AN ACT EXPANDING THE ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM TO SHIELD LAND RECORDS AND INCLUDE PRIVATE ENTITIES.

Senate
sSB485 / File No. 579 1

General Assembly File No. 579
February Session, 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No. 485

Senate, April 9, 2026

The Committee on Government Administration and Elections
reported through SEN. FLEXER of the 29th Dist., Chairperson
of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute
bill ought to pass.

AN ACT EXPANDING THE ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM
TO SHIELD LAND RECORDS AND INCLUDE PRIVATE ENTITIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 54 -240 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 2
As used in this chapter and section 4 of this act: 3
(1) "Address confidentiality program" or "program" means the 4
program established pursuant to this chapter; 5
(2) "Agency" has the same meaning as "public agency" or "agency", as 6
provided in section 1-200; 7
(3) "Application assistant" means a person authorized by the 8
Secretary of the State to assist applicants in the completion of 9
applications for program participation; 10
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(4) "Authorized personnel" means an employee in the office of the 11
Secretary of the State who has been designated by the Secretary of the 12
State, or an employee of an agency who has been designated by the chief 13
executive officer of such agency, to process and have access to records 14
pertaining to a program participant, including, but not limited to, voter 15
registration applications, voting records and marriage records; 16
(5) "Certification card" means a card issued by the Secretary of the 17
State pursuant to section 54-240d; 18
(6) "Confidential address" means a program participant's address or 19
addresses as listed on such participant's application for program 20
participation that are not to be disclosed, including such participant's 21
residential address in this state and work and school addresses in this 22
state, if any; 23
(7) "Family violence" has the same meaning as provided in section 24
46b-38a; 25
(8) "Financial institution" has the same meaning as provided in 26
section 36a-2; 27
[(8)] (9) "Injury or risk of injury to a child" means any act or conduct 28
that constitutes a violation of section 53-21; 29
[(9)] (10) "Kidnapping" means any act that constitutes a violation of 30
section 53a-92, 53a-92a, 53a-94 or 53a-94a; 31
[(10)] (11) "Law enforcement agency" means the office of the Attorney 32
General, the office of the Chief State's Attorney, the Division of State 33
Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public 34
Protection or any municipal police department; 35
[(11)] (12) "Marriage records" means an application for a marriage 36
license, an issued marriage license, a license certificate or other 37
documents related thereto; 38
[(12)] (13) "Program address" means the post office box number and 39
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fictitious street address assigned to a program participant by the 40
Secretary of the State; 41
[(13)] (14) "Program participant" or "participant" means any person 42
certified by the Secretary of the State to participate in the address 43
confidentiality program; 44
(15) "Real property address confidentiality program notice" means a 45
completed form, prescribed by the Secretary of the State pursuant to 46
section 4 of this act; 47
(16) "Real property record" means any record or data maintained by 48
a town clerk as part of the municipal land records or by a tax assessor 49
as part of the municipal tax records; 50
[(14)] (17) "Record" has the same meaning as "public records or files" 51
as provided in section 1-200; 52
[(15)] (18) "Sexual assault" means any act that constitutes a violation 53
of section 53a -70b of the general statutes, revision of 1958, revised to 54
January 1, 2019, or section 53a -70, 53a-70a, 53a-71, 53a-72a, 53a-72b or 55
53a-73a; 56
(19) "Shield" or "shielding" means to remove a real property record 57
from public inspection to a separate secure area to which persons who 58
do not have a legitimate reason for access are denied access; 59
[(16)] (20) "Stalking" means any act that constitutes a violation of 60
section 53a-181c, 53a-181d or 53a-181e; and 61
[(17)] (21) "Trafficking in persons" means any act that constitutes a 62
violation of section 53a-192a. 63
Sec. 2. Section 54 -240h of the general statutes is repealed and the 64
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 65
(a) A program participant may request , on a form prescribed by the 66
Secretary of the State, that an agency or a person use the program 67
address as the participant's residential, work or school address for all 68
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purposes for which the agency or person requires or requests such 69
residential, work or school address. A program participant shall present 70
the participant's certification card to any agency official [creating a new 71
record pertaining to the participant ] or person and request the use [in 72
such record] of the program address appearing on the certification card. 73
The agency official or person may make a photocopy of the certification 74
card for the records of the agency or person and thereafter shall 75
immediately return the certification card to the program participant. 76
(b) If a program participant requests that an agency or person use the 77
program address pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the agency 78
or person shall accept and use the program address as the program 79
