Sec. 7-101b. Internet web sites.
Sec. 7-122c. Installation of hostile architecture prohibited.
Sec. 7-131s. Charter Oak open space trust account.
Sec. 7-101b. Internet web sites. Notwithstanding the provisions of any municipal charter, special act or home rule ordinance, not later than July 1, 2027, each municipality shall (1) register a “.gov” Internet top-level domain for such municipality with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within the United States Department of Homeland Security, and (2) redirect any existing Internet web site addresses maintained by such municipality to such domain or discontinue the use of such addresses. On and after July 1, 2027, each municipality shall maintain an Internet web site with a “.gov” Internet top-level domain. For the purposes of this section, “municipality” has the same meaning as provided in section 7-479a.
(P.A. 25-44, S. 4.)
History: P.A. 25-44 effective June 10, 2025.
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Sec. 7-122c. Installation of hostile architecture prohibited. (a) For the purposes of this section, “municipality” has the same meaning as provided in section 7-148 and “hostile architecture” means any building or structure that is designed or intended primarily for the purpose of preventing a person experiencing homelessness from sitting or lying in the building or on the structure at street level, provided “hostile architecture” does not include design elements intended to prevent individuals from skateboarding or rollerblading or to prevent vehicles from entering certain areas.
(b) On and after January 1, 2026, no municipality shall install or construct hostile architecture in any publicly accessible building or on any publicly accessible real property owned by the municipality.
(c) Upon receipt of written notice from any person alleging that a building or structure violates the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, a municipality shall investigate such alleged violation. If, after such investigation, the municipality determines that such building or structure is hostile architecture in violation of the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, the municipality shall remove such building or structure not later than ninety days after making such determination.
(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any hostile architecture installed or constructed prior to January 1, 2026.
(Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 25-1, S. 26.)
History: Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 25-1 effective January 1, 2026.
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Sec. 7-131d. Protected open space and watershed land acquisition grant program: Purposes; criteria; conditions. Charter Oak open space grant program: Criteria; conditions. (a) There is established the protected open space and watershed land acquisition grant program. The program shall provide grants to municipalities and nonprofit land conservation organizations to acquire land or permanent interests in land for open space and watershed protection and to water companies, as defined in section 25-32a, to acquire and protect land which is eligible to be classified as class I or class II land, as defined in section 25-37c, after acquisition. All lands or interests in land acquired under this program shall be preserved in perpetuity predominantly in their natural scenic and open condition for the protection of natural resources while allowing for recreation consistent with such protection and, for lands acquired by water companies, allowing for the improvements necessary for the protection or provision of potable water.
(b) Grants may be made under the protected open space and watershed land acquisition grant program established under subsection (a) of this section or under the Charter Oak open space grant program established under section 7-131t to match funds for the purchase of land or permanent interests in land which purchase meets one of the following criteria: (1) Protects land identified as being especially valuable for recreation, forestry, fishing, conservation of wildlife or natural resources; (2) protects land which includes or contributes to a prime natural feature of the state's landscape, including, but not limited to, a shoreline, a river, its tributaries and watershed, an aquifer, mountainous territory, ridgelines, an inland or coastal wetland, a significant littoral or estuarine or aquatic site or other important geological feature; (3) protects habitat for native plant or animal species listed as threatened or endangered or of special concern, as defined in section 26-304; (4) protects a relatively undisturbed outstanding example of a native ecological community which is now uncommon; (5) enhances and conserves water quality of the state's lakes, rivers and coastal water; (6) preserves local agricultural heritage; or (7) in the case of grants to water companies, protects land which is eligible to be classified as class I land or class II land after acquisition.
(c) Grants may be made under the protected open space and watershed land acquisition grant program established under subsection (a) of this section for restoration or protection of natural features or habitats of, or for repurposing for urban agricultural use on, open space already owned by a (1) distressed municipality, as defined in section 32-9p, (2) targeted investment community, as defined in section 32-222, (3) municipality, provided such open space is located in an environmental justice community, as defined in section 22a-20a, or (4) nonprofit land conservation organization, provided such open space is located in a distressed municipality, targeted investment community or environmental justice community. Such restoration or protection may include, but need not be limited to, (A) wetland, wildlife or plant habitat restoration or restoration of other sites to a more natural condition, (B) urban agricultural use, or (C) replacement of vegetation. The total amount of grants made pursuant to this subsection shall not exceed twenty per cent of the total amount of grants made pursuant to the open space and watershed land acquisition grant program in any fiscal year.
