How Long Does an Eviction Take in Connecticut? The Summary Process Timeline, Step by Step
You want a date. Connecticut's eviction law gives you a process.
Maybe it's the first-floor unit of your two-family in Bridgeport's East End. The rent came on time for years, until it didn't. You've texted. You've called. You offered a payment plan, and it worked for one month. Now you're two months short on the money that pays the taxes, the insurance and the oil, and you're searching the same question at midnight, exhausted and a little cornered.
Here's the honest answer to how long an eviction takes in Connecticut: an uncontested case often takes about one to three months from the notice to quit to the day a state marshal carries out the judgment. A contested case, or one with a stay of execution, takes longer. Those are typical ranges, not legal deadlines. The Judicial Branch doesn't publish exact timelines, because every case moves at its own pace.
This guide walks through each step, with the Connecticut statutes behind it, so you can plan around real numbers. If you're also wondering whether it's time to stop being a landlord altogether, our guide for tired landlords thinking about selling their rental property covers the bigger picture.
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How Long Does an Eviction Take in Connecticut? The Short Answer
Think in months, not weeks. The law sets several fixed waiting periods, but the time between them depends on the court's calendar, whether the tenant files an appearance, whether you reach an agreement in mediation, and whether the tenant asks for more time after judgment.
- Set by statute: a 9-day grace period for monthly rent, a notice to quit of at least 3 days, an appearance deadline 2 days after the return date, an automatic 5-day stay after judgment, and stays of execution of up to 3 months (nonpayment) or 6 months (most other cases, but not nuisance or illegal-use cases).
- Typical, not guaranteed: about one to three months in total when the tenant doesn't contest the case, longer with a trial, and potentially several months longer with a stay.
Step 1 — The Grace Period (CGS § 47a-15a)
Rent may be due on the 1st, but you can't act on the 2nd. Under CGS § 47a-15a, the tenant has 9 days after the due date to pay (4 days for weekly rentals) before you can serve a notice to quit for nonpayment. Since January 2026, if your online payment system keeps the tenant from paying on time, the grace period for that month (or week) runs 5 days longer. Late fees follow the same clock: none until the grace period ends, and then no more than the lesser of $5 a day up to $50, or 5% of the late rent.
Step 2 — The Notice to Quit (CGS § 47a-23)
The notice to quit is the formal start. It must give the tenant at least 3 days to move out before you can file in court. It has to be served by a proper officer, such as a state marshal. A 2025 law ended the old option of having an "indifferent person" — someone with no stake in the case — deliver it. Since October 1, 2021, every residential notice to quit must also include the Right to Counsel notice (CGS § 47a-75), which tells tenants about free legal help for those who qualify.
Small mistakes here are expensive. A notice with the wrong dates, the wrong names or a missing form can lead a court to dismiss the case, and the clock starts over. You can read the statute yourself in Connecticut summary process law, CGS chapter 832, but this is the step where an attorney earns the fee.
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Step 3 — Summons, Complaint and the Return Date
If the tenant is still there after the notice period ends, a state marshal serves the summary process summons and complaint, with another copy of the Right to Counsel notice attached. The case is returnable to a Housing Session, or to the regular court docket in areas without one. The tenant then has until 2 days after the return date to file an appearance. If the tenant never appears, the case can move to judgment faster.
Bridgeport has its own Housing Session. The Judicial Branch's Housing Sessions directory lists it at 1061 Main Street downtown. If you own a two- or three-family in the East End, the North End or Black Rock, that's likely where your case will be heard. And if you'd rather skip court altogether, it helps to know that Helpful Home Buyers, based nearby in Shelton, buys houses and rentals in Bridgeport, tenants and all.
Step 4 — Mediation, Agreements and Trial
Mediation is common in Connecticut housing cases. A housing specialist, a court staff member who handles housing disputes, often helps the landlord and tenant work out an agreement: a payment plan to catch up on rent, or a move-out date the tenant can actually meet. If you agree, the terms are written down. If you can't agree, the case goes to trial before a judge.
Trial adds time. Scheduling depends on the court's calendar, and if the tenant raises defenses, such as a dispute over repairs or over the notice itself, the case can stretch further.
Step 5 — Judgment, the 5-Day Stay and Stays of Execution
If you win, the tenant still has time. Connecticut gives an automatic 5-day stay after judgment (CGS § 47a-35), and those 5 days don't count Sundays, legal holidays or the day of judgment itself. Nothing can be carried out during that window.
Then the tenant can ask for more time. Under CGS §§ 47a-37 to 47a-39, a judge can grant a stay of execution of up to 6 months in most cases, such as an expired lease. In nonpayment cases, the limit is 3 months, and the tenant must pay the back rent into court within 5 days to get it. Cases based on nuisance or illegal use of the unit don't qualify. A judge looks at the tenant's circumstances, so it's wise to plan for the possibility.
Step 6 — The Execution and the State Marshal
Once the stays run out, you can get a summary process execution. A state marshal notifies the town, serves the execution on the occupants and makes reasonable efforts to notify the tenant at least 24 hours before the removal. Belongings left behind go to a town-designated storage facility for 15 days at the tenant's expense, and after that the town can sell them at auction. The execution must be carried out within 60 days of the date the court signs it.
The Real Cost of Waiting It Out
Here's an example with round numbers. Say your unit rents for $1,500 a month. If the tenant misses the October rent and it takes three to four months to get from that missed payment to an empty unit, you lose $4,500 to $6,000 in rent. Then add court and marshal costs, an attorney if you hire one, and whatever the unit needs before the next tenant moves in.
None of that makes the tenant a bad person. People fall behind for real reasons: a layoff, an illness, a car that dies and takes the job with it. But it explains why so many small landlords look at the calendar and the math and decide they don't want to do this again.
Selling Instead of Finishing the Eviction
You don't have to finish an eviction to sell your building. As a general rule, a pending case doesn't stop a sale, as long as the buyer knows what they're buying. Helpful Home Buyers buys rental properties with tenants in place, including during an active eviction. At closing, the tenancy, the security deposit and the decision about what happens next become the new owner's responsibility. Talk with your attorney about how your pending case is handled.
Our guide to selling a Connecticut rental with tenants in place explains how leases and deposits transfer. You can also see how we buy rental property across Connecticut, whatever shape the building or the tenancy is in.
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