participant's residential, work or school address, in lieu of the 80
participant's confidential address, unless the agency receives an 81
exemption from such use granted by the Secretary of the State pursuant 82
to section 54 -240i. An agency or person shall not require a program 83
participant to provide a confidential address either as a substitute or in 84
addition to the program address, or as a condition of receiving a service 85
or benefit, unless the service or benefit would be impossible to provide 86
without having knowledge of the program participant's physical 87
location. 88
(c) Any agency or person that is in receipt of a written request using 89
the form prescribed by the Secretary of the State under subsection (a) of 90
this section shall not knowingly disclose the program participant's name 91
or confidential address. 92
(d) A bank, credit union or any other depository institution or 93
financial institution may require a program participant to make any 94
request under this section in writing and to use the form prescribed by 95
the Secretary of the State under subsection (a) of this section. 96
(e) A program participant who acquires an ownership interest in real 97
property while participating in the program may request the real 98
property records to be shielded in accordance with the provisions of 99
section 4 of this act. 100
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Sec. 3. Subsection (d) of section 54 -240k of the general statutes is 101
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 102
1, 2026): 103
(d) (1) The Secretary of the State shall notify in writing the authorized 104
personnel of the appropriate agency when a participant's certification in 105
the program has been cancelled. After receipt of such notice, the agency 106
shall not be responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the record 107
or address of a program participant whose certification has been 108
cancelled. 109
(2) If the marriage records of a program participant whose 110
certification has been cancelled were kept confidential pursuant to 111
section 54 -240f, the Secretary of the State shall notify in writing the 112
authorized personnel of the appropriate office of the registrar of vital 113
statistics of the cancellation. 114
(3) If the participant whose certification has been cancelled was listed 115
on a voter registry list without the participant's street and house number 116
pursuant to section 54 -240g, the Secretary of the State shall notify in 117
writing the authorized personnel of the appropriate office of the 118
registrar of voters of the cancellation. 119
(4) If the real property records of a program participant whose 120
certification has been cancelled were kept confidential pursuant to 121
section 4 of this act, the Secretary of the State shall notify in writing the 122
town clerk of the municipality in which the real property that is the 123
subject of such records is located of the cancellation. 124
Sec. 4. (NEW) ( Effective October 1, 2026 ) (a) A program participant 125
who acquires an ownership interest in real property while participating 126
in the address confidentiality program established pursuant to section 127
54-240a of the general statutes, may request the shielding of real 128
property records concerning the property in accordance with the 129
provisions of this section. 130
(b) (1) To request the shielding of real property records, a program 131
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participant, or any agent of a program participant, shall submit to the 132
town clerk of the municipality where the real property is located (A) a 133
real property address confidentiality program notice, and (B) the deed 134
or other instrument to be recorded. Upon receipt of such request, such 135
town clerk shall keep the participant's real property records confidential 136
and shall not make available for inspection or copying the name and 137
address of a program participant, except if (i) the program participant 138
consents to the disclosure for a specific purpose identified in writing 139
and signed by the program participant, which includes the participant's 140
certification code as stated on the real property address confidentiality 141
program notice, (ii) requested by a law enforcement agency, to the law 142
enforcement agency, (iii) directed by a court order, to a person identified 143
in such order, or (iv) the Secretary of the State authorizes disclosure in 144
accordance with the provisions of subsection (i) of this section. 145
(2) The town clerk shall also share such notice with authorized 146
personnel of the tax assessor or any other department that would have 147
access to and disclose real property records, and such authorized 148
personnel shall also be subject to such prohibition on disclosure. 149
(3) The prohibition on disclosure shall continue until (A) the program 150
participant consents to the termination of the real property address 151
confidentiality program notice in writing and signed by the program 152
participant, (B) the real property address confidentiality program notice 153
is terminated in accordance with a court order, (C) the program 154
participant no longer holds an ownership interest in the property 155
identified in the real property address confidentiality program notice, 156
or (D) the Secretary of the State notifies the town clerk that the program 157
participant's certification has been cancelled. 158
(c) The real property address confidentiality program notice shall be 159
on a form prescribed by the Secretary of the State and shall include (1) 160
the full legal name of the program participant, including middle name, 161
