Compare versions

--- version:File No. 152
+++ version:(document, no version)
@@ -1,195 +1,4 @@
-Senate
-SB272 / File No. 152  1
-
-General Assembly File No. 152
-February Session, 2026 Senate Bill No. 272
-
-Senate, March 24, 2026
-
-The Committee on Planning and Development  reported
-through SEN. RAHMAN of the 4th Dist., Chairperson  of the
-Committee on the part of the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.
-
- AN ACT AUTHORIZING MUNICIPALITIES TO ENFORCE CERTAIN
-BLIGHT REGULATIONS WITHOUT PROVIDING NOTICE OR AN
-OPPORTUNITY TO REMEDIATE.
-Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
-Assembly convened:
-
-Section 1. Subparagraph (H) of subdivision (7) of subsection (c) of 1
-section 7 -148 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is 2
-substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 3
-(H) (i) Secure the safety of persons in or passing through the 4
-municipality by regulation of shows, processions, parades and music; 5
-(ii) Regulate and prohibit the carrying on within the municipality of 6
-any trade, manufacture, business or profession which is, or may be, so 7
-carried on as to become prejudicial to public health, conducive to fraud 8
-and cheating, or dangerous to, or constituting an unreasonable 9
-annoyance to, those living or owning property in the vicinity; 10
-(iii) Regulate auctions and garage and tag sales; 11
-SB272 File No. 152
-
-SB272 / File No. 152  2
-
-(iv) Prohibit, restrain, license and regulate the business of peddlers, 12
-auctioneers and junk dealers in a manner not inconsistent with the 13
-general statutes; 14
-(v) Regulate and prohibit swimming or bathing in the public or 15
-exposed places within the municipality; 16
-(vi) Regulate and license the operation of amusement parks and 17
-amusement arcades including, but not limited to, the regulation of 18
-mechanical rides and the establishment of the hours of operation; 19
-(vii) Prohibit, restrain, license and regulate all sports, exhibitions, 20
-public amusements and performances and all places where games may 21
-be played; 22
-(viii) Preserve the public peace and good order, prevent and quell 23
-riots and disorderly assemblages and prevent disturbing noises; 24
-(ix) Establish a system to obtain a more accurate registration of births, 25
-marriages and deaths than the system provided by the general statutes 26
-in a manner not inconsistent with the general statutes; 27
-(x) Control insect pests or plant diseases in any manner deemed 28
-appropriate; 29
-(xi) Provide for the health of the inhabitants of the municipality and 30
-do all things necessary or desirable to secure and promote the public 31
-health; 32
-(xii) Regulate the use of streets, sidewalks, highways, public places 33
-and grounds for public and private purposes; 34
-(xiii) Make and enforce police, sanitary or other similar regulations 35
-and protect or promote the peace, safety, good government and welfare 36
-of the municipality and its inhabitants; 37
-(xiv) Regulate, in addition to the requirements under section 7 -282b, 38
-the installation, maintenance and operation of any device or equipment 39
-in a residence or place of business which is capable of automatically 40
-SB272 File No. 152
-
-SB272 / File No. 152  3
-
-calling and relaying recorded emergency messages to any state police 41
-or municipal police or fire department telephone number or which is 42
-capable of automatically calling and relaying recorded emergency 43
-messages or other forms of emergency signals to an intermediate third 44
-party which shall thereafter call and relay such emergency messages to 45
-a state police or municipal police or fire department telephone number. 46
-Such regulations may provide for penalties for the transmittal of false 47
-alarms by such devices or equipment; 48
-(xv) Make and enforce regulations for the prevention and 49
-remediation of housing blight or blight upon any commercial real 50
-property, including regulations reducing assessments . [and 51
-authorizing] Any such regulations shall define blight, establish a duty 52
-to maintain property and specify standards to determine if there is 53
-neglect of such property, authorize designated agents of the 54
-municipality to enter property during reasonable hours for the purpose 55
-of remediating blighted conditions [, provided such regulations define 56
-blight and require such ] and require the  municipality to give written 57
-notice of any violation to the owner of the property upon which blighted 58
-conditions exist and provide a reasonable opportunity for the owner to 59
-remediate the blighted conditions prior to any enforcement action being 60
-taken, except that a municipality may take immediate enforcement 61
-action without providing such written notice or opportunity to 62
-remediate in the case of a violation at a property that is the [third] 63
-second or [more] greater such blight violation at such property during 64
-the prior twelve -month period . [, and further provided ] No such 65
-regulations shall [not] authorize such municipality or its designated 66
-agents to enter any dwelling house or structure on such property. [, and 67
-including regulations establishing a duty to maintain property and 68
-specifying standards to determine if there is neglect; ] Any such 69
-regulations shall  prescribe civil penalties for the violation of such 70
-regulations (I) for housing blight upon real property containing six or 71
-fewer dwelling units, of not more than one hundred fifty dollars for each 72
