Connecticut 2019 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB07344 Latest Draft

Bill / Comm Sub Version Filed 04/29/2019

                             
 
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General Assembly  Substitute Bill No. 7344  
January Session, 2019 
 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E IMPOSITION OF PENALTIES FOR 
REPEATED VIOLATIONS OF MUNICIPAL REGULATION S OR 
ORDINANCES.  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. Section 8-12 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2019): 2 
(a) If any building or structure has been erected, constructed, 3 
altered, converted or maintained, or any building, structure or land 4 
has been used, in violation of any provision of this chapter or of any 5 
bylaw, ordinance, rule or regulation made under authority conferred 6 
hereby, any official having jurisdiction, in addition to other remedies, 7 
may institute an action or proceeding to prevent such unlawful 8 
erection, construction, alteration, conversion, maintenance or use or to 9 
restrain, correct or abate such violation or to prevent the occupancy of 10 
such building, structure or land or to prevent any illegal act, conduct, 11 
business or use in or about such premises. Such regulations shall be 12 
enforced by the officer or official board or authority designated 13 
therein, who shall be authorized to cause any building, structure, place 14 
or premises to be inspected and examined and to order in writing the 15 
remedying of any condition found to exist therein or thereon in 16 
violation of any provision of the regulations made under authority of 17 
the provisions of this chapter or, when the violation involves grading 18  Substitute Bill No. 7344 
 
 
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of land, the removal of earth or soil erosion and sediment control, to 19 
issue, in writing, a cease and desist order to be effective immediately. 20 
The owner or agent of any building or premises where a violation of 21 
any provision of such regulations has been committed or exists, or the 22 
lessee or tenant of an entire building or entire premises where such 23 
violation has been committed or exists, or the owner, agent, lessee or 24 
tenant of any part of the building or premises in which such violation 25 
has been committed or exists, or the agent, architect, builder, 26 
contractor or any other person who commits, takes part or assists in 27 
any such violation or who maintains any building or premises in 28 
which any such violation exists, (1) shall be fined not less than ten 29 
dollars or more than one hundred dollars for each day that such 30 
violation continues; but, (2) if the offense is wilful, the person 31 
convicted thereof shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars or 32 
more than two hundred fifty dollars for each day that such violation 33 
continues, or imprisoned not more than ten days for each day such 34 
violation continues not to exceed a maximum of thirty days for such 35 
violation, or both; and the Superior Court shall have jurisdiction of all 36 
such offenses, subject to appeal as in other cases.  37 
(b) Any person who, having been served with an order to 38 
discontinue any such violation, fails to comply with such order within 39 
ten days after such service, or having been served with a cease and 40 
desist order with respect to a violation involving grading of land, 41 
removal of earth or soil erosion and sediment control, fails to comply 42 
with such order immediately, including any person who initially 43 
complies with such order, but who subsequently engages in conduct 44 
that constitutes a violation of such order, or continues to violate any 45 
provision of the regulations made under authority of the provisions of 46 
this chapter specified in such order, shall be subject to a civil penalty 47 
not to exceed [two] seven thousand five hundred dollars, payable to 48 
the treasurer of the municipality. In any criminal prosecution under 49 
this section, the defendant may plead in abatement that such criminal 50 
prosecution is based on a zoning ordinance or regulation which is the 51 
subject of a civil action wherein one of the issues is the interpretation 52  Substitute Bill No. 7344 
 