(2) the program participant's certification code as stated on the 162
certification card issued pursuant to section 54 -240d of the general 163
statutes, (3) the program address designated by the Secretary of the State 164
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pursuant to section 54 -240e of the general statutes, (4) a description of 165
the property, including the physical address, and (5) the signature of the 166
program participant. 167
(d) The program participant shall submit to the Secretary of the State 168
a copy of any real property address confidentiality program notice 169
submitted under subsection (b) of this section. 170
(e) A real property address confidentiality program notice applies to 171
(1) the instrument submitted for recordation at the same time as the real 172
property address confidentiality program notice, including the proof of 173
tax payment, and (2) any other instrument concerning the property 174
identified in the real property address confidentiality program notice 175
that is subsequently presented for recordation during the period of time 176
that the program participant holds a record interest in the property and 177
is a program participant. 178
(f) A program participant shall use a separate real property address 179
confidentiality program notice for each property in which the program 180
participant acquires an ownership interest. 181
(g) A real property address confidentiality program notice is not a 182
public record, as defined in section 1-200 of the general statutes. 183
(h) (1) Town clerks shall establish procedures for recording deeds and 184
other instruments to comply with the provisions of this section. The 185
procedures shall, at a minimum, include provisions for (A) shielding 186
recorded instruments that contain a program participant's physical 187
address or identifying information, (B) notifying other municipal 188
authorized personnel, and (C) providing notice to the public of the 189
existence of a shielded instrument and instructions for requesting access 190
to the shielded instrument in accordance with the provisions of 191
subsection (i) of this section. 192
(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting a town 193
clerk from returning an original deed or any other instrument to the 194
person who submitted the instrument for recordation. 195
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(3) All state and local agencies involved in real property assessments 196
and taxation shall establish procedures for maintaining records, 197
including tax, utility and zoning records, in accordance with the 198
provisions of this section. 199
(i) (1) Upon request, the Secretary of the State may authorize the 200
disclosure of real property records that have been shielded under this 201
section for the purposes of performing a bona fide title examination. 202
Any request made under this section shall include (A) the name, title, 203
address and affiliated organization, if applicable, of the individual 204
requesting the disclosure, (B) the individual's purpose for requesting the 205
disclosure, (C) the individual's relationship, if any, to the program 206
participant, (D) a legal description of the property subject to the title 207
examination, (E) a statement that any information disclosed to the 208
individual shall be treated as confidential and shall be used and 209
disclosed only for the purpose identified in the request, (F) the 210
individual's signature, and (G) any other information required by the 211
Secretary of the State to respond to the request. 212
(2) Within two business days after receiving a request under this 213
subsection, the Secretary of the State shall provide a written response 214
approving or denying the request. The Secretary of the State shall 215
approve the request only if the request meets the requirements of 216
subdivision (1) of this subsection and the Secretary of the State confirms 217
the property subject to the title examination is the property identified in 218
the real property address confidentiality program notice of a current 219
program participant. If the property belongs to an individual who is no 220
longer a program participant, (A) the Secretary of the State shall give 221
written notice to the town clerk of the municipality in which the real 222
property is located and inform the individual who made the request 223
under this subsection that such records are no longer shielded, and (B) 224
the town clerk shall cease shielding all real property records relating to 225
the property and shall notify all authorized personnel of the 226
municipality to cease shielding all real property records relating to the 227
property. 228
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(j) If a program participant intends to request the shielding of real 229
property records under this section, the program participant may not 230
submit any instrument for recordation electronically. 231
Sec. 5. Subdivision (21) of subsection (b) of section 1 -210 of the 2026 232
supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is 233
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 234
(21) The residential, work or school address of any participant in the 235
address confidentiality program established pursuant to sections 54-240 236
to 54-240o, inclusive, as amended by this act, or any real property record 237
being shielded under section 4 of this act; 238
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 54-240
Sec. 2 October 1, 2026 54-240h
Sec. 3 October 1, 2026 54-240k(d)
Sec. 4 October 1, 2026 New section
Sec. 5 October 1, 2026 1-210(b)(21)

