Conn. Gen. Stat. » Title 52 — CIVIL ACTIONS · Chapter 906 — Postjudgment Procedures
Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-380a (2026)

Judgment lien on real property

✓ current as of May 2026
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(a) A judgment lien, securing the unpaid amount of any money judgment, including interest and costs, may be placed on any real property by recording, in the town clerk's office in the town where the real property lies, a judgment lien certificate, signed by the judgment creditor or his attorney or personal representative, containing: (1) A statement of the names and last-known addresses of the judgment creditor and judgment debtor, the court in which and the date on which the judgment was rendered, and the original amount of the money judgment and the amount due thereon; and (2) a description, which need not be by metes and bounds, of the real property on which a lien is to be placed, and a statement that the lien has been placed on such property.

(b) From the time of the recording of the judgment lien certificate, the money judgment shall be a lien on the judgment debtor's interest in the real property described. If, within four months of judgment, the lien is placed on real property which was previously attached in the action, the lien on that property shall hold from the date of attachment, provided the judgment lien certificate contains a clause referring to and identifying the attachment, substantially in the following form: “This lien is filed within four months after judgment in the action was rendered and relates back to an attachment of real property recorded on (month) (day) (year), at Volume ___ Page ___ of the ___ land records.”

(c) A judgment lien on real property may be foreclosed or redeemed in the same manner as mortgages on the same property.

(d) In the case of a consumer judgment, the complaint shall indicate whether, pursuant to an installment payment order under subsection (b) of section 52-356d, the court has entered a stay of execution and, if such a stay was entered, shall allege any default on an installment payment order which is a precondition to foreclosure. In addition, the judgment creditor shall give notice to the judgment debtor of the Ezequiel Santiago Foreclosure Mediation Program, established pursuant to section 49-31m, by attaching to the front of the writ, summons and complaint that is served on the judgment debtor: (1) A copy of the notice of foreclosure mediation, in such form as the Chief Court Administrator prescribes, (2) a copy of the foreclosure mediation certificate form described in subsection (c) of section 49-31l, in such form as the Chief Court Administrator prescribes, and (3) a blank appearance form, in such form as the Chief Court Administrator prescribes. The notice of foreclosure mediation shall instruct the judgment debtor to file the appearance and foreclosure mediation certificate forms with the court not later than fifteen days from the return date for the foreclosure action. If the judgment debtor elects to participate in, and the court orders the case assigned to, said foreclosure mediation program, (A) the judgment debtor shall be entitled to the rights and shall assume the obligations of a mortgagor under sections 49-31k to 49-31o, inclusive, and (B) a judgment creditor shall be entitled to the rights and shall assume the obligations of a mortgagee under sections 49-31k to 49-31o, inclusive, except that the judgment creditor shall not be required to furnish the mortgage specific information described in subsection (d) of section 49-31l, but instead shall furnish a copy of the underlying judgment, and an accounting of current interest and other charges incurred for the time period prescribed in subsection (d) of section 49-31l. No action to foreclose a judgment lien filed pursuant to this section may be commenced unless an execution may issue pursuant to section 52-356a. The judgment lien shall expire twenty years after the judgment was rendered, except any judgment lien recorded with respect to a small claims action shall expire ten years after the judgment was rendered, unless the party claiming the lien commences an action to foreclose it within that period of time and records a notice of lis pendens in evidence thereof on the land records of the town in which the real property is located.

(P.A. 83-581, S. 14, 40; P.A. 84-527, S. 10; P.A. 16-194, S. 5; P.A. 24-108, S. 29.)

History: P.A. 84-527 amended Subsec. (c) to require the complaint in the case of a consumer judgment to indicate whether pursuant to an installment payment order the court has entered a stay of execution and to prohibit the commencement of an action to foreclose a judgment lien unless an execution may issue pursuant to Sec. 52-356a; P.A. 16-194 amended Subsec. (c) by adding “, except any judgment lien recorded with respect to a small claims action shall expire ten years after the judgment was rendered,”; P.A. 24-108 designated existing Subsec. (c) re judgment liens on real property and consumer judgments as Subsecs. (c) and (d) and amended Subsec. (d) re consumer judgments by extending application of the Ezequiel Santiago Foreclosure Mediation Program to judgment liens placed on real property under this section.

Cited. 210 C. 221; 219 C. 620; Id., 810; 220 C. 643. Where judgment lien certificate included information to allow a party acting with common prudence and ordinary diligence to ascertain original amount of the judgment secured, judgment lien was not rendered invalid or unenforceable because it did not contain such original amount; statute not subject to strict construction. 289 C. 692.

Cited. 8 CA 512; 28 CA 809; 30 CA 52; 39 CA 518. Legislative intent of section is to achieve the conformity necessary to make procedures for recording of state judgment liens applicable to in-state federal judgment liens under 28 USC 1962. 78 CA 305.

Subsec. (b):

Creditor seeking to assert priority rights pursuant to section and Sec. 52-328(b) must file a judgment lien within 4 months of a trial court's final judgment in creditor's favor, regardless of the possible pendency of an appeal. 238 C. 172.

