Conn. Gen. Stat. » Title 51 — COURTS · Chapter 882 — Superior Court
Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 51-181 (2025)

Times and places for the sitting of the Superior Court

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The Superior Court shall sit continuously throughout the year, at such times and places and for such periods as are set by the Chief Court Administrator or, with the approval of the Chief Court Administrator, his or her designee, in the following cities or towns, except as otherwise provided by law: (1) In the judicial district of Ansonia-Milford, at Ansonia or Derby and at Milford; (2) in the judicial district of Danbury, at Danbury; (3) in the judicial district of Bridgeport, at Bridgeport; (4) in the judicial district of Hartford, at Hartford and, whenever suitable accommodations are provided without expense to the state, at Manchester; (5) in the judicial district of Litchfield, at Torrington; (6) in the judicial district of Middlesex, at Middletown; (7) in the judicial district of New Britain, at New Britain; (8) in the judicial district of New Haven, at New Haven and Meriden; (9) in the judicial district of New London, at Norwich and New London; (10) in the judicial district of Stamford-Norwalk, at Stamford; (11) in the judicial district of Tolland, at Rockville; (12) in the judicial district of Waterbury, at Waterbury; and (13) in the judicial district of Windham, at Putnam.

(1949 Rev., S. 7623; 1951, 1953, 1955, S. 3113d; 1957, P.A. 44 5, S. 2; 452, S. 1; 603, S. 1; 1959, P.A. 152, S. 70; 1963, P.A. 465; February, 1965, P.A. 331, S. 21; 1967, P.A. 386, S. 1; 1972, P.A. 165, S. 16; June, 1972, P.A. 1, S. 20; P.A. 73-290; 73-603, S. 4; P.A. 75-530, S. 30, 35; P.A. 76-436, S. 10a, 86, 681; P.A. 77-411, S. 3, 6; 77-576, S. 27, 65; 77-604, S. 59, 84; P.A. 78-280, S. 82, 127; 78-379, S. 6, 27; P.A. 80-201, S. 4, 9; P.A. 82-248, S. 88; P.A. 88-230, S. 6, 12; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 7, 8; P.A. 95-220, S. 4–6; P.A. 98-81, S. 15, 20; P.A. 17-99, S. 7; P.A. 19-64, S. 19; P.A. 23-46, S. 31.)

History: 1959 act substituted state for county in regard to expenses, county government having been abolished; 1963 act deleted provision session at Meriden be held only when quarters are provided without expense to the state; 1965 act provided the court be continuously in session and substituted the chief court administrator for the chief justice; 1967 act changed dates for sessions from second Tuesday of September, December, March and June; 1972 acts added reference to judicial districts and deleted reference to sessions at Waterbury in New Haven county, effective September 5, 1972; P.A. 73-290 required three sessions in New Britain rather than two; P.A. 73-603 increased number of sessions at Danbury from two to four; P.A. 75-530 deleted requirement for once-a-year naturalization session in New Britain; P.A. 76-436 transferred power to fix times, places and duration of sessions from chief judge of superior court to chief court administrator or his designee, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-411 required four sessions annually at Bristol; P.A. 77-576 amended section to replace counties with specified judicial districts and to replace provision requiring four sessions with provision requiring court to sit continuously, similarly replacing provisions requiring certain localities required to have three or four sessions with provision requiring that court sit at least 40 weeks at Danbury and 30 weeks at Stamford, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-604 made technical grammatical correction; P.A. 78-280 continued substitution of specific judicial districts for counties, required that court sit 40 weeks in Bristol and Stamford, replacing provision requiring that it sit 40 weeks in Danbury and 30 weeks in Stamford and deleted provisions re specific purposes, i.e. civil business and naturalization of aliens, for which court sits; P.A. 78-379 essentially reiterated changes of P.A. 78-280; P.A. 80-201 added judicial district of Stamford-Norwalk; P.A. 82-248 divided section into Subsecs. and placed judicial districts in alphabetical order; P.A. 88-230 added requirement that the court sit in the judicial district of New Britain, at New Britain and Bristol, and changed reference to the judicial district of Hartford-New Britain to the judicial district of Hartford to reflect the division of the judicial district of Hartford-New Britain into two separate judicial districts, effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 98-81 deleted phrase “whenever suitable accommodations are provided without expense to the state at” before “Torrington” in Subsec. (a)(5); P.A. 17-99 amended Subsec. (a)(13) by deleting “and Willimantic”, and making a technical change, effective June 30, 2017; P.A. 19-64 deleted Subsec. designator from existing Subsec. (a) and amended same by deleting “Litchfield, New Milford, Winchester and” in Subdiv. (5), deleting “and Bristol” in Subdiv. (7) and making a technical change, and deleted former Subsec. (b) re court sitting not less than 40 weeks in Bristol and Stamford, effective September 1, 2019; P.A. 23-46 amended Subsec. (a)(3) by replacing judicial district of Fairfield with judicial district of Bridgeport, effective January 1, 2024.