GAE Joint Favorable Subst.

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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:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Secretary of the State GF - Cost 56,100 74,750
State Comptroller - Fringe
Benefits1
GF - Cost 23,450 31,250
Note: GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill expands the address confidentiality program to include real
property, resulting in a General Fund cost of $79,550 in FY 27 and
$106,000 annually beginning in FY 28.
The Secretary of the State (SOTS) will oversee the real property
address confidentiality process, as it does the address confidentiality
program, which will require one position2 at a cost of $56,100 in FY 27 3
with an associated fringe cost of $23,450, and a cost of $74,750 beginning
in FY 28, with an annual fringe cost of $31,250. This position is necessary
to develop and oversee the confidentiality process for real property
records.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to inflation and the number of residents
who participate in the real property address confidentiality program.

1The fringe benefit costs for most state employees are budgeted centrally in accounts
administered by the Comptroller. The estimated active employee fringe benefit cost
associated with most personnel changes is 41.82% of payroll in FY 27.
2 The position is a paralegal specialist.
3 The FY 27 cost for this position represents 0.75 FTE.
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OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 485

AN ACT EXPANDING THE ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY
PROGRAM TO SHIELD LAND RECORDS AND INCLUDE PRIVATE
ENTITIES.

SUMMARY
This bill makes various changes to the Secretary of the State’s (SOTS)
address confidentiality program (see BACKGROUND), including to:
1. require any person, and not just public agencies as currently
required, to use a program participant’s program address instead
of the participant’s residential, work, or school address when
requested to do so (this applies to any person, including
communities, companies, corporations, limited liability
companies, societies, and associations); and
2. create the real property address confidentiality program notice
process to shield program participants’ real property records
from public inspection, with exceptions.
It creates relevant processes and duties for SOTS, town clerks, and
other state and local agencies who interact with program participants
and their real property records.
Under the bill, real property address confidentiality program notices
are not public records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA),
and it exempts from FOIA disclosure any real property records shielded
under the real property address confidentiality program notice.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
ADDRESS CONFIDENTIALITY PROGRAM
Program Address Acceptance by Any Person
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If a program participant requests to use the SOTS program address
in place of his or her residential, work, or school address, the bill
expands who must accept and use the program address to include any
persons, as well as public agencies as under existing law. As with
agencies, the bill requires participants to show their SOTS program
certification card to a person, who then may make photocopies for his
or her records. If an agency or person receives a written request on a
form that the bill requires SOTS to create, the bill prohibits them from
knowingly disclosing a participant’s name or confidential address.
Prohibiting Requiring a Substitute Address
The bill prohibits an agency or person from requiring participants to
provide their confidential address as a substitute or in addition to the
program address, or as a condition of receiving services or benefits,
unless it would be impossible to provide th e service or benefit without
knowing the participant’s physical location.
REAL PROPERTY SHIELDING
Real Property Shielding Authorization
The bill authorizes program participants who acquire an ownership
interest in real property to file a real property confidentiality program
notice to request shielding of the real property records, which includes
any record or data maintained by a town clerk or tax assessor as part of
municipal records. Shielding means removing the record from public
inspection to a separate secure area where people without a legitimate
reason to access it are denied access.
The real property confidentiality program notice applies to the
following records:
1. an instrument submitted for recordation at the same time as the
notice, including proof of tax payment; and
2. any other instrument concerning the property identified in the
notice that is later recorded during the time period that the
participant holds a recorded interest in the property and is a
program participant.
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Real Property Address Confidentiality Program Notice Process
To request shielding of real property records, the bill requires the
participant or his or her agent to submit a real property address
confidentiality program notice (a completed SOTS form) and the deed
or other instrument to be recorded to the town clerk where the real
property is located. The participant must also provide the notice to
SOTS. Once received, the bill requires the town clerk to keep the
participant’s real property records confidential, and prohibits making
available for inspection or copying the name and address of the program
participant, unless:
1. the participant provides written consent to the disclosure, with
his or her signature and certification code;
2. a law enforcement agency requests it to be sent to the same law
enforcement agency;
3. directed by a court order to a person identified in the court order;
or
4. SOTS authorizes disclosure for a bona fide title examination (see
below).
If a participant has more than one ownership interest, the participant
must use a separate real property address confidentiality program
