Conn. Gen. Stat. » Title 07 — MUNICIPALITIES · Chapter 103 — Municipal Sewerage Systems
Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-249 (2026)

Assessment of benefits

✓ current as of May 2026
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At any time after a municipality, by its water pollution control authority, has acquired or constructed, a sewerage system or portion thereof, the water pollution control authority may levy benefit assessments upon the lands and buildings in the municipality which, in its judgment, are especially benefited thereby, whether they abut on such sewerage system or not, and upon the owners of such land and buildings, according to such rule as the water pollution control authority adopts, subject to the right of appeal as hereinafter provided. Benefits to buildings or structures constructed or expanded after the initial assessment may be assessed as if the new or expanded buildings or structures had existed at the time of the initial assessment. Such benefits and benefits to anticipated development of land zoned for other than business, commercial or industrial purposes or land classified as farm land, forest land or open space land on the last completed grand list of the municipality in which such land is located, pursuant to the provisions of sections 12-107a to 12-107e, inclusive, shall not be assessed until such construction or expansion or development is approved or occurs. In case of a property so zoned or classified which exceeds by more than one hundred per cent the size of the smallest lot permitted in the lowest density residential zone allowed under zoning regulations or, in the case of a town having no zoning regulations, a lot size of one acre in area and one hundred fifty feet in frontage, assessment of such excess land shall be deferred until such time as such excess land shall be built upon or a building permit issued therefor or until approval of a subdivision plan of such excess property by the planning commission having jurisdiction, whichever event occurs first at which time assessment may be made as provided herein. No lien securing payment shall be filed until the property is assessed. The sum of initial and subsequent assessments shall not exceed the special benefit accruing to the property. Such assessment may include a proportionate share of the cost of any part of the sewerage system, including the cost of preliminary studies and surveys, detailed working plans and specifications, acquiring necessary land or property or any interest therein, damage awards, construction costs, interest charges during construction, legal and other fees, or any other expense incidental to the completion of the work. The water pollution control authority may divide the total territory to be benefited by a sewerage system into districts and may levy assessments against the property benefited in each district separately. In assessing benefits against property in any district the water pollution control authority may add to the cost of the part of the sewerage system located in the district a proportionate share of the cost of any part of the sewerage system located outside the district but deemed by the water pollution control authority to be necessary or desirable for the operation of the part of the system within the district. In assessing benefits and apportioning the amount to be raised thereby among the properties benefited, the water pollution control authority may give consideration to the area, frontage, grand list valuation and to present or permitted use or classification of benefited properties and to any other relevant factors. The water pollution control authority may make reasonable allowances in the case of properties having a frontage on more than one street and whenever for any reason the particular situation of any property requires an allowance. Revenue from the assessment of benefits shall be used solely for the acquisition or construction of the sewerage system providing such benefits or for the payment of principal of and interest on bonds or notes issued to finance such acquisition or construction. No assessment shall be made against any property in excess of the special benefit to accrue to such property. The water pollution control authority shall place a caveat on the land records in each instance where assessment of benefits to anticipated development of land zoned for other than business, commercial or industrial purposes or land classified as farm land, forest land or open space land has been deferred.

(1949 Rev., S. 735; 1949, S. 316d; 1971, P.A. 699; P.A. 73-523, S. 1, 3; P.A. 78-154, S. 6.)

History: 1971 act clarified procedure for benefit assessment and deferred assessment; P.A. 73-523 added provision for deferred assessments on land zoned for other than business, commercial or industrial uses and on land classified as farm, forest or open space land; P.A. 78-154 substituted water pollution control authority for sewer authority.

Cited. 168 C. 514; 171 C. 74; 179 C. 229; 192 C. 638; 195 C. 682; 213 C. 112; 216 C. 436; 220 C. 18; 231 C. 344. Term “structures” includes any “construction, production, or piece of work artificially built up or composed of parts purposefully joined together” and that interior renovations to property constituted construction of “structures” for purposes of authorizing water pollution control authority to levy supplement assessment for benefits; section grants water pollution control authorities discretion in deciding the method to apply in assessing supplemental benefits. 336 C. 819.

Cited. 4 CA 24; 15 CA 140; 26 CA 540.