See Sec. 51-180 re criminal terms and sessions.

See Sec. 51-183a re procedure when a judge is unable to hold court.

Cited. 139 C. 260; 143 C. 688; 174 C. 567; 199 C. 417.

Superior Court is continuously in session with four sessions held on first Tuesdays of September, January and April and on first Tuesday following July 4; a session is only part of a “term”. 28 CS 118.

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 9 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 1973–2023 · leading case: Snow v. Calise, 392 A.2d 440 (Conn. 1978).
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Snow v. Calise, 392 A.2d 440 (Conn. 1978). · cites it 6× “General Statutes § 51-181. [8] Since the file in this case discloses that interrogatories were filed by the plaintiffs as recently as March 26, 1975, it was actually less than eleven months from the time the last pleadings had been filed in this action until the Notice of…”
State v. Wilson, 513 A.2d 620 (Conn. 1986). · cites it 4× “We had previously interpreted the word “term” as used in the common law rule that a judgment may not be modified in substance after the term at which it was rendered to mean “sessions” of court as that period was defined in earlier enactments of General Statutes § 51-181. Snow…”
State v. Luzietti, 646 A.2d 85 (Conn. 1994). · cites it 3× “At common law the word “term” meant “sessions” of court as that period had been defined in earlier enactments of General Statutes § 51-181. Id., 571-72; Cichy v.”
State v. Butler, 267 A.3d 256 (Conn. App. Ct. 2021). · cites it 3× “§ 51-181, however, makes no reference to ‘sessions’ of court, and provides simply that ‘[t]he superior court shall sit continuously throughout the year, at such times and places and for such periods as are set by the chief court administrator.”
State v. Butler, 300 A.3d 1145 (Conn. 2023). · cites it 13× “Rather, I would conclude that courts of this state still have this authority, even though fashioning a rule in the context of this case—the unappealed judgment dismissing a criminal case—might present challenges that cannot be overcome.”
In re Nunez, 334 A.2d 898 (Conn. 1973). “Sessions of the court are held in accordance with § 51-181 of the General Statutes, which provides, in part, as follows: “The superior court shall be deemed continuously in session with four sessions .”
Jenkins v. Ellis, 362 A.2d 831 (Conn. 1975). “Greneral Statutes § 51-181. No action was taken to open the judgment of dismissal during the April term of court in which it was entered.”
State v. Butler, 300 A.3d 1145 (Conn. 2023). · cites it 5× “567 , 571–72, 392 A.2d 440 (1978). 6 It is notable that the rationale for permitting continuing jurisdiction until the end of the term—that the ‘‘roll’’ remained in the hands of the judges and was not signed until the end of the term—is no longer relevant in our present court…”
Dissent State v. Butler, No. AC43812 (Conn. App. Ct. Dec. 7, 2021). · cites it 4× “’’ The present version of General Statutes § 51-181 makes no reference to ‘‘sessions’’ of court and provides that ‘‘[t]he Superior Court shall sit continuously throughout the year, at such times and places and for such periods as are set by the Chief Court Administrator .”
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