notice for each property. If a participant intends to request shielding real
property records, the bill prohibits submi ssion of any instrument for
recordation electronically.
Notice Form
The bill requires SOTS to create a form for the real property address
confidentiality program notice, which must include:
1. the participant’s full legal name, including middle name;
2. the participant’s certification code from the certification card;
3. the SOTS program address;
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4. a description of the property and the physical address; and
5. the participant’s signature.
Town Clerk and Agency Duties
The bill authorizes the town clerk to share the program notice with
authorized personnel of the tax assessor and other departments with
access to real property records and also prohibits them from disclosing
the shielded information. However, the bill perm its town clerks to
return an original deed or other instrument to the person who submitted
it for recordation.
Town clerks must establish procedures for recording deeds and other
instruments to comply with the program notice. The procedures must
include:
1. shielding recorded instruments containing the participant’s
physical address or identifying information,
2. notifying other municipal authorized personnel, and
3. providing notice to the public of the existence of a shielded
instrument and how to request access for a bona fide title
examination.
For any records under the program notice, the bill requires state and
local agencies involved in real property assessments and taxation to
establish procedures for maintaining records, including tax, utility, and
zoning records.
Disclosure for Bona Fide Title Examinations
Under the bill, SOTS may authorize disclosure of shielded real
property records for a bona fide title examination. If a request is made
for a bona fide title examination, it must include:
1. the requestor’s name, title, address, and affiliated organization, if
applicable;
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2. the purpose for requesting disclosure;
3. the requestor’s relationship, if any, to the program participant;
4. a legal description of the property subject to the title examination;
5. a statement that any information disclosed must be treated as
confidential and can only be used and disclosed for the identified
purpose;
6. the requestor’s signature; and
7. any information required by SOTS.
SOTS must provide a written response approving or denying the
request within two business days of receipt. The bill authorizes SOTS to
approve the request only if it meets the requirements and SOTS
confirms the property is subject to a program notice of a current
program participant.
If the property owner is no longer a program participant, the bill
requires (1) SOTS to give written notice to the relevant town clerk and
inform the requestor that the records are no longer shielded, (2) the town
clerk to stop shielding all real property records related to the property,
and (3) the town clerk to notify all authorized municipal personnel to
stop shielding related real property records.
Continuation and Cancellation of Shielded Property Records
Under the bill, the property records disclosure prohibition continues
until (1) the participant consents in a signed writing to terminate the real
property address confidentiality program notice, (2) a court order
terminates the real property address confidentiality program notice, (3)
the participant no longer holds an ownership interest in the relevant
property, or (4) SOTS notifies the town clerk that the participant’s
certification is cancelled.
The bill requires SOTS to notify, in writing, the town clerk of the
municipality where the real property is located when a program
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participant’s certification has been cancelled.
BACKGROUND
Address Confidentiality Program
By law, the SOTS address confidentiality program is available to
people who fear for their safety because they are (1) a victim of family
violence, injury or risk of injury to a child, kidnapping, sexual assault,
stalking, trafficking in persons, or child abuse or neglect or (2) involved
with a case wher e a termination of parental rights was granted. An
eligible individual can apply to receive a program mailing address to
keep his or her residential address confidential due to safety concerns.
Once an applicant to the program is certified by SOTS, he or she
receives the program address and a certification card. The certification
card includes the participant’s name, signature, certification code,
program address, and expiration date. SOTS receiv es any mail and
service of process sent to the program address and forwards it to the
participant’s confidential address free of charge.
Participants may generally have (1) their street addresses omitted
from voter registries, (2) correspondence from state agencies sent to the
substitute address, and (3) their marriage records kept confidential.
Participants may renew their certification ev ery four years. SOTS may
cancel a participant’s certification under certain circumstances, but a
cancelled participant may reapply at any time.
Related Bills
HB 5555, favorably reported by the Government Administration and
Elections Committee, expands who is eligible for the SOTS address
confidentiality program to include individuals who have safety
concerns because they are involved in providing reproductive o r
gender-affirming health care services.
sSB 295, favorably reported by the Judiciary Committee, among other
things, expands who is eligible for the SOTS address confidentiality
program to include individuals engaged in the provision, facilitation, or
promotion of a legally protected health care activity (which includes
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gender-affirming and reproductive health care services).
COMMITTEE ACTION
Government Administration and Elections Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 16 Nay 2 (03/20/2026)