Cited. 34 CS 568.

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 19 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1975–2022 · leading case: 777 Residential, LLC v. Metro. Dist. Comm'n, 336 Conn. 819 (Conn. 2020).
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777 Residential, LLC v. Metro. Dist. Comm'n, 336 Conn. 819 (Conn. 2020). · cites it 80× “In this appeal and cross appeal, we must construe General Statutes § 7-249 to determine whether the defendant, The Metropolitan District Commission, had authority to levy a supplemental sewerage benefit assessment (supplemental assessment) against the property at 777 Main…”
Tower Bus. Park Assocs. No. One Ltd. P'ship v. Water Pollution Control Auth. of Simsbury, 566 A.2d 696 (Conn. 1989). · cites it 21× “As its authority for the supplemental assessment, the defendant relied upon General Statutes § 7-249,* 2 which provides that “[benefits to build *115 ings or structures constructed or expanded after the initial assessment may be assessed as if the new or expanded buildings or…”
Gaynor-Stafford Indus., Inc. v. Water Pollution Control Auth., 474 A.2d 752 (Conn. 1984). · cites it 14× “The plaintiff maintains that the court erred in finding (1) that the assessment was authorized by General Statutes § 7-249a; 3 (2) that General Statutes § 7-249a is constitutional; (3) that the benefit assessment was properly conducted in accordance with General Statutes §…”
Anderson v. Town of Litchfield, 492 A.2d 210 (Conn. App. Ct. 1985). · cites it 10× “The town assessed benefits arising from the construction of a sewer, pursuant to General Statutes § 7-249. After trial, the court, Stoughton, J.”
Shoreline Care Ltd. P'ship v. Town of North Branford, 650 A.2d 142 (Conn. 1994). · cites it 12× “General Statutes § 7-249 provides in relevant part: “assessment OF benefits.”
Bridge Street Assocs. v. Water Pollution Control Auth. of Suffield, 543 A.2d 1351 (Conn. App. Ct. 1988). · cites it 8× “General Statutes § 7-249 authorizes municipalities to levy assessments upon property specially benefited by the construction and establishment of a sewerage system.”
Zizka v. Water Pollution Control Auth., 490 A.2d 509 (Conn. 1985). · cites it 2× “In September, 1980, the defendant, pursuant to General Statutes § 7-249, 2 *684 levied a sewer benefit assessment against owners of real estate within the sewer district.”
Cyr v. Town of Coventry, 582 A.2d 452 (Conn. 1990). · cites it 8× “gainst the defendants, the town of Coventry and the WPCA, seeking a declaration (1) that the operation of General Statutes § 22a-458 1 in this case was in violation of the home rule provision, article tenth, § l, 2 and the due pro *438 cess clause, article first, § 8, 3 of the…”
Pepin v. City of Danbury, 368 A.2d 88 (Conn. 1976). · cites it 2× “For example, General Statutes § 7-249 requires that assessments to pay for the acquisition and construction of sewers “shall not exceed the special benefit accruing to the property” and that “[n]o assessment shall be made against any property in excess of the special benefit to…”
Vaill v. Sewer Comm'n, 362 A.2d 885 (Conn. 1975). · cites it 4× “On August 9, 1971, the defendant, the sewer commission of the town of Salisbury, laid an assessment on the plaintiff’s property pursuant to § 7-249 1 of the General Statutes. On August 7, 1972, one day short of a year from the date of the assessment, the plaintiff brought this…”
Ne. Enter. v. Water Pollution Control Auth., 601 A.2d 563 (Conn. App. Ct. 1992). · cites it 4× “2 The plaintiff claims that the trial court improperly (1) concluded that General Statutes § 8-24 was not applicable to an appeal from an assessment of benefits under General Statutes §§ 7-249 and 7-250, (2) determined that the defendant had complied with General Statutes §…”
Grp. Assisting Sewer Proposal-Ansonia v. City of Ansonia, 448 F. Supp. 45 (D. Conn. 1978). “§ 7-249 (1977) enables sewer authorities to levy benefit assessments, but “no assessment shall be made against any property in excess of the special benefit to accrue such property.”
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