AN ACT CONCERNING THE RECEIPT OF FEES BY A PARTY TO A CIVIL ACTION AFFECTING TITLE TO REAL PROPERTY.

House of Representatives
HB5432 / File No. 535 1

General Assembly File No. 535
February Session, 2026 House Bill No. 5432

House of Representatives, April 9, 2026

The Committee on Judiciary reported through REP.
STAFSTROM of the 129th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee
on the part of the House, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE RECEIPT OF FEES BY A PARTY TO A
CIVIL ACTION AFFECTING TITLE TO REAL PROPERTY.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 52 -257 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 2
(a) The fees of parties in civil actions in which the matter in demand 3
is not less than fifteen thousand dollars shall be: For each complaint, 4
exclusive of signing and bond, five dollars for the first page and, for each 5
succeeding page, two dollars; for each judgment file, two dollars for the 6
first page and, for each additional page, one dollar and fifty cents. The 7
prevailing party in any such civil action shall receive, by way of 8
indemnity, the following sums: (1) For all proceedings before trial, fifty 9
dollars; (2) for the trial of an issue of law or fact, seventy -five dollars, 10
but if more than one issue of fact is tried at one time, only one trial fee 11
shall be allowed; and (3) in difficult or extraordinary cases in the 12
Superior Court, where a defense has been interposed, a further 13
allowance, in the discretion of the court, not to exceed two hundred 14
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HB5432 / File No. 535 2

dollars. 15
(b) Parties shall also receive: (1) For each witness attending court, the 16
witness' legal fee and mileage; (2) for each deposition taken out of the 17
state, forty dollars, and for each deposition within the state, thirty 18
dollars; (3) on an application for the sale of property attached, the 19
expenses incurred; (4) in any civil action affecting the title to real 20
property situated in this state, or affecting any mortgage or lien thereon, 21
the actual expense [, not exceeding the sum of two hundred twenty-five 22
dollars,] of an examination of the land records concerning the title to the 23
real property in question and such amount as the court or judge 24
determines to be reasonable for the services of an expert on the value of 25
the land when such value is in dispute; (5) for maps, plans, mechanical 26
drawings and photographs, necessary or convenient in the trial of any 27
action, a reasonable sum; (6) for copies of records used in evidence, 28
bonds, recognizances and subpoenas, court and clerk's fees; (7) for the 29
signing and service of process, the legal fees payable therefor, except 30
that a fee shall not be allowed for the return of a subpoena to court; (8) 31
the actual expense incurred in publishing orders of notice under 32
direction of the court; (9) for each interpreter necessarily employed in 33
the trial of any civil action, twenty dollars per diem; (10) for premiums 34
upon all bonds or undertakings provided pursuant to statute, rule of 35
court, order of court or stipulation of parties, including bonds in lieu of 36
or in release or dissolution of attachment, the actual amount paid, not 37
exceeding a reasonable amount; (11) documented investigative costs 38
and expenses, not exceeding the sum of two hundred dollars; and (12) 39
for the recording, videotaping, transcribing and presentation of the 40
deposition of a practitioner of the healing arts, as defined in section 20 -41
1, dentist, registered nurse, advanced practice registered nurse or 42
licensed practical nurse, as defined in section 20 -87a, or real estate 43
appraiser that is used in lieu of live testimony in the civil action, the 44
reasonable expenses incurred. 45
(c) In all civil actions in which the matter in demand is less than 46
fifteen thousand dollars, the prevailing party shall receive, by way of 47
indemnity, the following sums: (1) For all proceedings before trial, ten 48
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dollars; and (2) for the trial of an issue of fact or law, fifteen dollars, but, 49
if more than one issue of fact or law is tried at one time, only one trial 50
fee shall be allowed. 51
(d) The following sums may be allowed to the prevailing party in 52
causes on appeal, in the discretion of the court: (1) For all proceedings, 53
one hundred dollars; (2) for expenses actually incurred in printing or 54
photoduplicating copies of briefs, a sum not exceeding two hundred 55
dollars; and (3) to the plaintiff in error, plaintiff in a cause reserved, or 56
appellant, as the case may be, the record fee, provided judgment shall 57
be rendered in his favor. Such costs in the Superior Court in appealed 58
causes and in the Supreme Court or Appellate Court shall be in the 59
discretion of the court on reservation of a cause for advice, or when a 60
new trial is granted. 61
(e) The provisions of this section shall not interfere with the discretion 62
of the court in taxing costs in actions in which equitable relief is 63
demanded. 64
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 52-257

JUD Joint Favorable

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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
This bill affects private parties and does not result in a fiscal impact
to the state or municipalities.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None

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OLR Bill Analysis
HB 5432

AN ACT CONCERNING THE RECEIPT OF FEES BY A PARTY TO A
CIVIL ACTION AFFECTING TITLE TO REAL PROPERTY.

SUMMARY
Under current law, for civil actions affecting title to real property in
the state or any related mortgages or liens, the court may award a party
up to $225 for the cost of examining the property’s land records (title
search).
This bill removes the $225 cap, allowing the court to award the actual
total cost of the title search.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
COMMITTEE ACTION
Judiciary Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 41 Nay 0 (03/23/2026)