Conn. Gen. Stat. » Title 08 — · Chapter 124 — Zoning
Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 8-3c (2026)

Special permits, exceptions and exemptions. Hearings. Filing requirements. Expiration and extensions

✓ current as of May 2026
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(a) If an application for a special permit or special exception involves an activity regulated pursuant to sections 22a-36 to 22a-45, inclusive, the applicant shall submit an application to the agency responsible for administration of the inland wetlands regulations no later than the day the application is filed for a special permit or special exception.

(b) The zoning commission or combined planning and zoning commission of any municipality shall hold a public hearing on an application or request for a special permit or special exception, as provided in section 8-2, and on an application for a special exemption under section 8-2g. Such hearing shall be held in accordance with the provisions of section 8-7d. The commission shall not render a decision on the application until the inland wetlands agency has submitted a report with its final decision to such commission. In making its decision the zoning commission shall give due consideration to the report of the inland wetlands agency. Such commission shall decide upon such application or request within the period of time permitted under section 8-7d. Whenever a commission grants or denies a special permit or special exception, it shall state upon its records the reason for its decision. Notice of the decision of the commission shall be published in a newspaper having a substantial circulation in the municipality and addressed by certified mail to the person who requested or applied for a special permit or special exception, by its secretary or clerk, under his signature in any written, printed, typewritten or stamped form, within fifteen days after such decision has been rendered. In any case in which such notice is not published within such fifteen-day period, the person who requested or applied for such special permit or special exception may provide for the publication of such notice within ten days thereafter. Such permit or exception shall become effective upon the filing of a copy thereof (1) in the office of the town, city or borough clerk, as the case may be, but, in the case of a district, in the offices of both the district clerk and the town clerk of the town in which such district is located, and (2) in the land records of the town in which the affected premises are located, in accordance with the provisions of section 8-3d.

(c) (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section, any special permit or special exception approval made under this section prior to July 1, 2011, that has not expired prior to July 12, 2021, and that specified a deadline by which all work in connection with such approval is required to be completed, shall expire not less than nineteen years after the date of such approval and the commission may grant one or more extensions of time to complete all or part of the work in connection with such special permit or special exception.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section, any special permit or special exception approval made under this section on or after July 1, 2011, but prior to June 10, 2021, that did not expire prior to March 10, 2020, and that specified a deadline by which all work in connection with such approval is required to be completed, shall expire not less than nineteen years after the date of such approval and the commission may grant one or more extensions of time to complete all or part of the work in connection with such special permit or special exception.

(1971, P.A. 862, S. 14; P.A. 77-450, S. 2; 77-509, S. 3; P.A. 87-215, S. 3, 7; 87-533, S. 8, 14; P.A. 88-338, S. 2, 5; P.A. 89-356, S. 12; P.A. 90-230, S. 12, 101; P.A. 03-177, S. 3; P.A. 21-34, S. 7; 21-163, S. 5.)

History: P.A. 77-450 deleted requirement that public hearing be held within 65 days and replaced requirement that decision be rendered within 65 days with requirement for rendering decision within time period under Sec. 8-7d; P.A. 77-509 changed effective date from time fixed by commission to time when filed in clerk's office and in land records; P.A. 87-215 authorized zoning commission to provide by regulation for additional notice by mail to adjacent landowners; P.A. 87-533 added Subsec. (a) regarding applications involving activity regulated pursuant to Secs. 22a-36 to 22a-45, inclusive, designated prior provisions as Subsec. (b) and added provision to require that the commission's decision be rendered after the inland wetlands agency has made its report and that the commission consider such report; P.A. 88-338 added applications for special exemption under Sec. 8-2g to Subsec. (b); P.A. 89-356 amended Subsec. (b) to authorize the person who requested or applied for a special permit or special exception to provide for the publication of the notice of the decision of the commission when such notice is not timely published; P.A. 90-230 made a technical correction in Subsec. (b) by substituting reference to “permit” for reference to “variance”; P.A. 03-177 amended Subsec. (b) to replace provisions re notice of time and place for public hearing and optional notice by mail to adjacent landowners with provision requiring that the public hearing be held in accordance with Sec. 8-7d, effective October 1, 2003, and applicable to applications filed on or after that date; P.A. 21-34 added new Subsec. (c) re expiration of special permits or special exception approvals made on or after July 1, 2011, but prior to June 10, 2021, effective June 10, 2021; P.A. 21-163 amended Subsec. (c) to designate existing provisions as Subdiv. (2) and add Subdiv. (1) re special permit and special exception approvals made prior to July 1, 2011, effective July 12, 2021, and applicable to approvals made prior to July 1, 2011.

Cited. 206 C. 554; 218 C. 65. When approval for site plan and special exception are separate actions, provisions re statutory timelines do not apply. 253 C. 195.

Cited. 5 CA 455; 7 CA 684; 18 CA 85; 24 CA 163; 29 CA 1; 38 CA 171; 41 CA 89; 45 CA 89.

