HB05335 • 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING THE SAFETY CAPACITY OF BURR POND STATE PARK IN TORRINGTON.

Energy

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Environment Committee
Last action: 2026-02-27
Official status: Public Hearing 03/04
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text confirms all specific factors listed in the candidate explanation (staffing, lifeguards, parking, restrooms, highway safety, and vehicle proxy).

Setting Safety Limits for Burr Pond State Park

This law requires state officials to set and post a maximum number of visitors allowed at Burr Pond State Park based on safety factors like staffing, parking, restroom capacity, and road conditions.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection to calculate and post a visitor limit for Burr Pond State Park by January 31, 2027.
Mandates that officials consider general staff levels, lifeguard numbers, parking space, and restroom capacity when setting the limit.
Includes road safety on highways without sidewalks as a factor if traffic blocks emergency vehicles or forces pedestrians to walk near cars.
Allows the commissioner to count entering vehicles as an estimate for the total number of visitors at the park.
Requires coordination with police agencies to manage traffic and allows officials to stop new people from entering once the limit is reached.

Who It Names or Affects

Visitors attending Burr Pond State Park in Torrington
The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection
Municipal and state law enforcement agencies near the park

Terms To Know

Capacity limit: The maximum number of people allowed in a place at one time.
Proxy: Using one measurement, like cars entering the park, to estimate another number, like total visitors.

Limits and Unknowns

The specific visitor limit for Burr Pond State Park has not been set yet and will be determined by January 31, 2027.
The law does not list the exact dollar amount of funding needed to enforce these new rules.

Bill History

2026-02-27 Connecticut General Assembly
Public Hearing 03/04
2026-02-26 Connecticut General Assembly
Referred to Joint Committee on Environment

Official Summary Text

To establish a safety capacity for Burr Pond for the protection of park attendees and the vehicular traffic in the area of said park.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

LCO No. 2279 1 of 2

General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5335
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 2279

Referred to Committee on ENVIRONMENT

Introduced by:
(ENV)

AN ACT CONCERNING THE SAFETY CAPACITY OF BURR POND
STATE PARK IN TORRINGTON.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) ( Effective October 1, 2026 ) The Commissioner of 1
Energy and Environmental Protection shall develop and post for 2
members of the public, on or before January 31, 2027, the capacity limit 3
of Burr Pond State Park. Such capacity limit shall be determined 4
utilizing the following factors: (1) The number of visitors that can be 5
safely supervised, taking into account the staffing at said state park; (2) 6
the number of swimmers that can be safely supervised, taking into 7
account the lifeguard staffing in said state park; (3) the parking capacity 8
at said state park; (4) the public restroom facility capacity at such state 9
park; (5) the pedestrian and vehicular traffic on any state highway 10
without a sidewalk that leads to said state park that threatens, or is 11
reasonably likely to threaten, public safety by pedestrians walking on 12
the side of the highway or by impeding the travel of emergency vehicles 13
because of the high volume of vehicles parked or moving on the 14
highway; and (6) the authority of the commissioner to utilize the 15
number of vehicles entering said state park as a proxy for the number of 16

Raised Bill No. 5335

LCO No. 2279 2 of 2

visitors at said state park. The commissioner shall coordinate with 17
municipal and state law enforcement agencies to implement traffic 18
control efforts to minimize public safety concerns on local roadways and 19
any state highway outside such state park and may close such state park 20
to new entrants when such capacity is reached, regardless of the means 21
by which patrons enter such state park.22
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 New section

Statement of Purpose:
To establish a safety capacity for Burr Pond for the protection of park
attendees and the vehicular traffic in the area of said park.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]