(d) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, no grant may be made under the protected open space and watershed land acquisition grant program established under subsection (a) of this section or under the Charter Oak open space grant program established under section 7-131t for: (A) Land to be used for commercial purposes or for recreational purposes requiring intensive development, including, but not limited to, golf courses, driving ranges, tennis courts, ballfields, swimming pools and uses by motorized vehicles other than vehicles needed by water companies to carry out their purposes, provided trails or pathways for pedestrians, motorized wheelchairs or nonmotorized vehicles shall not be considered intensive development; (B) land with environmental contamination over a significant portion of the property provided grants for land requiring remediation of environmental contamination may be made if remediation will be completed before acquisition of the land or any interest in the land and an environmental assessment approved by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection has been completed and no environmental use restriction applies to the land; (C) land which has already been committed for public use, except as provided in subsection (c) of section 7-131g; (D) development costs, including, but not limited to, construction of ballfields, tennis courts, parking lots or roadways; (E) land to be acquired by eminent domain; or (F) reimbursement of in-kind services or incidental expenses associated with the acquisition of land. This subsection shall not prohibit the continuation of agricultural activity, the activities of a water company for public water supply purposes or the selling of timber incidental to management of the land which management is in accordance with approved forest management practices provided any proceeds of such timber sales shall be used for management of the land. In the case of land acquired under this section which is designated as a state park, any fees charged by the state for use of such land shall be used by the state in accordance with the provisions of title 23.
(2) Grants in a total amount not exceeding five per cent of the total amount of grants made pursuant to the open space and watershed land acquisition grant program in any fiscal year may be made to distressed municipalities, as defined in section 32-9p, targeted investment communities, as defined in section 32-222, nonprofit land conservation organizations and municipalities, for the purpose of reimbursement for in-kind services or incidental expenses associated with the acquisition of land, including, but not limited to, survey fees, appraisal costs and legal fees, provided such land is located in a distressed municipality, targeted investment community or environmental justice community, as defined in section 22a-20a.
(e) Any municipality or group of contiguous municipalities may apply to the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection for a grant-in-aid of a program established to preserve or restrict to conservation or recreation purposes the use of open space land. Such grant shall be used for the acquisition of land, or easements, interests or rights therein, or for the development of such land, or easements, interests or rights therein, for purposes set forth in this section, or both, in accordance with a plan of development adopted by the municipal planning commission of the municipality within which the land is located. Any application for a grant-in-aid relating to land located beyond the territorial limits of the applying municipality shall be subject to approval of the legislative body of the municipality within whose territorial limits the land is located. A municipality applying for aid under this section, may designate its conservation commission as its agent to make such application.
(f) At closing, a permanent conservation easement, as defined in section 47-42, shall be executed for any property purchased with grant funds, which conservation easement shall provide that the property shall remain forever predominantly in its natural and open condition for the specific conservation, open space or water supply purposes for which it was acquired provided any improvements or changes to the property shall be supportive of such condition or purposes. The permanent conservation easement shall be in favor of the state acting through the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, or his designee, which may be a municipality or a land conservation organization. In the case of land acquired for water supply protection, a water company may hold an easement in conjunction with the state or a nonprofit entity to protect the water supply. Such permanent conservation easement shall also include a requirement that the property be made available to the general public for appropriate recreational purposes, the maintenance of which recreational access shall be the responsibility of the grantee provided such access shall not be required for land which will be classified as class I or class II land by a water company if such access is inconsistent with the provision of pure drinking water to the public. An exception to the provision of public recreational access may be made at the discretion of the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection when provision for public access would be unreasonably detrimental to the wildlife or plant habitat or other natural features of the property or, for land where development rights have been purchased, would be disruptive of agricultural activity occurring on the land. Any instrument conveying an interest in land less than fee which interest is purchased under this section shall provide for the permanent preservation of the land and public access consistent with the land's use or protection and with any restrictions prescribed by the Department of Public Health in order to protect a public drinking water source.
