Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB07062 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3		-	LCO 1 of 5
	3	+	LCO No. 4959 1 of 5
4	4
5		-	General Assembly ~~Substitute~~ Bill No. 7062
	5	+	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 7062
6	6		January Session, 2025
	7	+	LCO No. 4959
7	8
	9	+
	10	+	Referred to Committee on PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
	11	+
	12	+
	13	+	Introduced by:
	14	+	(PD)
8	15
9	16
10	17
11	18
12	19		AN ACT CONCERNING TEMPORARY SHELTER UNITS FOR
13		-	PERSONS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR REFUGEES.
	20	+	PERSONS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR REFUGEES AND
	21	+	AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS LOCATED ON REAL
	22	+	PROPERTY OWNED BY RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS.
14	23		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
15	24		Assembly convened:
16	25
17	26		Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2025) (a) As used in this section 1
18	27		and section 2 of this act: 2
19	28		(1) "As of right" has the same meaning as provided in section 8-1a of 3
20	29		the general statutes; 4
21	30		(2) "Municipality" has the same meaning as provided in subsection 5
22	31		(a) of section 7-148 of the general statutes; 6
23	32		(3) "Refugee" means any person located in the state who has been 7
24	33		admitted to the United States under the United States Refugee 8
25	34		Admissions Program established pursuant to the Immigration and 9
26	35		Nationality Act and who is outside such person's country of origin for 10
27	36		reasons of feared persecution, conflict, generalized violence or other 11
28	37		circumstances that have significantly disturbed public order; 12
	38	+	Raised Bill No. 7062
	39	+
	40	+
	41	+
	42	+	LCO No. 4959 2 of 5
	43	+
29	44		(4) "Religious organization" has the same meaning as provided in 13
30	45		section 49-31k of the general statutes; and 14
31	46		(5) "Temporary shelter unit" means a nonpermanent commercially 15
32		-	prefabricated accessory structure that is designed to be easily 16 Substitute Bill No. 7062
33		-
34		-
35		-	LCO 2 of 5
36		-
	47	+	prefabricated accessory structure that is designed to be easily 16
37	48		dismantled or removed, but does not include tarps, tents, other nonrigid 17
38	49		materials or motor vehicles. 18
39	50		(b) In each municipality with a population of twenty-five thousand 19
40	51		or more, as determined by the most recent decennial census, any zoning 20
41	52		regulations adopted pursuant to section 8-2 of the general statutes by 21
42	53		such municipality shall allow, as of right, the installation and 22
43	54		maintenance of temporary shelter units to provide shelter for persons 23
44	55		experiencing homelessness or refugees upon any real property owned 24
45	56		by a religious organization, provided any such temporary shelter unit 25
46	57		shall be an accessory use to a house of religious worship owned by such 26
47	58		organization. A municipality may: 27
48	59		(1) Prohibit the installation of more than eight temporary shelter units 28
49	60		on any single lot; 29
50	61		(2) Prescribe a maximum size of four hundred square feet for any 30
51	62		temporary shelter unit; 31
52	63		(3) Require that each temporary shelter unit be structurally sound, 32
53	64		protect occupants from the elements and not pose a threat to the health 33
54	65		or safety of any occupant; 34
55	66		(4) Require that each temporary shelter unit be equipped with 35
56	67		necessary heating and cooling equipment in proper operating condition; 36
57	68		(5) Require that each temporary shelter unit have sufficient electrical 37
58	69		sources to permit the safe use of personal electrical appliances and 38
59	70		devices and lighting fixtures in the unit; 39
60	71		(6) Prohibit the occupancy of any shelter unit by more than one family 40
61	72		or two unrelated individuals; 41
	73	+	Raised Bill No. 7062
	74	+
	75	+
	76	+
	77	+	LCO No. 4959 3 of 5
	78	+
62	79		(7) Prohibit any individual from occupying a temporary shelter unit 42
63	80		for a period exceeding twelve consecutive months; 43
64	81		(8) Prohibit the installation of any temporary shelter unit within one 44
65		-	thousand feet of any public or private elementary or secondary school 45 Substitute Bill No. 7062
66		-
67		-
68		-	LCO 3 of 5
69		-
	82	+	thousand feet of any public or private elementary or secondary school 45
70	83		or cemetery; 46
71	84		(9) Require any religious organization that installs a temporary 47
72	85		shelter unit on the real property of such organization to provide 48
73	86		sufficient numbers of male and female toilets and shower facilities to 49
74	87		accommodate the occupants of any such unit, including (A) a minimum 50
75	88		of one toilet for every eight such occupants per gender, and (B) a 51
76	89		minimum of one shower for every eight such occupants per gender; 52
77	90		(10) Require that any temporary shelter unit be set back not less than 53
78	91		ten feet from any adjacent real property not owned by the religious 54
79	92		organization; 55
80	93		(11) Require that any outdoor storage of the personal belongings of 56
81	94		any occupant of a temporary shelter unit be obscured from public view 57
82	95		by a minimum six-foot-tall wall or fence; and 58
83	96		(12) Require the illumination by exterior lighting of the entire outdoor 59
84	97		and parking area of the property upon which any temporary shelter unit 60
85	98		is installed. 61
86	99		(c) The as-of-right permit application and review process for 62
87	100		approval of any temporary shelter unit shall require that a decision on 63
88	101		any such application be rendered not later than sixty-five days after 64
89	102		receipt of such application by the applicable zoning commission, except 65
90	103		an applicant may consent to one or more extensions of not more than an 66
