Connecticut foreclosure laws: how the process works and how long it takes

• CGS § 49-17 et seq.: Connecticut's strict foreclosure process — title vests in lender automatically on law day without public auction
• CGS §§ 49-24 to 49-28: Alternative foreclosure by sale process with court-supervised auction
• CGS §§ 49-31k to 49-31o: Court mediation for owner-occupied residential foreclosures when the homeowner files a foreclosure mediation certificate; eligibility, mediator duties
• CGS § 47-258: HOA priority lien for up to nine months of common expense assessments, plus the association's costs and reasonable attorney's fees in enforcing its lien

After title vests in the lender (strict foreclosure) or the committee sale is confirmed (foreclosure by sale), the foreclosure court can issue an execution of ejectment if the plaintiff asked for possession in its complaint; a state marshal can remove the people in possession no fewer than five business days after serving the execution (CGS § 49-22). The execution can't issue against a person in possession who wasn't a party to the case, other than a transferee or lienor bound by the judgment through a lis pendens (CGS § 49-22). Bona fide tenants receive 90-day notice under the federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act.

Connecticut follows a race-notice recording statute (CGS § 47-10). A purchaser who records first and pays value without actual or constructive notice of a prior unrecorded interest takes priority over that prior interest. Connecticut property tax and municipal charges have priority over all mortgages and other liens under CGS § 12-172. Unpaid property taxes and water/sewer charges must be satisfied before any mortgage lender receives proceeds from a foreclosure.

Under CGS § 49-13b, effective January 1, 2026, an action to foreclose a mortgage on a one-to-four family home occupied as a residence by the mortgagor generally can't be started after the earlier of (1) ten years after the maturity date or last scheduled payment date (or a later date set by a written extension) or (2) ten years after the last payment made by or for the debtor. If a law, order or rule barred starting a foreclosure during the final two years, the limit is extended by the length of that bar. The limit does not apply to a mortgage recorded before January 1, 2026 that was a first mortgage when recorded, to a subordinate mortgage still held by the original lender, its subsidiary or affiliate, or a successor by merger or acquisition, or to actions under CGS § 49-30. Lenders who delay foreclosure for many years may face limitations defenses. After a strict foreclosure, a motion for deficiency judgment must be filed within 30 days after the time for redemption expires (CGS § 49-14). This is an extremely short window — lenders who miss the 30-day deadline permanently lose their right to pursue a deficiency on that foreclosure. The court holds an evidentiary hearing, sets a value for the property and awards only the difference between that value and the plaintiff's claim. After a foreclosure by sale, the deficiency is determined in the foreclosure case under CGS § 49-28 instead.

$250,000. Connecticut's homestead exemption is $250,000 under CGS § 52-352b(21), counting the home's fair market value minus any liens on it; for a money judgment arising from sexual abuse or exploitation of a minor, sexual assault, or other willful, wanton or reckless misconduct, the exemption is $75,000. This exemption protects up to $250,000 of equity in the debtor's principal residence from unsecured judgment creditors and is relevant in bankruptcy proceedings. CRITICAL: The homestead exemption does not protect against mortgage foreclosure — the mortgagee can foreclose regardless of the homestead exemption. The exemption is particularly relevant in Chapter 7 bankruptcy, where it can protect significant equity from creditors.