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Connecticut Late Fee Law

Connecticut limits residential late fees by statute. Lesser of (1) $5 per day up to $50, or (2) 5% of the delinquent rent (5% of the tenant's share if rent is partly paid by a government or charity); one late charge per late payment. State law requires a grace period of 9 days before a late fee can be charged.

Last verified: 2026-10-30 · Researched and cited by MakeLease · not yet attorney-reviewed

Connecticut late fee law at a glance

Late-fee cap	Lesser of (1) $5 per day up to $50, or (2) 5% of the delinquent rent (5% of the tenant's share if rent is partly paid by a government or charity); one late charge per late paymentConn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(b), P.A. 23-207, § 8 (eff. Oct. 1, 2023)
Grace period	9 daysConn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(a), (b)
Notice before filing for unpaid rent	3 days (Notice to quit for nonpayment (served after the 9-day grace period))Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(a) (2026 Supplement), Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23(a)-(d) (2026 Supplement), Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-75(f)(2)

Late-fee cap

In effect since October 1, 2023.
Before October 1, 2023: No statutory dollar or percentage cap on late charges; only the 9-day (4-day weekly) grace period applied.

What Connecticut law says

Is there a limit on late fees in Connecticut?

A late fee must be in a written lease and may not exceed the lesser of $5 per day up to $50 or 5% of the late rent, charged only once per late payment (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(b)).

Does Connecticut require a grace period before a late fee?

A late fee may be charged only on rent paid after the 9-day grace period (4 days for week-to-week tenancies), plus 5 more days in a month when the landlord's online payment system prevents on-time payment (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a) (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(a), (b)).

How much notice must a Connecticut landlord give for unpaid rent?

If rent is still unpaid nine days after it was due (four days for a weekly tenancy), the landlord may have a state marshal serve a notice to quit that gives at least three full days to leave, with the Right to Counsel notice attached (Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 47a-15a(a), 47a-23(a), 47a-75(f)(2)) (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(a) (2026 Supplement)).

How Connecticut compares

20 of 51 verified jurisdictions cap late fees by statute. 2 require a longer grace period than 9 days.

None of Connecticut's 3 neighbors follows the same rule.

Late-fee cap · grace period	States
Statutory formula · 9 days	Connecticut
No state cap · 30 days	Massachusetts
Statutory formula · 5 days	New York
No state cap · none	Rhode Island

Local rules in Connecticut

Every Connecticut municipality with 15,000 or more residents must create or join a fair rent commission by January 1, 2028 (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-148b); a commission can limit a rent or increase it finds harsh and unconscionable. Tenants who are 62 or older or disabled (or live with such a family member) and live in a building of five or more units or a mobile home park can be evicted only for good cause (§ 47a-23c).

Other Connecticut rules

Security deposit limit	2 months' rent (with exceptions)Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(b)
Deposit return deadline	21 days after the lease endsConn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d)(2), P.A. 23-207, § 38 (30 → 21 days, eff. Oct. 1, 2023)
Entry notice	Reasonable written or oral notice of intent to enter, entry only at reasonable times; no notice in an emergencyConn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-16
Rent-increase notice	45 days (Leases of one month or less: one full lease term)Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-4e, P.A. 24-143, § 17
Month-to-month termination	No state ruleConn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23(a), Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-3b

Read the Connecticut law

Put the late fee and grace period in writing

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