Connecticut 2026 Session Status: Passed Senate Bipartisan · 12 D · 1 R cosponsors

SB 274 — AN ACT CONCERNING NONRESIDENT LANDLORD REGISTRATION AND INCREASING PENALTIES FOR REPEAT BUILDING AND FIRE CODE VIOLATIONS.

Last action — HOUSE CALENDAR NUMBER 454

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced February 19, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the House.

Odds of enactment

Moderate chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a moderate chance of becoming law.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 54% · moderate confidence

  • Passed Senate

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 13 sponsors

    13 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (12 D · 1 R) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

183 added · 17 removed

Plain-language change summary

In the latest version of SB 274, the title and introduction have been updated to reflect its current status in the legislative process. Specifically, the phrase "Raised Bill No. 274" has been changed to "Senate Bill No. 274," indicating that it has moved forward in the Senate. The addition of a full fiscal impact statement and analysis aims to clarify potential financial effects of the bill, which is important for lawmakers as they evaluate its implications. These changes help ensure transparency and guide decision-making.

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Latest
General Assembly Raised Bill No.
Senate General Assembly File No.
274 February Session, 2026 LCO No.
153 February Session, 2026 Senate Bill No.
1255 Referred to Committee on PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT Introduced by:
274 Senate, March 24, 2026 The Committee on Planning and Development reported through SEN.
(PD) AN ACT CONCERNING NONRESIDENT LANDLORD REGISTRATION AND INCREASING PENALTIES FOR REPEAT BUILDING AND FIRE CODE VIOLATIONS.
RAHMAN of the 4th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.
AN ACT CONCERNING NONRESIDENT LANDLORD REGISTRATION AND INCREASING PENALTIES FOR REPEAT BUILDING AND FIRE CODE VIOLATIONS.
[,] LCO 1255 1 of 6 Raised Bill No.
[,] SB274 / File No.
274 (3) ["agent in charge"] "Agent in charge" or "agent" means [one] an individual who manages real [estate] property, including, but not limited to, the collection of rents, [and] supervision and maintenance of suchproperty,andensuringsuchpropertycomplieswithstateandlocal codes;
153 1 SB274 File No.
153 (3) ["agent in charge"] "Agent in charge" or "agent" means [one] an individual who manages real [estate] property, including, but not limited to, the collection of rents, [and] supervision and maintenance of suchproperty,andensuringsuchpropertycomplieswithstateandlocal codes;
(b) Any municipality with a population of fewer than twenty-five thousand may, and any municipality with a population of twenty-five thousand or more shall, require the nonresident owner or project-based housing provider of occupied or vacant rental real property to report to the tax assessor, or other municipal [office] officer designated by the municipality, the current residential address of the (1) nonresident owner or project-based housing provider of such property, if the LCO 1255 2 of 6 Raised Bill No.
(b) Any municipality with a population of fewer than twenty-five thousand may, and any municipality with a population of twenty-five thousand or more shall, require the nonresident owner or project-based housing provider of occupied or vacant rental real property to report to the tax assessor, or other municipal [office] officer designated by the municipality, the current residential address of the (1) nonresident owner or project-based housing provider of such property, if the SB274 / File No.
274 nonresident owner or project-based housing provider is an individual, or [the current residential address of the] (2) agent in charge of the building, if the nonresident owner or project-based housing provider is a corporation, partnership, trust or other legally recognized entity.
153 2 SB274 File No.
153 nonresident owner or project-based housing provider is an individual, or [the current residential address of the] (2) agent in charge of the building, if the nonresident owner or project-based housing provider is a corporation, partnership, trust or other legally recognized entity.
[(c)] (d) Service of a state or municipal [orders] order relating to the maintenance of such rental real property or compliance with state law and local codes concerning such real property directed to the nonresident owner, project-based housing provider or agent at the address [on file,] reported by such owner, provider or agent or deemed to be [on file in accordance with the provisions of this section] such LCO 1255 3 of 6 Raised Bill No.
[(c)] (d) Service of a state or municipal [orders] order relating to the maintenance of such rental real property or compliance with state law and local codes concerning such real property directed to the nonresident owner, project-based housing provider or agent at the address [on file,] reported by such owner, provider or agent or deemed to be [on file in accordance with the provisions of this section] such SB274 / File No.
274 owner, provider or agent's address, shall be sufficient proof of service ofnoticeofsuch [orders]orderinany subsequent criminalorcivilaction against the owner, project-based housing provider or agent for failure to comply with [the orders] such order.
153 3 SB274 File No.
153 owner, provider or agent's address, shall be sufficient proof of service ofnoticeofsuch [orders]orderinany subsequent criminalorcivilaction against the owner, project-based housing provider or agent for failure to comply with [the orders] such order.
[and] (6) supply running water and reasonable amounts of hot water at all times and reasonable heat except if the building which LCO 1255 4 of 6 Raised Bill No.
