(a) An apartment or dwelling unit in any structure containing three or more housing units in any municipality which adopts the provisions of this section by vote of its legislative body shall not be occupied for human habitation, after a vacancy, until a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the person designated by the legislative body of such municipality to administer the provisions of this section, certifying that such apartment or dwelling unit conforms to the requirements of the applicable housing ordinances of such municipality and this chapter. No provision of this section shall apply to any structure occupied by the owner thereof and containing three or less housing units. No provision of this section shall be construed to prohibit human occupancy of such apartment or dwelling unit during the pendency of an application for such certificate.

(b) Any person aggrieved by the refusal of a certificate of occupancy may appeal to the superior court for the judicial district within which the structure is located. Such appeal shall be privileged.

(c) Any owner or lessor who recovers rent for the occupation of any apartment or dwelling unit for which a certificate of occupancy has not been obtained prior to the rental thereof in violation of subsection (a) of this section shall be liable for a civil penalty of not more than twenty dollars per day for not more than two hundred days for such period of unlawful occupation.

(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any structure which has been constructed or substantially reconstructed within the ten-year period immediately before the date such certificate of occupancy would otherwise be required under this section.

(1969, P.A. 462, S. 1–3; 1971, P.A. 413, S. 1; 570; P.A. 76-436, S. 390, 681; P.A. 77-495; P.A. 78-280, S. 1, 127; P.A. 79-571, S. 93; P.A. 84-80; P.A. 93-260; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1, S. 41, 130; P.A. 97-231, S. 5; P.A. 98-107, S. 5, 6.)

History: 1971 acts excluded from applicability of section apartment houses owned by housing authorities, constructed or altered pursuant to state or federal contract in Subsec. (c), applied Subsec. (a) to apartment houses of four or more rather than six or more units and excluded from applicability of section apartment houses constructed or reconstructed within 15 years next “preceding” rather than “succeeding” the date a certificate of occupancy would be required; P.A. 76-436 replaced court of common pleas with superior court and added reference to judicial districts in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-495 replaced “apartment house” with “structure” where appearing, changed applicable number of housing units to three in Subsec. (a), adding proviso re owner-occupied structure having three or less units, and in Subsec. (c) changed applicable period re construction or reconstruction from 15 to 10 years preceding date certificate of occupancy would be required; P.A. 78-280 deleted reference to counties in Subsec. (a); P.A. 79-571 rephrased provisions and reorganized subsections; Sec. 19-347r transferred to Sec. 47a-57 in 1981; P.A. 84-80 removed exemption in Subsec. (d) for housing authority apartment houses; P.A. 93-260 amended Subsec. (c) to add provisions requiring any rent received in violation of this section to be deposited in an escrow account, requiring the owner or lessor to maintain the account as escrow agent and prohibiting the withdrawal of such rent until a certificate of occupancy is issued; May 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1 amended Subsec. (a) by making technical change, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 97-231 amended Subsec. (c) to replace provisions prohibiting the recovery of rent during any period that an apartment or dwelling unit is occupied without a certificate of occupancy and requiring any rent received in violation of Subsec. (a) to be deposited in an escrow account with provision establishing a civil penalty of $20 per day for any period that an owner or lessor recovers rent for the occupation of an apartment or dwelling unit without having obtained a certificate of occupancy; P.A. 98-107 amended Subsec. (c) to limit the liability of the owner or lessor for the daily civil penalty to a period of not more than 200 days, effective July 1, 1998.

See Sec. 19a-362 prohibiting recovery of rent during unlawful occupation.

See Sec. 29-265 re issuance of certificate of occupancy.

Cited. 191 C. 484.

Cited. 10 CA 527; 17 CA 421.