Conn. Gen. Stat. » Title 53a — PENAL CODE · Chapter 952 — Penal Code: Offenses
Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-27 (2025)

Violation: Definition, designation

✓ laws through the 2024 session: the source has not yet published 2025 Public Acts (checked Sept. 2026)
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section CT-CGAcga.ct.gov (official) JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar
(a) An offense, for which the only sentence authorized is a fine, is a violation unless expressly designated an infraction.

(b) Every violation defined in this chapter is expressly designated as such. Any offense defined in any other section which is not expressly designated a violation or infraction shall be deemed a violation if, notwithstanding any other express designation, it is within the definition set forth in subsection (a).

(1969, P.A. 828, S. 27; P.A. 75-577, S. 4, 126.)

History: P.A. 75-577 excluded offenses expressly designated as infractions from consideration as violation.

See chapter 881b re infractions.

Cited. 9 CA 686; 27 CA 225; 40 CA 762; 41 CA 454.

Cited. 36 CS 527; Id., 551.

(Return to Chapter
Table of Contents)		 (Return to
List of Chapters)		 (Return to
List of Titles)

PART II*

SENTENCES AND SENTENCING PROCEDURE

*Cited. 207 C. 152; 240 C. 639.

Cited. 34 CA 1; 39 CA 722. Court properly considered evidence of defendant's criminal history in its determination to revoke defendant's probation. 58 CA 275.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 12 cases, 1979–2017 · leading case: McCoy v. Comm'r of Pub. Saf., 12 A.3d 948 (Conn. 2011).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
McCoy v. Comm'r of Pub. Saf., 12 A.3d 948 (Conn. 2011). · cites it 38× “The term violation is defined, however, in General Statutes § 53a-27. Section 53a-27 provides: "(a) An offense, for which the only sentence authorized is a fine, is a violation unless expressly designated an infraction.”
State v. Kluttz, 521 A.2d 178 (Conn. App. Ct. 1987). · cites it 19× “3 The state advocates the contrary position, *690 namely, that negligent homicide with a motor vehicle is a “criminal offense,” and not a “motor vehicle violation,” because it fails to meet the statutory definition of a “violation” as set forth in General Statutes § 53a-27. 4 At…”
Nowakowski v. New York, 835 F.3d 210 (2d Cir. 2016). “00 [3], with Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-27(a). The maximum incarcera-tory sentence for misdemeanors is one year in New York and Connecticut but two years in Vermont.”
State v. Goffe, 676 A.2d 1377 (Conn. App. Ct. 1996). · cites it 4× “A later indication of the legislative intent further to decriminalize § 14-267a is found with the 1969 enactment of the Penal Code in General Statutes § 53a-27 under which the violation of § 14-267a became a “motor vehicle violation.”
Ventura v. Town of E. Haven, 154 A.3d 1020 (Conn. App. Ct. 2017). · cites it 2× “General Statutes § 53a-27. See General Statutes § 14-301.”
State v. Guckian, 605 A.2d 874 (Conn. App. Ct. 1992). · cites it 2× “General Statutes § 53a-27 (a).” (Internal quotation marks omitted.”
State v. Carolina, 673 A.2d 562 (Conn. App. Ct. 1996). · cites it 2× “We note that Practice Book § 1004 (b) was further amended effective January 1, 1994. These amendments are not applicable to this case.”
State v. Eastman, 884 A.2d 442 (Conn. App. Ct. 2005). · cites it 3× “” General Statutes § 53a-27 (a). Because the penalty for violating Orange Code of Ordinances § 211-1 is at most only a $100 fine, the defendants’ offenses constitute violations, and not infractions, under § 53a-27 (a).”
State v. Anonymous (1980-8), 36 Conn. Supp. 551 (Conn. Super. Ct. 1980). · cites it 4× “” General Statutes § 53a-27 (a). This definition is expressly made to apply to offenses like the one before us, not included in the penal code but contained in other chapters of the general statutes.”
State v. Cayo, 66 A.3d 887 (Conn. App. Ct. 2013). “Section 51-193u provides: “(a) Cases involving motor vehicle violations, excluding alleged violations of sections 14-215, 14-222, 14-222a, 14-224 and 14-227a and any other motor vehicle violation involving a possible term of imprisonment, or any violation, as defined in section…”
State v. Anonymous (1980-5), 36 Conn. Supp. 527 (Conn. Super. Ct. 1979). · cites it 4× “” General Statutes § 53a-27 (a). Operating under the influence would not qualify as a violation under this definition because it is punishable by imprisonment as well as by a fine.”
State v. Menditto, 110 A.3d 410 (Conn. 2015). “The statute thus distinguished between three categories of illegal con- duct: crimes, offense violations, and nonoffense motor vehicle violations.”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-27(a): 1 case
Nowakowski v. New York, 835 F.3d 210 (2d Cir. 2016). “00 [3], with Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-27(a). The maximum incarcera-tory sentence for misdemeanors is one year in New York and Connecticut but two years in Vermont.”
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.