Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-259c (2026)

Fee to open, set aside, modify, extend or reargue judgment

✓ current as of May 2026

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(a) There shall be paid to the clerk of the Superior Court upon the filing of any motion to open, set aside, modify or extend any civil judgment rendered in Superior Court a fee of seventy-five dollars for any housing matter, a fee of seventy-five dollars for any small claims matter, a fee of one hundred eighty dollars for any post-judgment motion to modify any judgment in a family relations matter, as defined in section 46b-1, and a fee of one hundred thirty dollars for any other matter, except no fee shall be paid upon the filing of any motion to open, set aside, modify or extend judgments in juvenile matters or orders issued pursuant to section 46b-15 or 46b-16a or upon the filing of any motion pursuant to subsection (b) of section 46b-63. Such fee may be waived by the court.

(b) Upon the filing of a motion to open or reargue a judgment in any civil appeal rendered by the Supreme Court or Appellate Court or to reconsider any other civil matter decided in either court, the party filing the motion shall pay a fee of one hundred thirty dollars.

(Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 81-4, S. 27, 32; P.A. 82-325, S. 1, 3, 7; P.A. 83-577, S. 4; P.A. 89-219, S. 5, 10; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-6, S. 78, 117; P.A. 93-178; 93-396, S. 8; P.A. 95-176, S. 5; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-1, S. 105; P.A. 03-2, S. 45; 03-130, S. 5; P.A. 09-152, S. 3; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 136; P.A. 12-89, S. 3, 10; P.A. 14-217, S. 260; P.A. 15-85, S. 16; P.A. 16-26, S. 4.)

History: P.A. 82-325 rephrased the section, specified that the fee was payable upon the filing of the motion and that it applied to motions concerning “civil” judgments, made an exception for judgments in small claims and juvenile matters and provided that the section was applicable to fees payable on or after February 1, 1982; P.A. 83-577 raised fee from $15 to $25; P.A. 89-219 retained fee of $25 for any housing matter and increased fee from $25 to $50 for any other matter; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-6 amended Subsec. (a) to increase fees and added new Subsecs. (b) and (c) concerning payment of fees upon the filing of motions for contempt and exceptions from those fees in child support cases; P.A. 93-178 deleted former Subsecs. (b) and (c) re the fee for filing a motion for contempt and an exception from the fee in child support cases; P.A. 93-396 would have made Subsec. (c) applicable to non-IV-D support cases, but failed to take effect since P.A. 93-178 took precedence; P.A. 95-176 amended Subsec. (a) by applying provisions to extensions of judgments and to specify that no fee will be charged re orders issued pursuant to Sec. 46b-15 and added Subsec. (b) re $60 fee for filing motion to open, reargue or reconsider judgment in appeal rendered by Supreme or Appellate Court; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-1 raised filing fees for matters other than housing from $60 to $70, effective July 1, 2002; P.A. 03-2 amended Subsec. (a) to delete exemption from filing fee for a motion to open, set aside, modify or extend judgments in small claims matters and impose a fee of $25 upon the filing of such a motion, effective February 28, 2003; P.A. 03-130 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re filing of any motion pursuant to Sec. 46b-63(b); P.A. 09-152 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to substitute $125 for $70 re fees, effective July 1, 2009; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 amended Subsec. (a) to increase fee for housing matters from $35 to $75, and to increase fee for small claims matters from $25 to $75, effective September 9, 2009; P.A. 12-89 amended Subsec. (a) to add $175 fee for post-judgment motion to modify any judgment in a family relations matter, effective July 1, 2012, and delete such $175 fee, effective July 1, 2015; P.A. 14-217 repealed P.A. 12-89, S. 10; P.A. 15-85 amended Subsec. (a) by adding reference to Sec. 46b-16a, effective June 24, 2015; P.A. 16-26 amended Subsec. (a) to increase filing fee for post-judgment motion to modify judgment in a family relations matter from $175 to $180 and to increase fee for certain other matters from $125 to $130, and amended Subsec. (b) to increase filing fee for motion to open or reargue judgment in civil appeal rendered by the Supreme or Appellate Court or to reconsider other civil matter from $125 to $130, effective July 1, 2016.

Cited. 196 C. 517; 223 C. 68; 224 C. 263.

Cited. 10 CA 669; 31 CA 260.

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Notes of Decisions

Cited in 10 cases, 1985–2017 · leading case: Plasil v. Tableman, 612 A.2d 763 (Conn. 1992).

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Plasil v. Tableman, 612 A.2d 763 (Conn. 1992). · cites it 5× “and immediately returned it to the plaintiff.”

Van Mecklenburg v. Pan Am. World Airways, Inc., 494 A.2d 549 (Conn. 1985). · cites it 4× “He argues that there was no need for the clerk’s office to return his motion and change the original filing date because General Statutes § 52-259c, which requires the payment of this filing fee, does not specifically provide that a motion not accompanied by the fee will be…”

In re Baby Girl B., 618 A.2d 1 (Conn. 1992). · cites it 2× “As the mother aptly observes, our statutes expressly denominate termination of parental rights proceedings as “juvenile matters”; General Statutes § 46b-121; and expressly contemplate that judgments in juvenile matters may be subject to motions to open.”

Bruno v. Bruno, 76 A.3d 725 (Conn. App. Ct. 2013). · cites it 2× “Lisa Bruno additionally claims that Stephen Bruno’s and Christina Bruno’s alleged failure to pay filing fees required by General Statutes § 52-259c (b) rendered the trial court without authorization to consider their motions.”

Farren v. Farren, 64 A.3d 352 (Conn. App. Ct. 2013). · cites it 4× ““It is clear from the language of [General Statutes § 52-259c] that payment of [the filing] fee is mandatory upon the filing of a motion to open.”

Jonas v. Playhouse Square Condo. Assn., Inc., 161 A.3d 1288 (Conn. App. Ct. 2017). · cites it 2× “Several additional parties were named as defendants in this action, but they have not participated in this appeal.”

First Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass'n of Rochester v. Pellechia, 624 A.2d 395 (Conn. App. Ct. 1993). · cites it 2× “The scrivener’s error or misstatement of a single digit of the docket number in this case was a circumstantial defect and does not abate the plaintiff’s claim for a deficiency judgment.”

LaPre v. Nibo Films, Ltd., 525 A.2d 140 (Conn. App. Ct. 1987). · cites it 2× “We likewise refuse to rule upon the plaintiffs’ claim raised for the first time in their reply brief, that the motion for supplemental judgment was not in accordance with General Statutes § 52-259c and Practice Book § 326, both of which provide that a filing fee shall be paid to…”

Kores v. Calo, 15 A.3d 152 (Conn. App. Ct. 2011). · cites it 3× “See Practice Book § 17-4 (b) (“[u]pon the filing of a motion to open or set aside a civil judgment, except a judgment in a small claims or juvenile matter, the moving party shall pay to the clerk the filing fee prescribed by statute unless such fee has been waived by the…”

Pri Capital Grp., LLC v. E. Capital Funding, LLC, 878 A.2d 342 (Conn. App. Ct. 2005). · cites it 4× “The plaintiff filed only one motion to open and paid only one filing fee pursuant to General Statutes § 52-259c. Judge Hurley granted the plaintiffs motion on July 23, 2002, without explanation, *5 and the plaintiff filed its revised complaint as to both groups of defendants on…”

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