2012 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 51 - Courts
Chapter 890 - Judicial Districts, Geographical Areas, Civil and Criminal Venue, Filing and Designation of Court Location
Section 51-348 - Geographical areas. Venue. Courthouse use. Housing docket. Hearing of infractions and violations by magistrate.

(a) The geographical areas of the Court of Common Pleas established pursuant to section 51-156a, revised to 1975, shall be the geographical areas of the Superior Court on July 1, 1978. The Chief Court Administrator, after consultation with the judges of the Superior Court, may alter the boundary of any geographical area to provide for a new geographical area provided that each geographical area so altered or so authorized shall remain solely within the boundary of a single judicial district.

(b) Such geographical areas shall serve for purposes of establishing venue for the following matters: (1) The presentment of defendants in motor vehicle matters, except as provided in subsection (d) of this section; (2) the arraignment of defendants in criminal matters; (3) housing matters as defined in section 47a-68, except that (A) in the judicial districts of Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, Fairfield, Waterbury, Middlesex, Tolland and Stamford-Norwalk, venue shall be in the judicial district, and (B) in the judicial district of Ansonia-Milford, venue shall be in the geographical area unless (i) the plaintiff requests a change in venue to either the judicial district of New Haven or the judicial district of Waterbury, or (ii) the premises are located in the town of Milford, Orange or West Haven, in which case venue shall be in the judicial district of New Haven; (4) such other matters as the judges of the Superior Court may determine by rule.

(c) For the prompt and proper administration of judicial business, any matter and any trial can be heard in any courthouse within a judicial district, at the discretion of the Chief Court Administrator, if the use of such courthouse for such matter or trial is convenient to litigants and their counsel and is a practical use of judicial personnel and facilities, except juvenile matters may be heard as provided in section 46b-122. Whenever practicable family relations matters shall be heard in facilities most convenient to the litigants. Housing matters, as defined in section 47a-68, shall be heard on a docket separate from other matters within the judicial districts of Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, Fairfield, Waterbury and Stamford-Norwalk, provided in the judicial district of New Britain such matters shall be heard by the judge assigned to hear housing matters in the judicial district of Hartford, in the judicial district of Waterbury such matters shall be heard by the judge assigned to hear housing matters in the judicial district of New Haven, and in the judicial district of Stamford-Norwalk such matters shall be heard by the judge assigned to hear housing matters in the judicial district of Fairfield. The records, files and other documents pertaining to housing matters shall be maintained separate from the records, files and other documents of the court. Matters do not have to be heard in the facilities to which the process is returned and the pleadings filed.

(d) Venue for infractions and violations that may be heard and decided by a magistrate pursuant to section 51-193u shall be at Superior Court facilities designated by the Chief Court Administrator to hear such matters.

(P.A. 76-436, S. 10a, 671, 681; P.A. 77-576, S. 7, 65; P.A. 78-365, S. 5, 13; 78-379, S. 17, 27; P.A. 79-631, S. 10, 111; P.A. 80-448, S. 6, 8; P.A. 81-419, S. 9; P.A. 82-461, S. 7; P.A. 86-359, S. 41, 44; P.A. 88-230, S. 11, 12; P.A. 89-141, S. 5–7; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 7, 8; P.A. 95-220, S. 4–6; P.A. 97-40, S. 15, 16, 18; P.A. 99-215, S. 8; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 60, 131; P.A. 02-132, S. 76.)

History: P.A. 77-576 included housing matters in Subsec. (b), deleted references to counties and deleted provision whereby chief court administrator was empowered to designate courthouses to which jurors originally summoned, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 78-365 deleted former Subsec. (b)(7) re landlord and tenant matters and summary process, renumbering Subdiv. (8) accordingly and added provisions re housing matters in Subsec. (c); P.A. 78-379 authorized chief court administrator to alter geographical area boundaries in Subsec. (a) and substituted reference to Sec. 51-303 for reference to Sec. 51-301 in Subsec. (c); P.A. 79-631 substituted Sec. 47a-68 for Sec. 47a-43 in Subsec. (b)(6); P.A. 80-448 substituted Sec. 47a-68 for Sec. 47a-43 in Subsec. (c) and deleted provision which limited existence of separate docket for housing matters to 18 months commencing January 1, 1979; P.A. 81-419 amended Subsec. (b) to provide that venue for housing matters in the judicial district of New Haven shall be in the judicial district, and amended Subsec. (c) to provide that housing matters in the judicial district of New Haven shall be heard on a separate docket; P.A. 82-461 amended Subsec. (b) by providing that for housing matters in the Fairfield, Waterbury and Stamford-Norwalk judicial districts, venue shall be in the judicial district, and in the Ansonia-Milford judicial district venue shall be in the geographical area unless the plaintiff requests a change to the New Haven or Waterbury judicial district, and amended Subsec. (c) by providing that housing matters in the Fairfield, Waterbury and Stamford-Norwalk judicial districts be heard on a separate docket and that the judges assigned to hear housing matters in the New Haven and Fairfield judicial districts hear housing matters in the Waterbury and Stamford-Norwalk judicial districts, respectively; P.A. 86-359 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting “paternity matters” and “support matters” from matters subject to geographical areas for establishment of venue; P.A. 88-230 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to reflect division of the judicial district of Hartford-New Britain into the separate judicial districts of Hartford and of New Britain, and amended Subsec. (b) to add provision that in the judicial district of New Britain housing matters shall be heard by the judge assigned to hear housing matters in the judicial district of Hartford, effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 89-141 amended Subsec. (b) to provide that venue for housing matters when the premises are located in the town of Milford, Orange or West Haven shall be in the New Haven judicial district; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 97-40 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting reference to small claims matters, effective September 1, 1997; P.A. 99-215 amended Subsec. (b) by adding judicial districts of Middlesex and Tolland to exception in Subdiv. (3)(A); June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 amended Subsec. (b)(1) to add exception re venue for motor vehicle matters and added new Subsec. (d) specifying that venue for motor vehicle matters shall be at Superior Court facilities designated by the Chief Court Administrator to hear such matters, effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 02-132 amended Subsec. (d) by replacing “motor vehicle matters” with “infractions and violations that may be heard and decided by a magistrate pursuant to section 51-193u”, effective June 7, 2002.