(1963, P.A. 649, S. 2; February, 1965, P.A. 367, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 842, S. 2; 872, S. 404; P.A. 78-359, S. 1, 8; P.A. 98-157, S. 3, 15; P.A. 00-203, S. 3, 11; P.A. 01-195, S. 106, 181; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 468; P.A. 11-80, S. 1; P.A. 23-196, S. 11; P.A. 24-69, S. 9; P.A. 25-125, S. 16.)
History: 1965 act added requirement that grant-in-aid application concerning land beyond municipality's territory be approved by municipality where land lies and specified plan of development be in accordance with plan adopted by planning commission of municipality within which land is located, deleting restriction that municipalities may apply only for grant involving the use of land in their own towns; 1971 acts included improvement of land, easements, etc. for purposes of Sec. 7-131c in uses of grants and substituted commissioner of environmental protection for council on agriculture and natural resources; P.A. 78-359 substituted use of grants for “development” rather than “improvement” of land, easements, etc; P.A. 98-157 added new provisions as Subsecs. (a) to (c), inclusive, and (e) re the protected open space and watershed land acquisition grant program and designated existing provisions as Subsec. (d), effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 00-203 amended Subsec. (b) by applying certain provisions to charter oak open space grant program and amended Subsec. (c) by applying provisions to charter oak open space grant program and adding exception in Subdiv. (1) for vehicles used by water companies and for motorized wheelchairs, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 01-195 deleted “account” following “the charter oak open space grant program” in Subsecs. (b) and (c), effective July 11, 2001; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 amended Subsec. (c) by deleting reference to Sec. 22a-27h; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection”, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 23-196 amended Subsec. (c) to add exception as provided in Subsec. (c) of Sec. 7-131g, effective June 29, 2023; P.A. 24-69 amended Subsec. (b) to delete reference to authority of commissioner to issue grants to distressed municipality for open space already owned by municipality, added new Subsec. (c) re authority for issuance of grants to certain municipalities for land already owned by such municipality, redesignated existing Subsec. (c) as new Subsec. (d) and therein designated existing provisions as new Subdiv. (1), redesignated existing Subdivs. (1) to (6) and Subparas. (A) to (F) and added new Subdiv. (2) re grants to certain municipalities for in-kind services related to the acquisition of land and redesignated existing Subsecs. (d) and (e) as Subsecs. (e) and (f), effective July 1, 2024; P.A. 25-125 amended Subsec. (c) to add references to urban agricultural use, effective July 1, 2025.
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Sec. 7-131s. Charter Oak open space trust account. There is established a Charter Oak open space trust account, which shall be nonlapsing and shall be separate from bond funds provided for any similar programs or purposes.
(P.A. 00-203, S. 1, 11; P.A. 25-110, S. 16.)
History: P.A. 00-203 effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 25-110 deleted Subsec. (a) designator and amended same to delete reference to General Fund and deleted former Subsec. (b) re disbursements from account for fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, effective July 1, 2025.
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Sec. 7-131t. Charter Oak open space grant program: Purposes; criteria. Charter Oak open space grant program account. (a)(1) There is established a Charter Oak open space grant program account, which shall be a separate, nonlapsing account. The account shall consist of any funds required or allowed by law to be deposited into the account including, but not limited to, funds from the Charter Oak open space trust account established pursuant to section 7-131s, gifts or donations received for the purposes of section 7-131d. Investment earnings credited to the assets of the account shall become part of the assets of the account. Any balance remaining in the account at the end of any fiscal year shall be carried forward in the account for the fiscal year next succeeding. Payments from the account shall be made upon authorization by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection. Neither the proceeds of any general obligation bonds of the state nor the investment earnings of any such proceeds shall be deposited in the account.
(2) At least fifty per cent of the funds deposited in the Charter Oak open space grant program account from the Charter Oak open space trust account shall be used to make grants under the Charter Oak open space grant program established pursuant to subsection (b) of this section to municipalities and nonprofit land conservation organizations. If fifty per cent of such funds have not been used by municipalities or nonprofit land conservation organizations prior to July 1, 2003, then after said date expenditures may be made from remaining funds for the Charter Oak state parks and forests program established pursuant to section 7-131u.