Subsec. (c):

Deficiency judgment rendered pursuant to Sec. 49-14 may be obtained in judgment lien foreclosure actions brought pursuant to this section. 255 C. 379.

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 40 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1986–2022 · leading case: PNC Bank, N.A. v. Kelepecz, 960 A.2d 563 (Conn. 2008).
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PNC Bank, N.A. v. Kelepecz, 960 A.2d 563 (Conn. 2008). · cites it 19× “, is valid when: (1) the judgment lien certificate fails to set forth the original amount of the money judgment secured by the hen as required by General Statutes § 52-380a (a); 2 and (2) Ellis allegedly failed to provide notice of the filing of the hen to the judgment debtor,…”
Kopylec v. Town of North Branford, 23 A.3d 51 (Conn. App. Ct. 2011). · cites it 24× “, General Statutes § 49-34 (mechanic's liens); General Statutes § 52-380a (judgment liens).”
Town of Winchester v. Nw. Assocs., 767 A.2d 687 (Conn. 2001). · cites it 11× “On appeal, the plaintiff challenges the conclusion of the trial court, claiming that a tax lienor has the right to seek a deficiency judgment because (1) we previously have indicated that the efficient resolution of lien foreclosure actions is promoted by allowing the lienor to…”
Fairfield Plumbing & Heating Supply Corp. v. Kosa, 600 A.2d 1 (Conn. 1991). · cites it 10× “The principal issue in this appeal is whether a judgment creditor who has foreclosed upon a judgment lien pursuant to General Statutes § 52-380a (c) 1 is entitled to a deficiency judgment pursuant to General Statutes § 49-14 (a).”
Moasser v. Becker, 828 A.2d 116 (Conn. App. Ct. 2003). · cites it 8× “Pursuant to General Statutes § 52-380a (a), a judgment hen attaches to the real property of a judgment debtor when the judgment creditor records a judgment lien certificate in the office of the clerk of the town in which the real property lies.”
Union Trust Co. v. Heggelund, 594 A.2d 464 (Conn. 1991). · cites it 4× “General Statutes § 52-380a provides in relevant part: “JUDGMENT LIEN ON BEAL PROPERTY.”
Linden Condo. Ass'n v. McKenna, 726 A.2d 502 (Conn. 1999). · cites it 4× “In that case, our reading of the language of the statute was based on General Statutes § 52-380a (c), 12 a provision parallel to § 47-258 (j), and on our public policy to promote efficiency.”
Loricco Towers Condo. Ass'n v. Pantani, 876 A.2d 1211 (Conn. App. Ct. 2005). · cites it 5× “5 Additionally, the plaintiff in this case, pursuant to § 52-380a (c), has the standing necessary to invoke the jurisdiction of the court as the holder of three judgment hens it filed against the subject premises.”
Bachyrycz v. Gateway Bank, 618 A.2d 1371 (Conn. App. Ct. 1993). · cites it 8× “On appeal, the plaintiff claims that the trial court improperly found that an equitable interest in real property is subject to a judgment lien pursuant to General Statutes § 52-380a. 2 We disagree with the plaintiff and affirm the judgment of the trial court.”
Mac's Car City, Inc. v. DiLoreto, 679 A.2d 340 (Conn. 1996). · cites it 4× “” General Statutes § 52-380a provides in relevant part: “Judgment lien on real property.”
New England Sav. Bank v. Bedford Realty Corp., 717 A.2d 713 (Conn. 1998). · cites it 2× “nces, the amount of each and the date when such encumbrance was recorded; if such encumbrance be a mechanic’s lien, the *611 date of commencing to perform services or furnish materials as therein recited; and if such encumbrance be a judgment lien, whether said judgment lien…”
United States v. $2,350,000.00 in Lieu of One Parcel of Prop. Located at 895 Lake Avenue Greenwich, 718 F. Supp. 2d 215 (D. Conn. 2010). · cites it 2× “She obtained that lien pursuant to Connecticut General Statute § 52-380a, which states that “[a] judgment lien, securing the unpaid amount of any money judgment, including interest and costs, may be placed on any real property .”
Show all 40 citing cases →
— Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-380a(a) — 1 case
Cliff's Auto Body, Inc. v. Grenier, 181 A.3d 138 (Conn. App. Ct. 2018).
— Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-380a(b) — 5 cases
Union Trust Co. v. Heggelund, 594 A.2d 464 (Conn. 1991). “General Statutes § 52-380a provides in relevant part: “JUDGMENT LIEN ON BEAL PROPERTY.”
United States v. Meriden Box Co. (In re Anderson), 150 B.R. 86 (D. Conn. 1993).
Bianchini v. Ryan (In Re Bianchini), 346 B.R. 593 (Bankr. D. Conn. 2006).
In re Anderson, 131 B.R. 541 (Bankr. D. Conn. 1991).
Kuehnert v. Chamberlain (In Re Kuehnert), 271 B.R. 434 (Bankr. D. Conn. 2001).
— Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-380a(c) — 1 case
West Serv. Corp. v. Wilson (In re West Serv. Corp.), 225 B.R. 537 (Bankr. D. Conn. 1998).
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.