[and] (6) supply running water and reasonable amounts of hot water at all times and reasonable heat except if the building which includes the dwelling unit is not required by law to be equipped for that SB274 / File No.
274 includes the dwelling unit is not required by law to be equipped for that purpose or if the dwelling unit is so constructed that heat or hot water is generated by an installation within the exclusive control of the tenant or supplied by a direct public utility connection;
153 4 SB274 File No.
153 purpose or if the dwelling unit is so constructed that heat or hot water is generated by an installation within the exclusive control of the tenant or supplied by a direct public utility connection;
Any person who, by [himself or his] such person or such person's agent, fails to comply with the written order of a building inspector for the provision of additional exit facilities in a building, the repair or alteration of a building or the removal of a building or any portion thereof, shall, for a first offense, be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than six months, or both, and, for any subsequent offense, be fined not LCO 1255 5 of 6 Raised Bill No.
Any person who, by [himself or his] such person or such person's agent, fails to comply with the written order of a building inspector for the provision of additional exit facilities in a building, the repair or alteration of a building or the removal of a building or any portion thereof, shall, for a first offense, be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than six months, or both, and, for any subsequent offense, be fined not less than five hundred dollars or more than two thousand dollars.
274 less than five hundred dollars or more than two thousand dollars.
SB274 / File No.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
153 5 SB274 File No.
153 This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
5 October 1, 2026 29-394 PD Joint Favorable LCO 1255 6 of 6
5 October 1, 2026 29-394 PD Joint Favorable SB274 / File No.
153 6 SB274 File No.
153 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 $ Resources of the General Fund GF - Potential Minimal Minimal Revenue Gain Note:
GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:
Municipalities Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $ Various Municipalities Potential Minimal Minimal Revenue Gain Explanation The bill (1) makes various changes regarding reporting requirements for property owners and landlords which results in a potential revenue gain to municipalities beginning in FY 27, and (2) increases fines for fire and building code violations which results in a potential revenue gain to the state beginning in FY 27.
Sections 1 and 2 require municipalities with a population of 25,000 or more to require certain residential property owners and landlords to report information to the municipality and establishes that failure to do so will result in a penalty of up to $500 for a first violation and up to $1,000 for subsequent violations.
This results in a potential minimal revenue gain to municipalities beginning in FY 27 to the extent these 1According to the CT Department of Health population estimates, in 2024 there were municipalities in Connecticut with a population of 25,000 or more.
SB274 / File No.
153 7 SB274 File No.
153 penalties are imposed and collected.
Sections 3 to 5 increase the fines for second and subsequent violations of certain fire and building code sections, resulting in a minimal potential revenue gain to the state.
2 The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to the number of violations.
2Between FY 22 and FY 25, there were a total 296 offenses recorded and $2,000 in fines collected under CGS §§ 29-254a, 29-291c, and 29-394.
SB274 / File No.
153 8 SB274 File No.
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153 OLR Bill Analysis SB 274 AN ACT CONCERNING NONRESIDENT LANDLORD REGISTRATION AND INCREASING PENALTIES FOR REPEAT BUILDING AND FIRE CODE VIOLATIONS.
SUMMARY This bill requires municipalities with a population of at least 25,000 based on the most recent decennial census (“covered municipalities”) to require certain residential property owners and landlords to report specified information to the municipality, such as their current residential address.
Existing law allows, but does not require, all municipalities to do so.
The bill also modifies the reporting requirement for these municipalities to include other identifying information for the owner, landlord, or agent in charge of the building.
Under current law, the identifying information requirement applies only to certain people associated with a business entity that owns rental property.
The bill eliminates the infraction penalty for violating the reporting requirementandspecifiesthattheseviolationsarepunishableaccording to municipal civil penalties authorized under existing law.
The bill adds complying with the modified reporting requirement to the law’s list of landlord responsibilities (§ 2).
Under existing law, (1) rental agreements cannot allow landlords to receive rent payments for any period during which the landlord is noncompliant with these responsibilities (CGS § 47a-4a) and (2) a tenant who claims that the landlord failed to perform his or her legal duties may generally start an action in Superior Court to seek relief (CGS § 47a-14h).
The bill also sets increased fines for repeat violations of the State Building Code, theState Fire PreventionCodeandFire Safety Code,and certain written orders by building inspectors.
SB274 / File No.
153 9 SB274 File No.
153 Lastly,itmakestechnical,conforming,andotherminorchanges,such as specifying that the duties of agents in charge of a building include maintenance and ensuring the property complies with state and local codes.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
