SB 485 — AN ACT EXPANDING THE ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM TO SHIELD LAND RECORDS AND INCLUDE PRIVATE ENTITIES.

(b) If a program participant requests that an agency or person use the program address pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the agency or person shall accept and use the program address as the program participant's residential, work or school address, in lieu of the participant's confidential address, unless the agency receives an exemption from such use granted by the Secretary of the State pursuant to section 54-240i.

An agency or person shall not require a program participant to provide a confidential address either as a substitute or in addition to the program address, or as a condition of receiving a service or benefit, unless the service or benefit would be impossible to provide without having knowledge of the program participant's physical location.

(c) Any agency or person that is in receipt of a written request using the form prescribed by the Secretary of the State under subsection (a) of thissectionshallnotknowinglydisclosetheprogramparticipant'sname or confidential address.

(d) A bank, credit union or any other depository institution or financial institution may require a program participant to make any request under this section in writing and to use the form prescribed by the Secretary of the State under subsection (a) of this section.

(e) A program participant who acquires an ownership interest in real property while participating in the program may request the real property records to be shielded in accordance with the provisions of section 4 of this act.

sSB485 / File No.

579 4 sSB485 File No.

579 Sec.

3.

Subsection (d) of section 54-240k of the general statutes is repealed andthefollowing issubstituted inlieuthereof(EffectiveOctober 1, 2026):

(d) (1) The Secretary of the State shall notify in writing the authorized personnel of the appropriate agency when a participant's certification in the program has been cancelled.

After receipt of such notice, the agency shall not be responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the record or address of a program participant whose certification has been cancelled.

(2) If the marriage records of a program participant whose certification has been cancelled were kept confidential pursuant to section 54-240f, the Secretary of the State shall notify in writing the authorized personnel of the appropriate office of the registrar of vital statistics of the cancellation.

(3) If the participant whose certification has been cancelled was listed ona voter registry listwithout theparticipant'sstreet andhouse number pursuant to section 54-240g, the Secretary of the State shall notify in writing the authorized personnel of the appropriate office of the registrar of voters of the cancellation.

(4) If the real property records of a program participant whose certification has been cancelled were kept confidential pursuant to section 4 of this act, the Secretary of the State shall notify in writing the town clerk of the municipality in which the real property that is the subject of such records is located of the cancellation.

Sec.

4.

(NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) A program participant who acquires an ownership interest in real property while participating in the address confidentiality program established pursuant to section 54-240a of the general statutes, may request the shielding of real property records concerning the property in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(b) (1) To request the shielding of real property records, a program sSB485 / File No.

579 5 sSB485 File No.

579 participant, or any agent of a program participant, shall submit to the town clerk of the municipality where the real property is located (A) a real property address confidentiality program notice, and (B) the deed or other instrument to be recorded.

Upon receipt of such request, such townclerk shallkeep theparticipant'srealproperty recordsconfidential and shall not make available for inspection or copying the name and address of a program participant, except if (i) the program participant consents to the disclosure for a specific purpose identified in writing and signed by the program participant, which includes the participant's certification code as stated on the real property address confidentiality program notice, (ii) requested by a law enforcement agency, to the law enforcementagency,(iii)directedbyacourtorder,toapersonidentified in such order, or (iv) the Secretary of the State authorizes disclosure in accordance with the provisions of subsection (i) of this section.

(2) The town clerk shall also share such notice with authorized personnel of the tax assessor or any other department that would have access to and disclose real property records, and such authorized personnel shall also be subject to such prohibition on disclosure.

(3) The prohibition ondisclosure shall continue until (A) the program participant consents to the termination of the real property address confidentiality program notice in writing and signed by the program participant, (B) the real property address confidentiality program notice is terminated in accordance with a court order, (C) the program participant no longer holds an ownership interest in the property identified in the real property address confidentiality program notice, or (D) the Secretary of the State notifies the town clerk that the program participant's certification has been cancelled.

(c) The real property address confidentiality program notice shall be on a form prescribed by the Secretary of the State and shall include (1) the full legal name of the program participant, including middle name, (2) the program participant's certification code as stated on the certification card issued pursuant to section 54-240d of the general statutes,(3)theprogramaddressdesignatedbytheSecretaryoftheState sSB485 / File No.