Cited. 42 CS 256.

Subsec. (b):

Cited. 213 C. 604; 220 C. 455; 224 C. 924; 227 C. 799.

Cited. 20 CA 705; 29 CA 469; 30 CA 395; judgment reversed, see 230 C. 452. Trial court properly determined that failure of planning and zoning commission to comply with statutory notice and hearing requirements entitled individual plaintiffs to automatic approval of their application for special permit and site plan approval; notice of commission hearing was invalid and because failure to give proper notice was a jurisdictional defect, action of commission in denying plaintiffs' application was void. 52 CA 763. 15-day notice requirement is substantive, not a matter of procedure or convenience. 55 CA 359.

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 46 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 1974–2024 · leading case: Double I Ltd. P'ship v. Plan & Zoning Comm'n, 588 A.2d 624 (Conn. 1991).
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Double I Ltd. P'ship v. Plan & Zoning Comm'n, 588 A.2d 624 (Conn. 1991). · cites it 22× “The Superior Court rejected the plaintiffs’ claims that the commission’s approval of the rear lot was improper and that the notice provisions of General Statutes § 8-3c (b) violated the plaintiffs’ due process rights, and it therefore dismissed the appeal.”
Frito-Lay, Inc. v. Plan. & Zoning Comm'n, 538 A.2d 1039 (Conn. 1988). · cites it 11× “At the hearing 12 on the appeal before the Superior Court, Frito-Lay claimed that the commission: (1) either failed to act within the statutory time frame or conducted multiple public hearings, which it claimed invalidated any purported commission action, thus resulting in the…”
Lauer v. Zoning Comm'n, 600 A.2d 310 (Conn. 1991). · cites it 9× “See General Statutes § 8-3c (b). The issue presented, therefore, is whether the legislature intended to make § 8-3h notice an additional requirement for subject matter jurisdiction.”
City of Torrington v. Zoning Comm'n, 806 A.2d 1020 (Conn. 2002). · cites it 9× “General Statutes § 8-3c (b) 3 requires that the commission hold a public hearing on an application for a special permit after giving notice to the public of the time and place of the public hearing.”
Irwin v. Plan. & Zoning Comm'n, 711 A.2d 675 (Conn. 1998). · cites it 4× “Pursuant to General Statutes § 8-3c (b), 5 the zoning commission held public hearings on the plaintiffs application on March 6, and April 3, 1995.”
Ctr. Shops of East Granby, Inc. v. Plan. & Zoning Comm'n, 727 A.2d 807 (Conn. App. Ct. 1999). · cites it 16× “The notice, however, was not timely published as required by General Statutes § 8-3c (b). 6 At the hearing on February 4, 1997, the commission continued the public hearing on the special permit until February 25, 1997, to allow for republication of the notice.”
Lauer v. Zoning Comm'n, 716 A.2d 840 (Conn. 1998). · cites it 7× “See General Statutes § 8-3c (b). Section 5.1.”
Gevers v. Plan. & Zoning Comm'n, 892 A.2d 979 (Conn. App. Ct. 2006). · cites it 6× “Section 8-3c (b) provides in relevant part that a zoning “commission shall not render a decision on the [special permit] application until the inland wetlands agency has submitted a report with its final decision to such [zoning] commission.”
Ctr. Shops of East Granby, Inc. v. Plan. & Zoning Comm'n, 757 A.2d 1052 (Conn. 2000). · cites it 10× “This notice did not state the time of the hearing as required by General Statutes § 8-3c (b). 6 At the February 25, 1997 hearing, the plaintiffs did not participate and refused to agree to any further extensions.”
Mayer v. Historic Dist. Comm'n of Groton, 160 A.3d 333 (Conn. 2017). · cites it 2× “) Moving beyond the definitions, § 8-8(b) then provides in relevant part: "Except as provided in subsections (c), (d) and (r) of this section and sections 7-147 and 7-147i , any person aggrieved by any decision of a board, including a decision to approve or deny a site plan…”
Heithaus v. Plan. & Zoning Comm'n, 779 A.2d 750 (Conn. 2001). · cites it 3× “Section 8-3c provides in relevant part: “Whenever a commission grants or denies a special permit or special exception, it shall state upon its records the reason for its decision. . . .” In their brief, the plaintiffs argue that there is nothing in the record to contradict the…”
Zimnoch v. Plan. & Zoning Comm'n, 29 A.3d 898 (Conn. 2011). · cites it 6× “See footnotes 11 and 12 of this opinion; see also General Statutes § 8-3 (a) 13 (public hearing required for zone change); General Statutes § 8-3 (b) 14 (majority commission vote required to effect zone change); General Statutes § 8-3c (b) 15 (public hearing and commission vote…”
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— Conn. Gen. Stat. § 8-3c(b) — 1 case
Jackson Hill Road Sharon CT, LLC v. Town of Sharon, 561 F. Supp. 2d 240 (D. Conn. 2008).
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.