October 1, 2026 § 1 — MUNICIPAL LANDLORD IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS Current law allows municipalities to require nonresident property owners and landlords renting to federal Housing Choice Voucher programparticipants(also knownas“project-basedhousing providers” or PBHPs) to report certain information to the tax assessor or another designated municipal officer.
This information must include the following:
1.
the owner’s or PBHP’s current residential address, if they are an individual, or 2.
the current residential address of (a) the agent in charge of the building and (b) each person who exercises day-to-day financial or operational control of the property (“controlling participants”), if the owner or PBHP is a business entity (a corporation, partnership, trust, or other legally recognized entity).
For business entities, this report must also include identifying information for the controlling participants.
Identifying Information and Nonresident Owners Current law does not define “identifying information,” but under the bill it is proof of a person’s name, birthdate, current residential address, driver’s license number, or other government-issued identification number.
The bill also defines “nonresident owner,” as a person or business entity that does not live at the rental property and is either (1) an owner (one or more people with legal title to the property or beneficial ownership and a right to present use and enjoyment of the premises, including mortgagees in possession) or (2) the controlling SB274 / File No.
153 10 SB274 File No.
153 participant of the entity that owns the property (see above).
Covered Municipalities Under the bill, covered municipalities must require nonresident property owners and PBHPs to report the information described above to them.
For these municipalities, the bill also expands the reporting requirement to include accurate identifying information for the nonresident owner, PBHP, or agent in charge.
FOIA Exemption Under current law, reports made to a tax assessor on or after October 1, 2023, are exempt from disclosure under the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The bill makes these reports exempt regardless of when they were made.
Violations of Reporting Requirement Existing law allows municipalities to adopt an ordinance setting a civil penalty for violations of the reporting requirement discussed above.
The penalty cannot exceed $500 for a first violation and $1,000 for subsequent violations.
Anyone assessed a civil penalty may appeal to Superior Court (CGS § 47a-6b).
The bill eliminates an additional infraction penalty (see BACKGROUND — Infractions) for violations of the reporting requirement and instead specifies that these violations are punishable according to the civil penalty provision described above.
§§ 3-5 — PENALTIES FOR CERTAIN REPEAT CODE VIOLATIONS The bill sets increased fines for repeat violations of (1) the State Building Code;
(2) the State Fire Prevention Code and Fire Safety Code;
and (3) a building inspector’s written order for providing additional exits, making repairs or alterations, or removing the building or a portion of it.
The bill keeps current law’s penalties for these violations for a first offense (a fine between $200 and $1,000, imprisonment up to six months, or both).
Under the bill, the penalties for subsequent violations are as follows:
SB274 / File No.
153 11 SB274 File No.
153 1.
State Building Code or building inspector’s written order:
a fine between $500 and $2,000;
and 2.
State Fire Prevention Code and Fire Safety Code:
a fine between $500 and $1,000.
Under existing law, unchanged by the bill, the fire code-related violations may also be subject to a fine of $50 per day for each day the violation continues.
BACKGROUND Infractions Infractions are punishable by fines, usually set by Superior Court judges, of between $35 and $90, plus a $20 or $35 surcharge and an additional fee based on the fine’s amount.
An infraction is not a crime, and violators can pay the fine by mail without making a court appearance.
Related Bills sHB 5161, reported favorably by the Housing Committee, has similar provisions to §§ 1 & 2.
sSB 408, § 3, reported favorably by the Public Safety and Security Committee, has similar provisions to § 1.
COMMITTEE ACTION Planning and Development Committee Joint Favorable Yea 20 Nay 0 (03/06/2026) SB274 / File No.
153 12
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Action History

  1. HOUSE CALENDAR NUMBER 454

  2. FAV. RPT., TABLED FOR HOUSE CALENDAR

  3. SEN. PASSED, SEN. AMEND. SCH. A

  4. SEN. ADOPTED SEN. AMEND. SCH. A

  5. FILE NO. 153

  6. SENATE CALENDAR NUMBER 106

  7. FAV. RPT., TAB. FOR CAL., SEN.

  8. RPTD. OUT OF LCO

  9. REFERRED TO Office of Legislative Research AND Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/23/26

  10. FILED WITH LCO

  11. Joint Favorable

  12. PUBLIC HEARING 0227

  13. REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Planning and Development

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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13 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 174 not signed on

Sponsors (13)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (174)

174 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety housing
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Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 274?
SB 274 is sponsored by Kate Farrar (Democratic), William Heffernan (Democratic), Kara Rochelle (Democratic), Laurie Sweet (Democratic), Patricia Billie Miller (Democratic), Martha Marx (Democratic), Nick Gauthier (Democratic), MD Rahman (Democratic), Herron Gaston (Democratic), Brandon Chafee (Democratic), Tom Delnicki (Republican), Nicholas Menapace (Democratic), and Martin M. Looney (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 274?
This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced February 19, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track SB 274?
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