579 6 sSB485 File No.

579 pursuant to section 54-240e of the general statutes, (4) a description of the property, including the physical address, and (5) the signature ofthe program participant.

(d) The program participant shall submit to the Secretary of the State a copy of any real property address confidentiality program notice submitted under subsection (b) of this section.

(e) A real property address confidentiality program notice applies to (1) the instrument submitted for recordation at the same time as the real property address confidentiality program notice, including the proof of tax payment, and (2) any other instrument concerning the property identified in the real property address confidentiality program notice that is subsequently presented for recordation during the period of time that the program participant holds a record interest in the property and is a program participant.

(f) A program participant shall use a separate real property address confidentiality program notice for each property in which the program participant acquires an ownership interest.

(g) A real property address confidentiality program notice is not a public record, as defined in section 1-200 of the general statutes.

(h)(1)Townclerksshallestablishproceduresforrecordingdeedsand other instruments to comply with the provisions of this section.

The procedures shall, at a minimum, include provisions for (A) shielding recorded instruments that contain a program participant's physical address or identifying information, (B) notifying other municipal authorized personnel, and (C) providing notice to the public of the existence ofa shielded instrument andinstructionsfor requesting access to the shielded instrument in accordance with the provisions of subsection (i) of this section.

(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting a town clerk from returning an original deed or any other instrument to the person who submitted the instrument for recordation.

sSB485 / File No.

579 7 sSB485 File No.

579 (3) All state and local agencies involved in real property assessments and taxation shall establish procedures for maintaining records, including tax, utility and zoning records, in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(i) (1) Upon request, the Secretary of the State may authorize the disclosure of real property records that have been shielded under this section for the purposes of performing a bona fide title examination.

Any request made under this section shall include (A) the name, title, address and affiliated organization, if applicable, of the individual requestingthedisclosure,(B)theindividual'spurposeforrequestingthe disclosure, (C) the individual's relationship, if any, to the program participant, (D) a legal description of the property subject to the title examination, (E) a statement that any information disclosed to the individual shall be treated as confidential and shall be used and disclosed only for the purpose identified in the request, (F) the individual's signature, and (G) any other information required by the Secretary of the State to respond to the request.

(2) Within two business days after receiving a request under this subsection, the Secretary of the State shall provide a written response approving or denying the request.

The Secretary of the State shall approve the request only if the request meets the requirements of subdivision (1) of this subsection and the Secretary of the State confirms the property subject to the title examination is the property identified in the real property address confidentiality program notice of a current program participant.

If the property belongs to an individual who is no longer a program participant, (A) the Secretary of the State shall give written notice to the town clerk of the municipality in which the real property is located and inform the individual who made the request under this subsection that such records are no longer shielded, and (B) the town clerk shall cease shielding all real property records relating to the property and shall notify all authorized personnel of the municipality to cease shielding all real property records relating to the property.

sSB485 / File No.

579 8 sSB485 File No.

579 (j) If a program participant intends to request the shielding of real property records under this section, the program participant may not submit any instrument for recordation electronically.

Sec.

5.

Subdivision (21) of subsection (b) of section 1-210 of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026):

(21) The residential, work or school address of any participant in the address confidentiality program established pursuant to sections 54-240 to 54-240o, inclusive, asamended by this act, or any realpropertyrecord being shielded under section 4 of this act;

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 54-240 Sec.

2 October 1, 2026 54-240h Sec.

3 October 1, 2026 54-240k(d) Sec.

4 October 1, 2026 New section Sec.

5 October 1, 2026 1-210(b)(21) GAE Joint Favorable Subst.

sSB485 / File No.

579 9 sSB485 File No.

579 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:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $ Secretary of the State GF - Cost 56,100 74,750 State Comptroller - Fringe GF - Cost 23,450 31,250 Benefits1 Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill expands the address confidentiality program to include real property, resulting in a General Fund cost of $79,550 in FY 27 and $106,000 annually beginning in FY 28.

The Secretary of the State (SOTS) will oversee the real property address confidentiality process, as it does the address confidentiality 3 program, which will require one position at a cost of $56,100 in FY 27 with an associated fringe cost of $23,450, and a cost of $74,750 beginning in FY 28, with an annual fringe cost of $31,250.

