Title 7 — Title 7: Municipalities

Sec. 7-1. Annual and special town meetings. Holding of meetings outside town. (a) Except as otherwise provided by law, there shall be held in each town, annually, a town meeting for the transaction of business proper to come before such meeting, which meeting shall be designated …

Sec. 7-2. Ordinance concerning convening of special town meetings. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 7-1, any town may adopt an ordinance, in the manner provided by section 7-157, requiring that a special town meeting be warned by the selectmen on application of at least …

Sec. 7-3. Warning of town and other meetings. The warning of each town meeting, and of each meeting of a city, borough, school district or other public community or of an ecclesiastical society, shall specify the objects for which such meeting is to be held. Notice of a town meet…

Sec. 7-4. Record of warning. The person who posts, causes to be published or in any other manner gives notice of the warning for any meeting of a town, city, borough, school district or other public community or of an ecclesiastical society shall make return, in writing, to the p…

Sec. 7-5. Place. In any town, the place of holding town meetings may be determined by a majority of the voters present and voting at any town meeting specially warned and held for that purpose. (1949 Rev., S. 529; 1953, S. 207d.) See Sec. 9-1 for applicable definitions.

Sec. 7-6. Eligibility to vote. At any town meeting other than a regular or special town election or at any meeting of any fire, sewer or school district or any other municipal subdivision of any town incorporated by any special act, any person who is an elector of such town may v…

Sec. 7-7. Conduct of meeting of towns, societies and other municipal corporations. Vote by ballot or voting machine; when. All towns, when lawfully assembled for any purpose other than the election of town officers, and all societies and other municipal corporations when lawfully…

Sec. 7-8. Power of moderator. The moderator of any town meeting, and of any meeting of any society or other community lawfully assembled, may, when any disorder arises in the meeting and the offender refuses to submit to the moderator's lawful authority, order any proper officer …

Sec. 7-9. Petitions for vote. Form. Statement by circulator. Whenever under the provisions of the general statutes or any special act, any action for a vote by the electors or voters of a municipality is to be initiated by the petition of such electors or voters, in addition to s…

Sec. 7-9a. Circulation of petition for vote at town meeting. No petition shall be valid for any action for a vote by the electors or voters at any regular or special town meeting unless such petition shall be circulated by a person resident or eligible to vote in such town. (Febr…

Sec. 7-9b. Hours of voting at referenda. Whenever any municipality conducts a referendum on a day other than a state or local election, the polls shall be open between twelve noon and eight p.m., but any municipality may, any provision of any special act to the contrary notwithst…

Sec. 7-9c. Dates and hours of referenda. Unless otherwise provided by law, a referendum on any question may be held at such hours as is provided in section 7-9b and on such date as the legislative body of the political subdivision holding such referendum shall determine pursuant …

Sec. 7-9d. Validation of prior referenda. Hours. Section 7-9d is repealed. (1969, P.A. 624, S. 1, 2; P.A. 82-327, S. 12.)

Sec. 7-10. Oath. Selectmen, before entering upon the duties of their office, shall be sworn, and the authority administering the oath shall file a certificate thereof with the town clerk, who shall record the same. (1949 Rev., S. 533; 1953, S. 214d.)

Sec. 7-11. Bonds. Section 7-11 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 534; 1957, P.A. 13, S. 3; P.A. 82-327, S. 12.)

Sec. 7-12. Duties of selectmen. The selectmen of each town shall, forthwith, after the election or appointment of any town officers of whom an oath is required by law, cause them to be sworn to a faithful discharge of their respective duties. They shall superintend the concerns o…

Sec. 7-12a. First selectman to be chief executive officer and ex-officio member of town boards, commissions and committees. Unless otherwise provided by law, the first selectman, in each town for which its board of selectmen is the executive authority, shall be the chief executiv…

Sec. 7-12b. Record of meetings. The boards of selectmen shall keep an accurate record of all minutes of their meetings which shall be available for public inspection at reasonable times. (February, 1965, P.A. 599.)

Sec. 7-13. Orders on town treasurer. No selectman shall draw any order on the treasurer of any town except in duplicate or upon a blank order which is attached to a blank form of stub. The duplicate of each such order or the stub from which such order was detached shall contain a…

Sec. 7-14. Land records indexes. Examination of land records. Attestation of records and photocopies. Town records. Certification as to examination of records and indexes. General index of land records. Penalties. The selectmen of each town, or the administrative head of the town…

Sec. 7-15. Detection of crime. Section 7-15 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 544; P.A. 76-336, S. 24; P.A. 82-327, S. 12.)

Sec. 7-16. Bond. Section 7-16 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 545; 1953, S. 219d; P.A. 82-327, S. 12.)

Sec. 7-16a. Notice to Secretary of the State of appointment of town clerk, vacancy in appointed office of town clerk. If a town clerk is appointed under a special law or a town charter, the appointing authority or, if none, the chief executive official of the town, shall, within …

Sec. 7-17. Oath of town clerks. Town clerks, before entering upon the duties of their office, shall be sworn, and the authority administering the oath shall file a certificate thereof with the town clerk, who shall record the same. The moderator of any town election at which a to…

Sec. 7-18. Neglect of duty. Section 7-18 is repealed, effective October 1, 2002. (1949 Rev., S. 526; 1953, S. 257d; P.A. 02-89, S. 90.)

