Any person shall, if the Commissioner of Revenue Services finds, upon evidence satisfactory to him, that a joint tenant of real property situated in this state has died and that the payment of any succession tax with respect to the interest of such deceased joint tenant in such real property is adequately assured, or that no succession tax will become due therefrom, be entitled to a certificate of release of lien reciting that the Commissioner of Revenue Services has released such real property from the operation of any lien for succession taxes with respect to the interest of such deceased joint tenant in such real property which shall be conclusive proof that such real property has been released from the operation of such lien. Such certificate of release of lien may be recorded in the office of the town clerk of the town in which such real property is situated. A finding by the commissioner that the payment of such tax is adequately assured shall be based upon the receipt by the commissioner of a bond or other security for an amount and with surety satisfactory to him, conditioned upon the full payment of all succession taxes with respect to the gross taxable estate of such deceased joint tenant or upon the payment to the commissioner of an amount satisfactory to him on account of such tax or upon the finding by the commissioner that an executor or administrator of the estate of such deceased joint tenant has been duly appointed in this state and that the official bond of such administrator or executor, or, if such administrator or executor is a corporation, its financial responsibility, furnishes adequate protection for the payment of all succession taxes. The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, that prescribe the circumstances under which a judge of the probate court having jurisdiction of such estate is permitted to issue a certificate of release of lien, based on a finding by said judge that payment of any succession tax with respect to the interest of a deceased joint tenant in real property is adequately assured or that no succession tax will become due from such property. The provisions of this section shall not apply to estates of decedents dying on or after January 1, 2005.

(1953, S. 1149d; 1959, P.A. 327; P.A. 77-614, S. 139, 610; P.A. 90-30, S. 1, 3; P.A. 91-231, S. 4; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-3, S. 2, 8; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3, S. 52.)

History: 1959 act provided for situation where no succession tax will become due; P.A. 77-614 substituted commissioner of revenue services for tax commissioner, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 90-30 eliminated required payment of a fee to be entitled to a certificate of release of lien for succession tax; P.A. 91-231 provided for the acceptance of security other than bonds by the commissioner; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-3 replaced provision re filing of certificate in probate court with provision re recording of certificate in the office of the town clerk and authorized the commissioner to adopt regulations re circumstances under which probate judge may release tax lien in taxable estates and made technical changes, effective January 1, 1998; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3 added provision that section is not applicable to estates of decedents dying on or after January 1, 2005, effective June 30, 2005.