-day that a violation continues if such violation occurs at an occupied 73
-property, not more than two hundred fifty dollars for each day that a 74
-violation continues if such violation occurs at a vacant property, and not 75
-SB272 File No. 152
-
-SB272 / File No. 152  4
-
-more than one thousand dollars for each day that a violation continues 76
-at a property if such violation is the third or [more] greater such 77
-violation at such property during the prior twelve-month period, (II) for 78
-housing blight upon real property containing more than six but fewer 79
-than forty dwelling units, not more than ten cents per square foot of each 80
-residential building upon such real property for each day that a 81
-violation continues, (III) for housing blight upon real property 82
-containing forty or more dwelling units, not more than twelve cents per 83
-square foot of each residential building upon such real property for each 84
-day that a violation continues, and (IV) for blight upon any commercial 85
-real property, not more than ten cents per square foot of any commercial 86
-building upon such real property for each day that a violation continues. 87
-If any such civil penalties are prescribed, such municipality shall adopt 88
-a citation hearing procedure in accordance with section 7 -152c. For the 89
-sole purpose of determining if a violation is the [third] second or [more] 90
-greater such violation at such property during the prior twelve -month 91
-period, "violation" means a violation of any municipal blight regulation 92
-for which the municipality has issued a notice of violation and either, in 93
-the determination of such municipality, the conditions creating such 94
-violation were previously cured or one hundred twenty days have 95
-passed from the notice of violation and the conditions creating such 96
-violation have not been cured. A third violation may also be established 97
-where three or more conditions constituting such violation exist at a 98
-property simultaneously; 99
-(xvi) Regulate, on any property owned by or under the control of the 100
-municipality, any activity deemed to be deleterious to public health, 101
-including the burning of a lighted cigarette, cigar, pipe or similar device, 102
-whether containing, wholly or in part, tobacco or cannabis, as defined 103
-in section 21a-420, and the use or consumption of cannabis, including, 104
-but not limited to, electronic cannabis delivery systems, as defined in 105
-section 19a -342a, or vapor products, as defined in said section, 106
-containing cannabis. If the municipality's population is greater than fifty 107
-thousand, such regulations shall designate a place in the municipality 108
-in which public consumption of cannabis is permitted. Such regulations 109
-may prohibit the smoking of cannabis and the use of electronic cannabis 110
-SB272 File No. 152
-
-SB272 / File No. 152  5
-
-delivery systems and vapor products containing cannabis in the 111
-outdoor sections of a restaurant. Such regulations may prescribe 112
-penalties for the violation of such regulations, provided such fine does 113
-not exceed fifty dollars for a violation of such regulations regarding 114
-consumption by an individual or a fine in excess of one thousand dollars 115
-to any business for a violation of such regulations; 116
-This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
-sections:
-
-Section 1 October 1, 2026 7-148(c)(7)(H)
-
-PD Joint Favorable
-
-SB272 File No. 152
-
-SB272 / File No. 152  6
-
-The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
-the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
-represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.  In general,
-fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
-knowledge.  Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
-products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.
-
-OFA Fiscal Note
-
-State Impact: None
-Municipal Impact:
-Municipalities Effect
-All Municipalities See Below
-
-Explanation
-The bill allows municipalities to take immediate enforcement action
-against blighted properties after a second violation and without
-providing the owner notice of the violation and an opportunity to
-remediate the blighted condition.
-This may result in a potential cost to municipalities beginning in FY
-27 to the extent more action is taken against blighted property , with a
-corresponding potential revenue gain to the extent that more fines are
-assessed. There is also a savings to municipalities beginning in FY 2 7
-associated with fewer notices sent to owners of blighted property.
-The Out Years
-The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
-continue into the future subject to the number of blighted properties.
-
-SB272 File No. 152
-
-SB272 / File No. 152  7
+Researcher: JSB Page 1 3/24/26
 
 OLR Bill Analysis
 SB 272
@@ -221,11 +30,11 @@
 and enforce regulations to prevent and remediate blight and set fines for
 each day a violation continues. Municipalities that issue citations for
 blight violations must establish a citation hearing procedure for owners
-SB272 File No. 152
+to contest their fines (CGS § 7-148(c)(7)(H)(xv)).
+2026SB-00272-R000152-BA.DOCX
 
-SB272 / File No. 152  8
+Researcher: JSB Page 2 3/24/26
 
-to contest their fines (CGS § 7-148(c)(7)(H)(xv)).
 Another law specifies that unpaid fines imposed under a blight
 regulation constitute a lien on the property and generally take
 precedence over all other liens and encumbrances, except taxes (CGS §