 
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of such ordinance or regulations, and that the issues in the civil action 53 
are such that the prosecution would fail if the civil action results in an 54 
interpretation different from that claimed by the state in the criminal 55 
prosecution. If the court renders judgment for such municipality and 56 
finds that the violation was wilful, the court shall allow such 57 
municipality its costs, together with reasonable attorney's fees to be 58 
taxed by the court. The court before which such prosecution is pending 59 
may order such prosecution abated if it finds that the allegations of the 60 
plea are true.  61 
Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 51-164n of the general statutes is 62 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective 63 
October 1, 2019): 64 
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, any 65 
person who is alleged to have committed (1) a violation under the 66 
provisions of section 1-9, 1-10, 1-11, 4b-13, 7-13, 7-14, 7-35, 7-41, 7-83, 7-67 
283, 7-325, 7-393, [8-12] subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 8-12, 68 
as amended by this act, 8-25, 8-27, 9-63, 9-322, 9-350, 10-193, 10-197, 10-69 
198, 10-230, 10-251, 10-254, 12-52, 12-170aa, 12-292, 12-314b or 12-326g, 70 
subdivision (4) of section 12-408, subdivision (3), (5) or (6) of section 71 
12-411, section 12-435c, 12-476a, 12-476b, 12-487, 13a-71, 13a-107, 13a-72 
113, 13a-114, 13a-115, 13a-117b, 13a-123, 13a-124, 13a-139, 13a-140, 13a-73 
143b, 13a-247 or 13a-253, subsection (f) of section 13b-42, section 13b-74 
90, 13b-221, 13b-292, 13b-336, 13b-337, 13b-338, 13b-410a, 13b-410b or 75 
13b-410c, subsection (a), (b) or (c) of section 13b-412, section 13b-414, 76 
subsection (d) of section 14-12, section 14-20a or 14-27a, subsection (e) 77 
of section 14-34a, subsection (d) of section 14-35, section 14-43, 14-49, 78 
14-50a or 14-58, subsection (b) of section 14-66, section 14-66a or 14-79 
67a, subsection (g) of section 14-80, subsection (f) of section 14-80h, 80 
section 14-97a, 14-100b, 14-103a, 14-106a, 14-106c, 14-146, 14-152, 14-81 
153 or 14-163b, a first violation as specified in subsection (f) of section 82 
14-164i, section 14-219 as specified in subsection (e) of said section, 83 
subdivision (1) of section 14-223a, section 14-240, 14-250 or 14-253a, 84 
subsection (a) of section 14-261a, section 14-262, 14-264, 14-267a, 14-85  Substitute Bill No. 7344 
 
 
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269, 14-270, 14-275a, 14-278 or 14-279, subsection (e) or (h) of section 86 
14-283, section 14-291, 14-293b, 14-296aa, 14-300, 14-300d, 14-319, 14-87 
320, 14-321, 14-325a, 14-326, 14-330 or 14-332a, subdivision (1), (2) or (3) 88 
of section 14-386a, section 15-25 or 15-33, subdivision (1) of section 15-89 
97, subsection (a) of section 15-115, section 16-44, 16-256e, 16a-15 or 90 
16a-22, subsection (a) or (b) of section 16a-22h, section 17a-24, 17a-145, 91 
17a-149, 17a-152, 17a-465, 17b-124, 17b-131, 17b-137, 19a-30, 19a-33, 92 
19a-39 or 19a-87, subsection (b) of section 19a-87a, section 19a-91, 19a-93 
105, 19a-107, 19a-113, 19a-215, 19a-219, 19a-222, 19a-224, 19a-286, 19a-94 
287, 19a-297, 19a-301, 19a-309, 19a-335, 19a-336, 19a-338, 19a-339, 19a-95 
340, 19a-425, 19a-502, 20-7a, 20-14, 20-158, 20-231, 20-249, 20-257, 20-96 
265, 20-324e, 20-341l, 20-366, 20-597, 20-608, 20-610, 21-1, 21-38, 21-39, 97 
21-43, 21-47, 21-48, 21-63 or 21-76a, subsection (c) of section 21a-2, 98 
subdivision (1) of section 21a-19, section 21a-21, subdivision (1) of 99 
subsection (b) of section 21a-25, section 21a-26 or 21a-30, subsection (a) 100 
of section 21a-37, section 21a-46, 21a-61, 21a-63 or 21a-77, subsection 101 
(b) of section 21a-79, section 21a-85 or 21a-154, subdivision (1) of 102 
subsection (a) of section 21a-159, subsection (a) of section 21a-279a, 103 
section 22-12b, 22-13, 22-14, 22-15, 22-16, 22-26g, 22-29, 22-34, 22-35, 22-104 
36, 22-38, 22-39, 22-39a, 22-39b, 22-39c, 22-39d, 22-39e, 22-49 or 22-54, 105 
subsection (d) of section 22-84, section 22-89, 22-90, 22-98, 22-99, 22-106 
100, 22-111o, 22-167, 22-279, 22-280a, 22-318a, 22-320h, 22-324a, 22-326 107 
or 22-342, subsection (b), (e) or (f) of section 22-344, section 22-359, 22-108 
366, 22-391, 22-413, 22-414, 22-415, 22a-66a or 22a-246, subsection (a) of 109 
section 22a-250, subsection (e) of section 22a-256h, section 22a-363 or 110 
22a-381d, subsections (c) and (d) of section 22a-381e, section 22a-449, 111 
22a-461, 23-37, 23-38, 23-46 or 23-61b, subsection (a) or subdivision (1) 112 
of subsection (c) of section 23-65, section 25-37 or 25-40, subsection (a) 113 
of section 25-43, section 25-43d, 25-135, 26-18, 26-19, 26-21, 26-31, 26-40, 114 
26-40a, 26-42, 26-49, 26-54, 26-55, 26-56, 26-58 or 26-59, subdivision (1) 115 
of subsection (d) of section 26-61, section 26-64, subdivision (1) of 116 
section 26-76, section 26-79, 26-87, 26-89, 26-91, 26-94, 26-97, 26-98, 26-117 
104, 26-105, 26-107, 26-117, 26-128, 26-131, 26-132, 26-138 or 26-141, 118 
subdivision (1) of section 26-186, section 26-207, 26-215, 26-217 or 26-119 
224a, subdivision (1) of section 26-226, section 26-227, 26-230, 26-232, 120  Substitute Bill No. 7344 
 