(b) There is established the Charter Oak open space grant program. The program shall provide grants to municipalities and nonprofit land conservation organizations to acquire land or permanent interests in land for open space and watershed protection. All land or interest in land acquired under this program shall be preserved in perpetuity predominantly in its natural and open condition for the specific open space purposes for which it was acquired, provided any improvements or changes to the property shall be supportive of such condition or purpose. No municipality shall be eligible for grants under this section unless the municipality has adopted an open space plan in its plan of development.
(c) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection may make grants in accordance with section 7-131d under the Charter Oak open space grant program to: (1) Municipalities in an amount not to exceed sixty per cent of the purchase price not to exceed the fair market value of a parcel of land or interest in land that is proposed to be acquired and permanently preserved that is located in municipalities with population densities of at least one thousand five hundred persons per square mile, and (2) municipalities or nonprofit land conservation organizations in an amount not to exceed fifty per cent of the purchase price not to exceed the fair market value of a parcel of land or interest in land that is proposed to be acquired and permanently preserved that is (A) not owned by a water company, as defined in section 25-32a, but is on a public drinking supply watershed or acquifer area or within one hundred and fifty feet of a distribution reservoir or a first-order stream tributary to a distribution reservoir, or (B) owned by an electric distribution company or electric supplier, as defined in section 16-1. Applicants for grants under the program shall provide a copy of the application to the chairperson of the review board established under section 7-131e. The board shall provide comments to the commissioner on pending applications as it deems necessary.
(d) The program shall expire when the state and municipal open space goal is achieved as provided in subsection (b) of section 23-8. Any moneys remaining in the Charter Oak open space grant program account at the time the program expires shall revert to the recreation and natural heritage trust program established under section 23-74.
(P.A. 00-203, S. 2, 11; P.A. 11-80, S. 1; P.A. 25-110, S. 17.)
History: P.A. 00-203 effective July 1, 2000; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection” in Subsecs. (a)(1) and (c), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 25-110 amended Subsec. (a)(1) to delete reference to General Fund, effective July 1, 2025.
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Sec. 7-131u. Charter Oak state parks and forests program: Purposes; criteria. Charter Oak state parks and forests account. (a) There is established a Charter Oak state parks and forests account, which shall be a separate, nonlapsing account. The account shall consist of any funds required or allowed by law to be deposited into the account including, but not limited to, funds from the Charter Oak open space trust account established pursuant to section 7-131s, gifts or donations received for the purposes of this section. Investment earnings credited to the assets of the account shall become part of the assets of the account. Any balance remaining in the account at the end of any fiscal year shall be carried forward in the account for the fiscal year next succeeding. Payments from the account shall be made upon authorization by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection. Neither the proceeds of any general obligation bonds of the state nor the investment earnings of any such proceeds shall be deposited in the account. Funds in the state parks and forests account shall be expended to acquire land as set forth in subsection (b) of this section.
(b) There is established the Charter Oak state parks and forests program to enable the state to acquire land for open space and watershed protection. All land acquired by the state under this program shall be preserved in perpetuity predominantly in its natural scenic and open condition for the protection of natural resources while allowing for recreation consistent with such protection as specified in subsection (b) of section 7-131d.
(c) When ranking lands to be acquired under the Charter Oak state parks and forests program, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall give priority first to open space land to be permanently preserved that is located in municipalities with population densities of at least one thousand five hundred persons per square mile, and second to open space land to be permanently preserved that is owned by an electric distribution company or electric supplier, as defined in section 16-1, and to open space land to be permanently preserved that is designated as class I, class II or class III land, as defined in section 25-37c.
(d) The Charter Oak state parks and forests program shall expire when the state and municipal open space goal is achieved as provided in subsection (b) of section 23-8. Any moneys remaining in the Charter Oak open space grant program account at the time the program expires shall revert to the recreation and natural heritage trust program established under section 23-74.
(P.A. 00-203, S. 5, 11; P.A. 11-80, S. 1; P.A. 25-110, S. 18.)
History: P.A. 00-203 effective July 1, 2000; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection” in Subsecs. (a) and (c), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 25-110 amended Subsec. (a) to delete reference to General Fund, effective July 1, 2025.
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