91	104		additional sixty-five days or may withdraw such application. 67
92	105		(d) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to exempt a temporary 68
93	106		shelter unit from any applicable provision of any building code or fire 69
94	107		safety code, except no provision of the State Building Code that would 70
	108	+	Raised Bill No. 7062
	109	+
	110	+
	111	+
	112	+	LCO No. 4959 4 of 5
	113	+
95	114		have the effect of limiting the duration of the permitted use of a 71
96	115		temporary shelter unit shall apply to such unit. 72
97	116		(e) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to limit a religious 73
98	117		organization from using any building, or portion of a building, located 74
99		-	on real property owned by such organization to provide temporary 75 Substitute Bill No. 7062
100		-
101		-
102		-	LCO 4 of 5
103		-
	118	+	on real property owned by such organization to provide temporary 75
104	119		shelter for persons experiencing homelessness or refugees. 76
105	120		(f) A municipality shall not condition the approval of a temporary 77
106	121		shelter unit on the correction of a nonconforming use, structure or lot. 78
107	122		(g) A municipality, special district or sewer or water authority shall 79
108	123		not (1) consider a temporary shelter unit to be a new residential use for 80
109	124		the purposes of calculating connection fees or capacity charges for 81
110	125		utilities, including water and sewer service, or (2) require the 82
111	126		installation of a new or separate utility connection directly to a 83
112	127		temporary shelter unit or impose a related connection fee or capacity 84
113	128		charge. 85
114	129		(h) If a municipality fails to adopt new zoning regulations or amend 86
115	130		existing zoning regulations by July 1, 2026, for the purpose of complying 87
116	131		with the provisions of subsections (b) to (g), inclusive, of this section, 88
117	132		any noncompliant existing zoning regulation shall become void. No 89
118	133		municipality shall use or impose additional standards concerning the 90
119	134		installation and maintenance of temporary shelter units to provide 91
120	135		shelter for persons experiencing homelessness or refugees upon any real 92
121	136		property owned by a religious organization beyond those standards set 93
122	137		forth in subsections (b) to (g), inclusive, of this section. 94
123		-	Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) The State Building Inspector and 95
124		-	the Codes and Standards Committee shall, jointly, with the approval of 96
125		-	the Commissioner of Administrative Services, in accordance with the 97
126		-	provisions of section 29-252b of the general statutes, include in the 98
127		-	amendments to the State Building Code next adopted after the effective 99
128		-	date of this section, and the State Fire Marshal and the Codes and 100
129		-	Standards Committee shall, in accordance with section 29-292a of the 101
130		-	general statutes, include in the amendments to the Fire Safety Code next 102
131		-	adopted after the effective date of this section, provisions that regulate 103
132		-	the erection and use of temporary shelter units, as defined in section 1 104
133		-	of this act, in such a way as to: 105
134		-	(1) Be consistent with safe occupancy and egress; 106 Substitute Bill No. 7062
	138	+	Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2025) (a) Any zoning regulations 95
	139	+	adopted by a municipality pursuant to section 8-2 of the general statutes 96
	140	+	shall allow for the development of affordable housing, as defined in 97
	141	+	section 8-39a of the general statutes, upon any real property owned by 98
	142	+	a religious organization as of right, provided such real property is not 99
	143	+	used as a cemetery. 100
	144	+	Raised Bill No. 7062
135	145
136	146
137		-	LCO 5 of 5
138	147
139		-	(2) Regulate the installation and use of heating and cooking 107
140		-	equipment and equipment that utilizes flammable fuel; and 108
141		-	(3) Require that such units comply with requirements of Appendix Q 109
142		-	of the 2021 International Residential Code applicable to tiny houses. 110
	148	+	LCO No. 4959 5 of 5
	149	+
	150	+	(b) The as-of-right permit application and review process for the 101
	151	+	approval of the development of affordable housing on real property 102
	152	+	owned by a religious organization shall require that a decision on any 103
	153	+	such application be rendered not later than sixty-five days after receipt 104
	154	+	of such application by the planning commission, zoning commission or 105
	155	+	combined planning and zoning commission, except an applicant may 106
	156	+	consent to one or more extensions of not more than an additional sixty-107
	157	+	five days or may withdraw such application. 108
	158	+	(c) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to exempt affordable 109
	159	+	housing constructed pursuant to this section from any (1) applicable 110
	160	+	provision of any building code or fire safety code, or (2) requirements 111
	161	+	pertaining to wells or private sewerage systems, provided approval for 112
	162	+	any such affordable housing shall not be unreasonably withheld. 113
143	163		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
144	164		sections:
145	165
146	166		Section 1 October 1, 2025 New section
147		-	Sec. 2 ~~from passage~~ New section
	167	+	Sec. 2 October 1, 2025 New section
148	168
149		-	PD Joint Favorable Subst.
	169	+	Statement of Purpose:
	170	+	To allow on real property owned by religious organizations (1) the
	171	+	installation of temporary shelter units for persons experiencing
	172	+	homelessness or refugees, and (2) the development of affordable
	173	+	housing as of right.
	174	+
	175	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	176	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	177	+	underlined.]
150	178