This position is necessary to develop and oversee the confidentiality process for real property records.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation and the number of residents who participate in the real property address confidentiality program.

1The fringe benefit costs for most state employees are budgeted centrally in accounts administered by the Comptroller.

The estimated active employee fringe benefit cost associated with most personnel changes is 41.82% of payroll in FY 27.

2The position is a paralegal specialist.

3The FY 27 cost for this position represents 0.75 FTE.

sSB485 / File No.

579 10 sSB485 File No.

579 OLR Bill Analysis sSB 485 AN ACT EXPANDING THE ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM TO SHIELD LAND RECORDS AND INCLUDE PRIVATE ENTITIES.

SUMMARY This bill makes various changes to the Secretary of the State’s (SOTS) address confidentiality program (see BACKGROUND), including to:

1.

require any person, and not just public agencies as currently required, to use a programparticipant’sprogramaddressinstead of the participant’s residential, work, or school address when requested to do so (this applies to any person, including communities, companies, corporations, limited liability companies, societies, and associations);

and 2.

create the real property address confidentiality program notice process to shield program participants’ real property records from public inspection, with exceptions.

It creates relevant processes and duties for SOTS, town clerks, and other state and local agencies who interact with program participants and their real property records.

Under the bill, real property address confidentiality program notices are not public records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and it exempts from FOIA disclosure any real property records shielded under the real property address confidentiality program notice.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

October 1, 2026 ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM Program Address Acceptance by Any Person sSB485 / File No.

579 11 sSB485 File No.

579 If a program participant requests to use the SOTS program address in place of his or her residential, work, or school address, the bill expands who must accept and use the program address to include any persons, as well as public agencies as under existing law.

As with agencies, the bill requires participants to show their SOTS program certification card to a person, who then may make photocopies for his or her records.

If an agency or person receives a written request on a form that the bill requires SOTS to create, the bill prohibits them from knowingly disclosing a participant’s name or confidential address.

Prohibiting Requiring a Substitute Address The bill prohibits an agency or person from requiring participants to provide their confidential address as a substitute or in addition to the program address, or as a condition of receiving services or benefits, unless it would be impossible to provide the service or benefit without knowing the participant’s physical location.

REAL PROPERTY SHIELDING Real Property Shielding Authorization The bill authorizes program participants who acquire an ownership interest in real property to file a real property confidentiality program notice to request shielding of the real property records, which includes any record or data maintained by a town clerk or tax assessor as part of municipal records.

Shielding means removing the record from public inspection to a separate secure area where people without a legitimate reason to access it are denied access.

The real property confidentiality program notice applies to the following records:

1.

an instrument submitted for recordation at the same time as the notice, including proof of tax payment;

and 2.

any other instrument concerning the property identified in the notice that is later recorded during the time period that the participant holds a recorded interest in the property and is a program participant.

sSB485 / File No.

579 12 sSB485 File No.

579 Real Property Address Confidentiality Program Notice Process To request shielding of real property records, the bill requires the participant or his or her agent to submit a real property address confidentiality program notice (a completed SOTS form) and the deed or other instrument to be recorded to the town clerk where the real property is located.

The participant must also provide the notice to SOTS.

Once received, the bill requires the town clerk to keep the participant’s real property records confidential, and prohibits making availableforinspectionorcopying thenameandaddressoftheprogram participant, unless:

1.

the participant provides written consent to the disclosure, with his or her signature and certification code;

2.

a law enforcement agency requests it to be sent to the same law enforcement agency;

3.

directed by a court order to a person identified in the court order;

or 4.

SOTS authorizes disclosure for a bona fide title examination (see below).

If a participant has more than one ownership interest, the participant must use a separate real property address confidentiality program notice for eachproperty.Ifaparticipant intendsto request shieldingreal property records, the bill prohibits submission of any instrument for recordation electronically.

Notice Form The bill requires SOTS to create a form for the real property address confidentiality program notice, which must include:

1.

the participant’s full legal name, including middle name;

2.

the participant’s certification code from the certification card;

3.

the SOTS program address;

sSB485 / File No.

579 13 sSB485 File No.