 
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26-244, 26-257a, 26-260, 26-276, 26-284, 26-285, 26-286, 26-288, 26-294, 121 
28-13, 29-6a, 29-25, 29-143o, 29-143z or 29-156a, subsection (b), (d), (e) 122 
or (g) of section 29-161q, section 29-161y or 29-161z, subdivision (1) of 123 
section 29-198, section 29-210, 29-243 or 29-277, subsection (c) of section 124 
29-291c, section 29-316, 29-318, 29-381, 30-48a, 30-86a, 31-3, 31-10, 31-125 
11, 31-12, 31-13, 31-14, 31-15, 31-16, 31-18, 31-23, 31-24, 31-25, 31-32, 31-126 
36, 31-38, 31-40, 31-44, 31-47, 31-48, 31-51, 31-52, 31-52a or 31-54, 127 
subsection (a) or (c) of section 31-69, section 31-70, 31-74, 31-75, 31-76, 128 
31-76a, 31-89b or 31-134, subsection (i) of section 31-273, section 31-288, 129 
subdivision (1) of section 35-20, section 36a-787, 42-230, 45a-283, 45a-130 
450, 45a-634 or 45a-658, subdivision (13) or (14) of section 46a-54, 131 
section 46a-59, 46b-22, 46b-24, 46b-34, 47-34a, 47-47, 49-8a, 49-16, 53-132 
133, 53-199, 53-212a, 53-249a, 53-252, 53-264, 53-280, 53-302a, 53-303e, 133 
53-311a, 53-321, 53-322, 53-323, 53-331 or 53-344, subsection (c) of 134 
section 53-344b, or section 53-450, or (2) a violation under the 135 
provisions of chapter 268, or (3) a violation of any regulation adopted 136 
in accordance with the provisions of section 12-484, 12-487 or 13b-410, 137 
or (4) a violation of any ordinance, regulation or bylaw of any town, 138 
city or borough, except violations of building codes and the health 139 
code, for which the penalty exceeds ninety dollars but does not exceed 140 
two hundred fifty dollars, unless such town, city or borough has 141 
established a payment and hearing procedure for such violation 142 
pursuant to section 7-152c, shall follow the procedures set forth in this 143 
section. 144 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 October 1, 2019 8-12 
Sec. 2 October 1, 2019 51-164n(b) 
 
JUD Joint Favorable Subst.