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HB05167 • 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING THE DISCLOSURE OF WATER QUALITY TEST RESULTS FOR CERTAIN PRIVATE AND SEMIPUBLIC WELLS.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE DISCLOSURE OF WATER QUALITY TEST RESULTS FOR CERTAIN PRIVATE AND SEMIPUBLIC WELLS.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Public Health Committee
Last action
2026-03-16
Official status
File Number 24
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how local health authorities will handle expanded disclosure requirements.

Water Quality Test Results Disclosure for Private and Semipublic Wells

This act changes the rules about sharing water quality test results from private and semipublic wells with certain people without needing approval from a health official.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes the need for the Commissioner of Public Health's permission to share water quality test results.
  • Allows local health authorities to give test results directly to property owners, prospective buyers, and neighbors who use the same well.
  • Expands the list of people who can receive test results to include those owning properties that get water from the tested well.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Property owners with private or semipublic wells
  • Prospective buyers of property served by these wells
  • Local health authorities

Terms To Know

Semipublic well
A well that provides water to multiple properties or a small community.
Commissioner of Public Health
The top official in charge of public health for the state.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what happens if test results are confidential.
  • Does not provide details on how local health authorities will handle expanded disclosure requirements.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-16 LCO

    Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office

  2. 2026-03-16 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, House

  3. 2026-03-16 Connecticut General Assembly

    House Calendar Number 48

  4. 2026-03-16 LCO

    File Number 24

  5. 2026-03-09 LCO

    Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/16/26 12:00 PM

  6. 2026-03-03 LCO

    Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office

  7. 2026-03-02 PH

    Joint Favorable

  8. 2026-02-13 Connecticut General Assembly

    Public Hearing 02/18

  9. 2026-02-11 Connecticut General Assembly

    Referred to Joint Committee on Public Health

Official Summary Text

To permit the disclosure of private well and semipublic well water quality test results to certain individuals without requiring approval of the Commissioner of Public Health.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
House of Representatives
HB5167 / File No. 24 1

General Assembly File No. 24
February Session, 2026 House Bill No. 5167

House of Representatives, March 16, 2026

The Committee on Public Health reported through REP.
MCCARTHY VAHEY of the 133rd Dist., Chairperson of the
Committee on the part of the House, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE DISCLOSURE OF WATER QUALITY
TEST RESULTS FOR CERTAIN PRIVATE AND SEMIPUBLIC WELLS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of section 19a -37 of the 1
2026 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is 2
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 3
(c) (1) Any laboratory or firm which conducts a water quality test on 4
a private well serving a residential property or semipublic well in the 5
state shall, not later than thirty days after the completion of such test, 6
report the results of such test to the local health authority of the 7
municipality where the property is located and the Department of 8
Public Health in a format specified by the department. Results 9
submitted to the Department of Public Health or the local health 10
authority pursuant to this subsection, information obtained from any 11
Department of Public Health or local health authority investigation 12
regarding those results and any Department of Public Health or local 13
health authority study of morbidity and mortality regarding the results 14
HB5167 File No. 24

HB5167 / File No. 24 2

shall be confidential pursuant to section 19a -25, except the local health 15
authority and the department may [, if approved by the commissioner,] 16
disclose the results or information obtained from an investigation of the 17
results to (A) the owner of the property on which the well is located, the 18
owner of any other property that obtains water from the well, and the 19
owner of each property that is adjacent to the property on which the 20
well is located or to any other property that obtains water from the well, 21
(B) a prospective buyer of such property who has signed a contract to 22
purchase such property, (C) other persons or entities, when such 23
disclosure is necessary to carry out a statutory or regulatory 24
responsibility of the local health authority or department, [or] and (D) 25
an agent of a state agency. 26
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 19a-37(c)(1)

PH Joint Favorable

HB5167 File No. 24

HB5167 / File No. 24 3

The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill makes procedural changes regarding the disclosure of certain
water quality test results, resulting in no fiscal impact to the state or
municipalities.

HB5167 File No. 24

HB5167 / File No. 24 4

OLR Bill Analysis
HB 5167

AN ACT CONCERNING THE DISCLOSURE OF WATER QUALITY
TEST RESULTS FOR CERTAIN PRIVATE AND SEMIPUBLIC
WELLS.

SUMMARY
This bill removes the requirement for the Department of Public
Health (DPH) commissioner’s approval before health authorities can
disclose private residential or semipublic well testing results to certain
parties, and expands the allowable recipients of the test results.
More specifically, the law requires an environmental laboratory that
conducts water quality testing for these wells to report the results to
DPH and the local health authority. Current law allows DPH and the
local health authority, with the DPH commissioner’s approval, to
disclose the test results or related investigation information to certain
parties. The bill eliminate s the requirement for the commissioner’ s
approval, and expands the allowable parties to include the owner of (1)
any other property that obtains water from the well or (2) any property
next to the property (a) where the well is located or (b) that obtains water
from the well.
Under existing law, DPH and the local health authority (currently,
only with the commissioner’s approval) may also disclose the test
results or investigation information to the following:
1. the property owner,
2. a prospective buyer who has signed a purchase contract,
3. a state agency’s agent, or
4. other people or entities when disclosure is needed for DPH or the
HB5167 File No. 24

HB5167 / File No. 24 5

local health authority to carry out their duties.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
COMMITTEE ACTION
Public Health Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 31 Nay 0 (03/02/2026)