579 4.

a description of the property and the physical address;

and 5.

the participant’s signature.

Town Clerk and Agency Duties The bill authorizes the town clerk to share the program notice with authorized personnel of the tax assessor and other departments with access to real property records and also prohibits them from disclosing the shielded information.

However, the bill permits town clerks to returnanoriginaldeedorotherinstrumenttothepersonwhosubmitted it for recordation.

Town clerks must establish procedures for recording deeds and other instruments to comply with the program notice.

The procedures must include:

1.

shielding recorded instruments containing the participant’s physical address or identifying information, 2.

notifying other municipal authorized personnel, and 3.

providing notice to the public of the existence of a shielded instrument and how to request access for a bona fide title examination.

For any records under the program notice, the bill requires state and local agencies involved in real property assessments and taxation to establish procedures for maintaining records, including tax, utility, and zoning records.

Disclosure for Bona Fide Title Examinations Under the bill, SOTS may authorize disclosure of shielded real property records for a bona fide title examination.

If a request is made for a bona fide title examination, it must include:

1.

the requestor’s name, title, address, and affiliated organization, if applicable;

sSB485 / File No.

579 14 sSB485 File No.

579 2.

the purpose for requesting disclosure;

3.

the requestor’s relationship, if any, to the program participant;

4.

alegaldescriptionofthepropertysubject tothetitleexamination;

5.

a statement that any information disclosed must be treated as confidential and can only be used and disclosed for the identified purpose;

6.

the requestor’s signature;

and 7.

any information required by SOTS.

SOTS must provide a written response approving or denying the request within two business days of receipt.

The bill authorizes SOTS to approve the request only if it meets the requirements and SOTS confirms the property is subject to a program notice of a current program participant.

If the property owner is no longer a program participant, the bill requires (1) SOTS to give written notice to the relevant town clerk and informtherequestorthattherecordsarenolongershielded,(2)thetown clerk to stop shielding all real property records related to the property, and (3) the town clerk to notify all authorized municipal personnel to stop shielding related real property records.

Continuation and Cancellation of Shielded Property Records Under the bill, the property records disclosure prohibition continues until(1)theparticipant consentsina signedwriting to terminatethereal property address confidentiality program notice, (2) a court order terminates the real property address confidentiality program notice, (3) the participant no longer holds an ownership interest in the relevant property, or (4) SOTS notifies the town clerk that the participant’s certification is cancelled.

The bill requires SOTS to notify, in writing, the town clerk of the municipality where the real property is located when a program sSB485 / File No.

579 15 sSB485 File No.

579 participant’s certification has been cancelled.

BACKGROUND Address Confidentiality Program By law, the SOTS address confidentiality program is available to people who fear for their safety because they are (1) a victim of family violence, injury or risk of injury to a child, kidnapping, sexual assault, stalking, trafficking in persons, or child abuse or neglect or (2) involved with a case where a termination of parental rights was granted.

An eligible individual can apply to receive a program mailing address to keep his or her residential address confidential due to safety concerns.

Once an applicant to the program is certified by SOTS, he or she receives the program address and a certification card.

The certification card includes the participant’s name, signature, certification code, program address, and expiration date.

SOTS receives any mail and service of process sent to the program address and forwards it to the participant’s confidential address free of charge.

Participants may generally have (1) their street addresses omitted from voter registries, (2) correspondence from state agencies sent to the substitute address, and (3) their marriage records kept confidential.

Participants may renew their certification every four years.

SOTS may cancel a participant’s certification under certain circumstances, but a cancelled participant may reapply at any time.

Related Bills HB 5555, favorably reported by the Government Administration and Elections Committee, expands who is eligible for the SOTS address confidentiality program to include individuals who have safety concerns because they are involved in providing reproductive or gender-affirming health care services.

sSB295, favorably reportedby theJudiciary Committee, among other things, expands who is eligible for the SOTS address confidentiality program to include individuals engaged in the provision, facilitation, or promotion of a legally protected health care activity (which includes sSB485 / File No.

579 16 sSB485 File No.

579 gender-affirming and reproductive health care services).

COMMITTEE ACTION Government Administration and Elections Committee Joint Favorable Substitute Yea 16 Nay 2 (03/20/2026) sSB485 / File No.

579 17