Connecticut Eviction Notice
Connecticut eviction notice: 3-day notice to quit after a 9-day grace period or 15-day cure notice, CGS 47a-23. Free template. Attorney review available.
Introduction
An eviction notice is a written notice a landlord serves on a tenant to begin ending a tenancy for cause, before filing a summary process lawsuit in court. This page gives you that actual notice-to-quit document to fill in, sign, and have served, not a general explainer of how Connecticut eviction law works. In Connecticut, called a "notice to quit," this notice always gives at least 3 days before the quit date, but what happens before you can serve it depends on the cause. For nonpayment of rent, the law requires a 9-day grace period after rent is due (4 days for a one-week tenancy) before you can serve the 3-day notice to quit. For a curable lease violation, like a rule violation that can be fixed, the law requires a separate 15-day cure notice first; only if the tenant doesn't fix the problem within those 15 days can you then serve the 3-day notice to quit. For serious nuisance and a handful of other grounds, there's no cure step: you serve the 3-day notice to quit directly. Connecticut is one of the few states that splits its process into two separate steps rather than one combined notice: first a grace period or cure notice, then a distinct 3-day notice to quit. That two-step structure comes from Connecticut's summary process statute, Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 832 (Sections 47a-23 through 47a-42a), with the grace and cure rules set out separately in Chapter 830 (Sections 47a-15 and 47a-15a). Connecticut is also unusual in having both statutory required wording and an official Judicial Branch form, JD-HM-7. Since October 1, 2021, a Right to Counsel Notice must also be attached to every residential notice to quit. Every count here is calendar days, not business days: Connecticut does not exclude weekends or holidays from these periods.
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Key Things to Know
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An eviction notice is a written notice a landlord must serve on a tenant to begin ending a tenancy for cause, before filing a summary process lawsuit in court. In Connecticut this is called a "notice to quit."
- 2
Connecticut splits nonpayment cases into two separate steps: first a 9-day grace period after rent is due (4 days for a one-week tenancy), then a separate notice to quit giving at least 3 more calendar days once the grace period has passed. (Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 47a-15a; Section 47a-23(a)(1)(D))
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A curable lease or rule violation gets a 15-day cure notice first: the tenant can fix the problem (by repair or paying damages) within those 15 days and keep the lease. Only if uncured does the landlord then serve the 3-day notice to quit. (Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 47a-15)
- 4
Certain grounds skip the cure step entirely: serious nuisance (violence, substantial property destruction, immediate danger to safety, or illegal drug sale on the premises), lapse of time, or occupancy with no right to be there. These get a 3-day notice to quit directly, with no chance to fix the problem. (Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 47a-15; Section 47a-23(a)(1)(G), (a)(2)-(3))
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The governing law is Connecticut's summary process statute, Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 832 (Sections 47a-23 to 47a-42a), together with the cure and grace-period rules in Chapter 830 (Sections 47a-15 and 47a-15a).
- 6
The notice to quit must be delivered to each tenant/occupant personally, or left at their residence (or place of business for commercial tenants), by a state marshal or other "proper officer" or indifferent person, not by the landlord personally. Delivery can happen any day of the week. (Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 47a-23(c))
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Connecticut has both statutory required wording and an official Judicial Branch preprinted form, JD-HM-7, citing Section 47a-23. Since October 1, 2021, a one-page Right to Counsel Notice must also be attached to every residential notice to quit. (Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 47a-23(b); Section 47a-75(f))
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Eviction Notice in Connecticut, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Eviction Notice guide walks through them.
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Connecticut Requirements for Eviction Notice
Notice Period for Nonpayment of Rent (Connecticut General Statutes Section 47a-15a; Section 47a-23(a)(1)(D))
Rent must remain unpaid for a 9-day grace period after the due date (4 days for a one-week tenancy) before the landlord may act. Only after the grace period expires may the landlord serve a notice to quit giving at least 3 more calendar days. Neither period excludes weekends or holidays. Commercial property has no grace period; nonpayment when due supports a notice to quit directly.
Service of Notice Requirements (Connecticut General Statutes Section 47a-23(c))
A copy of the notice to quit must be delivered to each lessee or occupant personally, or left at their place of residence (or place of business, for commercial tenants). Delivery must be made by a state marshal or other proper officer or an indifferent person, not by the landlord personally, and may occur on any day of the week.
Unconditional Notice to Quit for Incurable Grounds (Connecticut General Statutes Section 47a-15; Section 47a-23(a)(1)(G), (a)(2)-(3))
Serious nuisance (violence or threats of violence, substantial wilful destruction of the unit, an immediate danger to safety, or using the premises for prostitution or illegal drug sale), lapse of time, occupancy without any right, or a terminated right to occupy all skip the 15-day cure notice. The landlord serves a 3-day notice to quit directly, with no opportunity to cure.
Governing Summary Process Statute (Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 832, Sections 47a-23 to 47a-42a)
The statutory basis for the notice to quit on this page and the court process that follows if the tenant does not comply: Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 832 (Summary Process), Sections 47a-23 through 47a-42a, together with the pre-notice cure and grace-period rules in Chapter 830, Sections 47a-15 and 47a-15a.
Prescribed Wording and Official Form (Connecticut General Statutes Section 47a-23(b); Judicial Branch form JD-HM-7)
The notice must state the reason for quitting using the statutory language of Section 47a-23(a) or words of similar import, plus the quit-by date and premises address. The Connecticut Judicial Branch also publishes an official preprinted form, JD-HM-7 ("Notice to Quit (End) Possession"), citing Section 47a-23, available on jud.ct.gov.
Right to Counsel Notice Attachment (Connecticut General Statutes Section 47a-75(f))
Since October 1, 2021, a landlord, legal representative, or agent must attach a copy of the Judicial Branch's one-page plain-language Right to Counsel Notice to every residential notice to quit and to the summons and complaint. This is a separate, mandatory attachment requirement layered on top of the notice-to-quit content rules.
Notice Period for Curable Lease Violations (Connecticut General Statutes Section 47a-15)
For a material lease or rule violation other than nonpayment or serious nuisance, the landlord must first deliver a written notice specifying the breach; the rental agreement terminates on a date not less than 15 calendar days after the tenant receives it. If the tenant cures by repair or payment of damages within those 15 days, the agreement does not terminate. If not cured, the landlord may then serve the 3-day notice to quit.