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SB00452 • 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING THE RELEASE OF LIGHTER-THAN-AIR BALLOONS.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE RELEASE OF LIGHTER-THAN-AIR BALLOONS.

Children Crime 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
2026-05-27
Official status
Signed by the Governor
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date for the entire act is not explicitly listed in the metadata, though specific sections have dates of October 1, 2026, and January 1, 2027.

Act Concerning the Release and Sale of Lighter-than-Air Balloons

This law bans releasing helium balloons into the air in Connecticut and requires stores to attach weights to these balloons before selling them starting January 1, 2027.

What This Bill Does

  • Prohibits anyone from knowingly releasing or organizing the release of lighter-than-air gas-filled balloons in the state.
  • Makes it an infraction for any person, group, or business to intentionally cause a balloon filled with helium or other lighter-than-air gas to be released into the atmosphere.
  • Requires retailers selling filled balloons after January 1, 2027, to attach a weight that prevents the balloon from rising into the air before giving it to a consumer.
  • Allows the Department of Consumer Protection to charge retailers $20 for each violation of the weight requirement.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Any person, nonprofit organization, firm, or corporation in the state, including the government and its subdivisions.
  • Retailers who sell helium-filled balloons to consumers.
  • The Department of Consumer Protection, which enforces penalties against retailers.

Terms To Know

Infraction
A minor offense that is less serious than a crime but still breaks the law.
Retailer
Any business using universal product codes to total purchases, excluding carnivals as defined by state statutes.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The ban on releasing balloons takes effect on October 1, 2026.
  • The requirement for retailers to attach weights starts later, on January 1, 2027.
  • Carnivals are not included in the definition of a retailer under this law.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-27 Connecticut General Assembly

    Signed by the Governor

  2. 2026-05-22 Connecticut General Assembly

    Transmitted to the Secretary of State

  3. 2026-05-22 Connecticut General Assembly

    Transmitted by Secretary of the State to Governor

  4. 2026-05-19 LCO

    Public Act 26-90

  5. 2026-05-05 Connecticut General Assembly

    House Adopted Senate Amendment Schedule A

  6. 2026-05-05 Connecticut General Assembly

    House Passed as Amended by Senate Amendment Schedule A

  7. 2026-05-05 Connecticut General Assembly

    In Concurrence

  8. 2026-04-22 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, House

  9. 2026-04-22 Connecticut General Assembly

    House Calendar Number 488

  10. 2026-04-21 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Adopted Senate Amendment Schedule A 4385

  11. 2026-04-21 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Rejected Senate Amendment Schedule B 4382

  12. 2026-04-21 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Passed as Amended by Senate Amendment Schedule A

  13. 2026-04-02 LCO

    Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office

  14. 2026-04-02 Connecticut General Assembly

    Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate

  15. 2026-04-02 Connecticut General Assembly

    Senate Calendar Number 256

  16. 2026-04-02 LCO

    File Number 369

  17. 2026-03-27 LCO

    Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/01/26 5:00 PM

  18. 2026-03-19 LCO

    Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office

  19. 2026-03-18 ENV

    Joint Favorable Substitute

  20. 2026-03-09 Connecticut General Assembly

    Public Hearing 03/13

  21. 2026-03-06 Connecticut General Assembly

    Referred to Joint Committee on Environment

Official Summary Text

To prohibit the sale of helium for purposes of filling lighter-than-air balloons.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Substitute Senate Bill No. 452

Public Act No. 26-90

AN ACT CONCERNING THE RELEASE OF LIGHTER -THAN-AIR
BALLOONS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 26 -25c of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026):
(a) No person, nonprofit organization, firm or corporation, including
the state and its political subdivisions, shall knowingly release, organize
the release of or intentionally cause to be released into the atmosphere
[within a twenty -four-hour period ten or more ] any helium or other
lighter-than-air gas [balloons] filled balloon in the state.
(b) Any violation of [subsection (a) of ] this section shall be an
infraction.
Sec. 2. (NEW) ( Effective October 1, 2026 ) (a) On and after January 1,
2027, any retailer that sells or offers for sale any helium or other lighter-
than-air gas filled balloon in the state to any consumer shall not provide
such filled balloon to a consumer unless a weight is attached to such
filled balloon that is sufficient to prevent such filled balloon from rising
into the atmosphere.
(b) Any retailer who violates the provisions of subsection (a) of this
Substitute Senate Bill No. 452

Public Act No. 26-90 2 of 2

section shall be subject to a civil penalty imposed by the Department of
Consumer Protection in the amount of twenty dollars per violation.
(c) For purposes of this section, "retailer" means any firm,
partnership, association or corporation that utilizes universal product
coding in totaling a retailer customer's purchase. "Retailer" does not
include any carnival, as defined in section 29-133 of the general statutes.