Housing & Tenant · Eviction Notice
Eviction Notice in Connecticut
How many days of written notice a landlord must give before filing an eviction in Connecticut, broken down by reason, and what you can do about it, cited to the statute.
Every notice period in Connecticut
The written notice for each reason a landlord can end a tenancy, and what each one means.
| Reason for the notice | Notice in Connecticut | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Nonpayment of rent | 3 days | The notice to quit can be served only after the 9-day statutory grace period in C.G.S. 47a-15a has run (four days for a one-week tenancy). Paying within the grace period avoids it. Once the notice to quit issues, it runs at least three days (C.G.S. 47a-23). |
| Violation of the lease, rules, or regulations | Can fix and stay15 days | A curable lease violation takes a pre-termination notice giving not less than 15 days to remedy the problem before a notice to quit can follow (C.G.S. 47a-15). |
| Serious nuisance | 3 days | A serious nuisance, or a violation of C.G.S. 47a-11(h), is expressly excluded from the 15-day cure right and takes a 3-day notice to quit with no chance to cure (C.G.S. 47a-15). |
| Lapse of time or lease stipulation | 3 days | Ending a tenancy on lapse of time, or on an express stipulation in the lease, takes a 3-day notice to quit (C.G.S. 47a-23). Refusal to agree to a fair and equitable rent increase is a separate listed ground on the same 3-day notice. |
| Just-cause rules | Overlay | Connecticut has partial just cause. Under C.G.S. 47a-23c a tenant who is 62 or older, or who lives with a qualifying older relative, or a tenant with a qualifying disability, may not be evicted from a building of five or more units, or a mobile manufactured home park, except on listed grounds such as nonpayment, refusal of a fair and equitable rent increase, a material breach affecting health and safety, permanent removal of the unit from the market, or the landlord intending to occupy it. |
| After the notice | Court | The notice to quit possession is the formal opening step. For a curable lease violation it must be preceded by the 15-day notice under C.G.S. 47a-15. A summary process action follows. Only a court can order a tenant removed. |
| Statute | Conn. Gen. Stat. §47a-23; §47a-15; §47a-15a | The controlling statute for these notice periods. Read the full text through the source link below. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if you have received an eviction notice in Connecticut. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Count the grace period first
In Connecticut, rent that is a day or two late is not yet a ground to evict. The statute gives a 9-day grace period, and only after it runs can the landlord serve a notice to quit. Paying within those 9 days keeps the tenancy.
- Use the 15-day cure for lease violations
If the issue is a curable lease violation rather than rent, you are entitled to a pre-termination notice giving at least 15 days to fix it. Serious nuisance is the exception, with a 3-day notice and no cure. Get written confirmation once you resolve it.
- Respond to the summary process case
After the notice to quit, the landlord files a summary process action. You are served and can appear to contest it. Bring your lease, payment records, and any messages. Do not move out based on the notice alone if you plan to fight it.
- Get local legal help
A local Connecticut legal aid office can explain the grace period, the notice, and the extra protection for tenants 62 and older or with a disability. Search for legal aid in your area and act before the court date.
This is general legal information, not legal advice. Read your own lease and check for a local ordinance, since either can change the notice that applies to your home.
What Connecticut renters get wrong
Connecticut splits the eviction clock in a way most states do not, and the tenant-protective part sits at the front. Rent that is one day late is not yet a ground to evict, because the statute gives a nine-day grace period first under C.G.S. 47a-15a, four days for a one-week tenancy. Paying within that window keeps the tenancy. Only after the grace period runs can the landlord serve a notice to quit, and that notice itself is short, at least three days under C.G.S. 47a-23. So the total time is longer than the three-day headline suggests. Curable lease violations work differently again, with a pre-termination notice giving not less than fifteen days to fix the problem, though a serious nuisance is carved out and takes a 3-day notice with no cure. Connecticut also protects tenants who are 62 or older, and tenants with a qualifying disability, in buildings of five or more units, who may be evicted only on listed grounds under C.G.S. 47a-23c. After the notice to quit, the landlord brings a summary process action, and only a court can order a tenant out.
Common questions
Is my rent late in Connecticut on day one or day nine?
For eviction purposes, it is the nine days that matter. Connecticut gives a 9-day grace period under C.G.S. 47a-15a, and a landlord cannot serve a notice to quit for nonpayment until it runs. Paying within those 9 days keeps the tenancy. A one-week tenancy has a 4-day grace period.
Why is the Connecticut notice to quit only three days?
Because the tenant-protective time sits in the grace period, not the notice. Once the 9-day grace period has passed, the notice to quit under C.G.S. 47a-23 runs at least three days. The total is longer than three days once you count the grace period first.
Do I get 15 days to fix a lease violation in Connecticut?
For a curable violation, yes. C.G.S. 47a-15 requires a pre-termination notice giving not less than 15 days to remedy the problem before a notice to quit can follow. A serious nuisance is the exception and takes a 3-day notice with no chance to cure.
What extra protection do Connecticut renters over 62 get?
Under C.G.S. 47a-23c, a tenant who is 62 or older, who lives with a qualifying older relative, or who has a qualifying disability, generally cannot be evicted from a building of five or more units except on listed grounds such as nonpayment, a material breach, or the landlord moving in.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.