2013 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 22a - Environmental Protection
Chapter 446k - Water Pollution Control
Section 22a-452e - Limitation on liability of innocent landowners.

(a) An innocent landowner holding or acquiring an interest in real estate that has been subjected to a spill or discharge shall not be liable, except through imposition of a lien against that real estate under section 22a-452a, for any assessment, fine or other costs imposed by the state for the containment, removal or mitigation of such spill or discharge or for any order of the commissioner to abate or remediate such spill or discharge which order was issued on or before August 1, 1990, and is subject to appeal as of July 6, 1995, and, after July 1, 1996, for any order to abate or remediate such spill or discharge which order is issued by the commissioner after July 1, 1996. A person claiming immunity under this subsection must establish that he is an innocent landowner by a preponderance of the evidence. In determining whether a person is an innocent landowner, a court may take into account any specialized knowledge or experience of the person, the relationship of the consideration paid for the interest in the real estate to the value of such interest if the real estate were not polluted, commonly known or reasonably ascertainable information about the real estate, the obviousness of the presence or likely presence of the spill or discharge and the ability to detect such spill or discharge by appropriate inspection.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section: (1) Any amount paid by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection pursuant to subsection (b) of section 22a-451 to contain, remove or mitigate the effects of the spill or discharge shall be a lien against the real estate, as provided by section 22a-452a, in an amount not to exceed the value of the land appraised as if it were uncontaminated; and (2) an innocent landowner who sells an interest in real estate that has been subjected to a spill or discharge shall be liable, to the extent of the net proceeds of such sale, for the costs of containing, removing or mitigating the effects of such spill or discharge. For the purposes of this subsection, “net proceeds” means proceeds received by the person after payment of the reasonable expenses of the sale.

(c) The liability of a person holding a security interest in real estate who acquires title to the real estate by virtue of a foreclosure or tender of a deed in lieu of foreclosure shall be limited as provided in section 22a-452b.

(d) This section shall apply to any spill or discharge which occurred before or after July 6, 1995, except that it shall not affect any enforcement or cost recovery action if such action has become final, and is no longer subject to appeal, prior to July 6, 1995.

(P.A. 93-375, S. 2, 4; P.A. 95-190, S. 8, 17; 95-218, S. 17, 24; P.A. 11-80, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 93-375 effective June 30, 1993; P.A. 95-190 amended Subsec. (a) to extend the liability protection to orders to abate or remediate pollution, amended Subsec. (b) to change the value of the lien from the interest of the innocent landowner to the value of the land appraised as if uncontaminated, to delete a provision allowing any person to avail themselves of a limitation on liability upon sale of contaminated property and to delete a provision excluding satisfaction of all debts from the definition of “net proceeds” and amended Subsec. (d) to make the section only applicable to actions which were not final as of June 29, 1995, effective June 29, 1995; P.A. 95-218 amended Subsec. (a) to limit applicability of this section in cases of orders of the commissioner to those orders issued before August 1, 1990, or after July 1, 1996, effective July 6, 1995; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection” in Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 2011.