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SB00332 • 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING NOTICE TO PARTIES BEFORE A FAIR RENT COMMISSION.

AN ACT CONCERNING NOTICE TO PARTIES BEFORE A FAIR RENT COMMISSION.

Housing
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Housing Committee
Last action
2026-03-26
Official status
File Number 207
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text confirms the effective date is October 1, 2026, which was not included in the candidate explanation but is a key fact.

Notice Requirements for Fair Rent Commission Hearings

This law requires fair rent commissions to tell people attending a hearing about their rights and the commission's power in writing before the meeting starts and with an announcement at the beginning.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires fair rent commissions to give written notice of party rights and commission authority before any hearing begins.
  • Mandates that commissioners make an oral announcement at the start of each hearing explaining these same rights and limits.
  • Directs the Commissioner of Housing to create a sample written notice and announcement for use by local groups.
  • Requires the Department of Housing to post these model documents on its official website.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Fair rent commissions in municipalities with populations of fifteen thousand or more, which must have such commissions.
  • Landlords and tenants who participate as parties in fair rent commission hearings.
  • The Commissioner of Housing and the Department of Housing staff responsible for creating model notices.

Terms To Know

Fair Rent Commission
A local group that studies rental charges, holds hearings on complaints about high rents, and works to stop excessive rent prices.
Parties
The people involved in a specific hearing, such as the landlord or tenant who filed or received a complaint.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This law only applies to hearings held by fair rent commissions and does not change how they decide on rent amounts.
  • Municipalities with populations of fifteen thousand or more must have these commissions, but smaller towns may choose whether to create one.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-26 LCO

    Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office

  2. 2026-03-26 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate

  3. 2026-03-26 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Calendar Number 128

  4. 2026-03-26 LCO

    File Number 207

  5. 2026-03-20 LCO

    Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/25/26 5:00 PM

  6. 2026-03-11 LCO

    Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office

  7. 2026-03-10 HSG

    Joint Favorable

  8. 2026-02-27 Connecticut General Assembly

    Public Hearing 03/03

  9. 2026-02-26 Connecticut General Assembly

    Referred to Joint Committee on Housing

Official Summary Text

To require fair rent commissions to notify parties to a hearing of their rights under the hearing and the scope of the commission's lawful authority.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Senate
sSB332 / File No. 207 1

General Assembly File No. 207
February Session, 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No. 332

Senate, March 26, 2026

The Committee on Housing reported through SEN. MARX of
the 20th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the
Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING NOTICE TO PARTIES BEFORE A FAIR RENT
COMMISSION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 7 -148b of the 2026 supplement to 1
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 2
thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 3
(b) Any municipality may, and each municipality with a population 4
of fifteen thousand or more, as determined by the most recent decennial 5
census, shall, through its legislative body, adopt an ordinance that (1) 6
creates a fair rent commission, (2) establishes or joins the municipality 7
in a joint fair rent commission pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, 8
or (3) joins the municipality in a regional fair rent commission pursuant 9
to subsection (e) of this section. Any such commission shall make 10
studies and investigations, conduct hearings and receive complaints 11
relative to rental charges on housing accommodations, except those 12
accommodations rented on a seasonal basis, within its jurisdiction, 13
which term shall include mobile manufactured homes and mobile 14
sSB332 File No. 207

sSB332 / File No. 207 2

manufactured home park lots, in order to control and eliminate 15
excessive rental charges on such accommodations, and to carry out the 16
provisions of sections 7 -148b to 7 -148f, inclusive, section 47a -20 and 17
subsection (b) of section 47a -23c. The commission, for such purposes, 18
may compel the attendance of persons at hearings, issue subpoenas and 19
administer oaths, issue orders and continue, review, amend, terminate 20
or suspend any of its orders and decisions. The commission may be 21
empowered to retain legal counsel to advise it. In any hearing of the 22
commission, such commission shall notify the parties to such hearing of 23
their rights under such hearing and the scope of such commission's 24
lawful authority (1) in writing before the commencement of a hearing, 25
and (2) in an announcement at the beginning of each hearing. The 26
Commissioner of Housing shall create a model written notice and 27
announcement and make such models available on the Department of 28
Housing's Internet web site. All hearings conducted pursuant to this 29
section shall be open to the public. 30
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 7-148b(b)

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
The new language was moved for consistency with standard drafting
conventions.

HSG Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO

sSB332 File No. 207

sSB332 / File No. 207 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:
Municipalities Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Various Municipalities Potential
Cost
Minimal Minimal

Explanation
The bill requires fair rent commissions to notify parties of certain
rights. This may result in a potential minimal cost to municipalities
beginning in FY 27 for additional printing and postage costs.
The bill additionally requires the Department of Housing to create
and post online a model notice, which can be done without cost.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to the number of notices.

sSB332 File No. 207

sSB332 / File No. 207 4

OLR Bill Analysis
SB 332

AN ACT CONCERNING NOTICE TO PARTIES BEFORE A FAIR
RENT COMMISSION.

SUMMARY
This bill requires fair rent commissions (FRCs) to notify parties to an
FRC hearing of their rights in the hearing and the scope of the FRC’s
lawful authority. An FRC must do so in (1) writing before the hearing
starts and (2) an announcement at the beginning of each FRC hearing.
The bill requires the housing commissioner to create the model
written notice and announcement and post them on the department’s
website.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
BACKGROUND
FRCs
FRCs are empowered to (1) control and eliminate excessive (harsh
and unconscionable) rental charges and (2) enforce landlord -tenant
statutes prohibiting landlord retaliation and establishing eviction
protections for certain protected tenants. Among other t hings, FRCs
may receive rent complaints and hold hearings on them (CGS § 7 -148b
et seq.).
Related Bills
sHB 5092, reported favorably by the Housing Committee, modifies
the factors that fair rent commissions must consider when determining
whether a rent increase is excessive in situations where the property was
recently transferred to a new owner.
sSB332 File No. 207

sSB332 / File No. 207 5

COMMITTEE ACTION
Housing Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 12 Nay 7 (03/10/2026)