Court portal, certified copy fees, and expungement laws for Connecticut
In Connecticut, an eviction record (the state calls these summary process cases) is filed with the Housing Court in the major cities or with the Superior Court elsewhere, and the file is unusually reachable: the judiciary runs a single statewide online search, the CT Judicial Branch Case Look-Up, so you do not have to know which courthouse handled the matter to find it. That centralized access is the headline difference between Connecticut and the many states where records are scattered county by county.
The expungement reality is the other half of the picture, and it cuts the opposite way. Connecticut has no statutory right to expunge or seal an eviction record, so a filing that exists today generally stays visible on the public docket. For renters that means a single case can linger; for landlords it means the data is durable but must be read carefully. The rest of this guide walks through finding a record, reading the disposition, and the screening rules both sides should know.
Start at the CT Judicial Branch Case Look-Up, the state's statewide online portal. Because access is centralized, you search by party name or case number once rather than calling each courthouse. Summary process cases originate in the Housing Court sessions that serve the larger cities and in the Superior Court in jurisdictions without a dedicated housing docket, but the online index pulls from across the system.
If you need a document for a lease file, a court proceeding, or a dispute, request a certified copy from the clerk of the court that heard the case. Connecticut charges $1 per page for certified copies. The free online look-up is enough for routine tenant screening; pay for certified copies only when you need an authenticated record you can rely on as evidence.
The single most important habit when reading a Connecticut docket is to check the disposition, not just the case caption. A filing is not a judgment. A landlord opening a summary process case creates a public record the moment it is filed, but that case may have been withdrawn, settled by stipulation, dismissed, or decided in the tenant's favor.
On the CT Judicial Branch Case Look-Up, scan the entries for the outcome and the case status. A withdrawal or dismissal carries very different weight than a judgment of possession entered against the tenant. Treating an open or dismissed filing as if it were a loss is both inaccurate and, in screening, legally risky. Read the whole history before drawing any conclusion about what actually happened.
Connecticut has no statutory eviction-record expungement or sealing right, so most summary process records remain part of the permanent public docket and stay visible through the CT Judicial Branch Case Look-Up. Landlords therefore have durable data, but the durability raises the stakes on accuracy and fairness.
Screening is governed by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. If you pull records through a tenant-screening company, FCRA applies in full — disclosure, a permissible purpose, and an adverse-action notice with the reporting agency's details if you decline an applicant based on what you find. Most consumer reports also stop reporting civil case records after seven years. Where average rent runs about $1,727, a careful, history-based read of each case protects you far better than a reflexive denial on a bare filing.
Because Connecticut offers no expungement statute, a tenant cannot simply petition to erase a summary process case the way renters can in some other states. The practical levers are different here. The strongest move is to keep a case from ending in a judgment in the first place — answering the complaint, appearing on the return date, and negotiating a stipulated agreement or withdrawal rather than letting a default judgment enter.
If a record already exists, focus on context. Many screening reports age civil records off after seven years, and an applicant can supply the disposition showing a withdrawal, dismissal, or settlement. Renters who believe a screening report is inaccurate have FCRA dispute rights with the reporting agency. A landlord should never act on a record that has been sealed or that the disposition shows was not a judgment.
This guide was prepared by the Eviction Risk Map research team using public information from the Connecticut Judicial Branch, which administers the Housing Court and Superior Court summary process dockets and the statewide CT Judicial Branch Case Look-Up; as of this review Connecticut has no statutory eviction-record expungement or sealing law. Last reviewed June 2026. This is general information, not legal advice — for a specific case or screening decision, consult a Connecticut attorney or the relevant clerk of court.
Use the CT Judicial Branch Case Look-Up, the statewide online portal, and search by party name or case number. Connecticut eviction (summary process) cases are heard in the Housing Court in the major cities and in the Superior Court elsewhere, but the online index draws from across the state, so you don't need to know which courthouse handled the case. For an authenticated document, request a certified copy from the clerk of the court that decided it.
Yes. Connecticut summary process cases are public court records, and the state makes them searchable statewide through the CT Judicial Branch Case Look-Up. Because there is no expungement law, a filed case generally stays on the public docket. When you read one, check the disposition: a filing is not a judgment, and many cases end in withdrawal, dismissal, or settlement rather than a judgment of possession.
No. Connecticut has no statutory right to expunge or seal an eviction record, so a summary process case generally remains part of the permanent public record. The best protection is avoiding a judgment in the first place — appearing in court and resolving the case by stipulation or withdrawal. If a record already exists, most screening reports age civil cases off after about seven years, and tenants have FCRA dispute rights for inaccurate reporting.
Certified copies cost $1 per page, requested from the clerk of the court that heard the case. The CT Judicial Branch Case Look-Up is free for routine searches and tenant screening, so pay for a certified copy only when you need an authenticated record — for example, as evidence in a court proceeding or a formal dispute.
Court portal information sourced from the Connecticut court administrative office official website. Expungement laws from published Connecticut statutes (see citations above). Last updated July 14, 2026. For informational purposes only, not legal advice.