Sec. 7-19. Assistant town clerks. Notice to Secretary of the State of appointment, vacancy. Each town clerk may, unless otherwise provided by charter or ordinance, appoint assistant town clerks, who, having taken the oath provided for town clerks, shall, in the absence or inabili…

Sec. 7-20. Acting town clerk. When any town clerk is unable to discharge the duties of his office and has omitted or is unable to appoint an assistant town clerk, the selectmen may appoint one, who, having been sworn, shall act as town clerk during such inability or until the nex…

Sec. 7-21. Town clerk pro tempore. When the town clerk is absent from any town meeting, such town meeting may choose a clerk pro tempore. (1949 Rev., S. 548; 1953, S. 222d.)

Sec. 7-22. Removal of town clerks. Whenever complaint in writing is made to the Attorney General that the town clerk of any town is guilty of misconduct, wilful and material neglect of duty or incompetence in the conduct of such town clerk's office, the Attorney General shall mak…

Sec. 7-22a. Certification program for town clerks. (a) There shall be a committee for the purpose of establishing a program and procedures for the training, examination and certification of town clerks and assistant town clerks. The committee shall consist of six members, one of …

Sec. 7-23. Records and copies. Town clerks shall keep the records of their respective towns and truly enter therein, either by transcribing or by photographic, micrographic, electronic imaging or any other process approved by the Public Records Administrator, all votes of the tow…

Sec. 7-24. Recording of instruments; safekeeping of records; recording of illegible instruments; form of instruments. (a) Each town clerk who is charged with the custody of any public record shall provide suitable books, files or systems, acceptable to the Public Records Administ…

Sec. 7-25. Index. Each town clerk shall, within five days after receipt of an instrument for record, enter the names of all the grantors in a grantor index and all the grantees in a grantee index, in alphabetical order, and cross-indexed as to the party first identified as granto…

Sec. 7-25a. Electronic indexing system. Not later than January 1, 2009, each town shall provide public access to an electronic indexing system that combines the grantor index and the grantee index of the town's land records. (P.A. 07-252, S. 56.) History: P.A. 07-252 effective Ju…

Sec. 7-26. Errors to be corrected. The town clerk of each town shall correct all errors and omissions in the indexes to the land records of such town and all omissions of the town clerk or his assistant to attest the records of conveyances of land with the genuine signature of su…

Sec. 7-26a. Indemnification of clerk with respect to claims arising out of land record errors. Each town shall indemnify and save harmless the town clerk of such town, whether such clerk is compensated on a salary or fee basis, from financial loss and expense, including legal fee…

Sec. 7-27. Municipal records to be kept in fire-resistive vaults or safes. All public records of towns, cities and boroughs shall be kept in fire-resistive vaults or safes except when in actual use for the purpose of examination or entry. If the proper authorities in any town, ci…

Sec. 7-27a. Destruction of original land records or instruments. Whenever land records or instruments have been photographed, microphotographed or otherwise reproduced by electronic imaging or any other process approved by the Public Records Administrator, as permitted under sect…

Sec. 7-27b. Removal of Social Security number from document prior to recording on land records. Any person whose Social Security number appears on a document that is to be recorded on the land records of a municipality may expunge or cause to be expunged such Social Security numb…

Sec. 7-28. Indexing of mechanic's lien. Whenever any certificate of mechanic's lien lodged with a town clerk fails to disclose the name of the owner of the premises against which such lien is claimed, such town clerk shall ascertain and index the same from such information as he …

Sec. 7-29. Release or assignment of mortgage or lien. Recording of assignment of mortgage. (a) When any town clerk has recorded any instrument that the town clerk knows to be a release, partial release or assignment of a mortgage or lien recorded on the records of such town, the …

Sec. 7-30. Attachment of real estate. When any real estate is attached, the town clerk in whose office the certificate of attachment is left shall record it at length in the land records of such town; and his fees for such service shall be paid to him by the plaintiff in the suit…

Sec. 7-31. Maps of surveys and plots, filing requirements, copies. When any person having an interest in land has caused it to be surveyed and plotted or laid out into lots and projected highways, and a map made, which map shall bear the seal of the surveyor and a certification t…

Sec. 7-32. Index of surveys and maps. Each town clerk shall keep a special index book to be known as the “Index of Surveys and Maps”. Whenever any map is filed with the town clerk as provided by law, he shall make an entry in said index book, giving the title thereof, the name of…

Secs. 7-32a to 7-32j. Reserved for future use.

Sec. 7-32k. Property upon which hunting or shooting sports regularly take place. Placement of property location on list maintained by town clerk. Notice. Liability not imposed by section. (a) Any owner of real property upon which hunting or shooting sports regularly take place ma…

Sec. 7-33. Lists of transfers of taxable property. The town clerk of each town, consolidated town and city and consolidated town and borough shall, annually, within ten days from the assessment date of such municipality, furnish to the chairman of the board of assessors a list wh…

Sec. 7-33a. Issuance of certificates of authority of justices of peace, notaries and Superior Court commissioners. The town clerk of a town wherein a justice of the peace, notary public or commissioner of the Superior Court resides or is employed is authorized to issue certificat…

Sec. 7-34. Fees. Section 7-34 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 3624; 1951, S. 1980d; 1957, P.A. 485, S. 1; 654, S. 1; 1961, P.A. 517, S. 79; 572; 1963, P.A. 528, S. 6.)

Sec. 7-34a. Fees. (a)(1) Town clerks shall receive, for recording any document, ten dollars for the first page and five dollars for each subsequent page or fractional part thereof, a page being not more than eight and one-half by fourteen inches. Town clerks shall receive, for re…