44, 181; P.A. 10-171, S. 1; P.A. 22-26, S. 56.)
History: 1963 act deleted provisions applying section where personal effects are owned by one other than tenant, required immediate removal rather than within 24 hours and made technical changes; P.A. 76-195 inserted new Subsecs. (a) and (b) re defendant's removal from property and re duties of sheriff, deputy and town's chief executive officer, designated previous provisions as Subsec. (c), substituted “defendant” for “tenant” and “chief executive officer” for “selectmen” and specified that auction may not be held unless reasonable efforts have been made to notify defendant of sale; Sec. 52-549 transferred to Sec. 47a-42 in 1977 and internal references to sections revised as necessary to reflect their transfer; P.A. 79-571 added references to Secs. 47a-26a, 47a-26b and 47a-26d in Subsec. (a) and rephrased provisions; P.A. 84-146 included a reference to posting of notice on a place other than a signpost; P.A. 87-507 amended Subsec. (a) to include “any other occupant bound by the judgment by subsection (a) of section 47a-26h” and to add references to such “occupant” and amended Subsec. (b) to require the notice to include service of a true copy of the summary process execution upon each defendant and occupant, to add requirements re the form and format of the execution and to require the execution to contain a notice re contacting an attorney; P.A. 97-231 amended Subsec. (a) to limit applicability of section to judgments “for the recovery of possession or occupancy of residential property” and to authorize a sheriff or his deputy to remove the defendant or other occupant bound by the judgment; P.A. 00-99 replaced references to sheriff and deputy sheriff with state marshal in Subsecs. (a) and (b), effective December 1, 2000; P.A. 01-195 made technical changes in Subsec. (a) for purposes of gender neutrality, effective July 11, 2001; P.A. 10-171 amended Subsec. (a) to authorize state marshal to deliver tenant possessions and personal effects to place of storage designated by chief executive officer and delete provision re setting such possessions and effects out on the adjacent sidewalk, amended Subsec. (b) to add provision re delivery to designated place of storage and require summary process execution to include instructions re how and where defendant may reclaim removed possessions and effects, and made conforming changes in Subsec. (c), effective July 1, 2010; P.A. 22-26 amended Subsec. (c) to add that plaintiff shall pay state marshal for removal in accordance with Subsec. (b) of Sec. 52-261 and that removal and delivery costs may be recovered by the plaintiff.
Annotations to former section 52-549:
Cited. 114 C. 441. Tenant, as used in section, is to be taken in its general meaning of holder or possessor of land and applied to plaintiff who continued to hold possession of condemned land after title and right to possession had passed to highway commissioner; history of statute. 159 C. 64.
Annotations to present section:
Cited. 225 C. 757; 237 C. 679.
Cited. 38 CS 70.

Structure Connecticut General Statutes