State Resources
Connecticut
Connecticut lets you search criminal convictions by defendant name, free, online — something most states will not do. It also has one of the strongest public records enforcement bodies in the country. Land records sit with 169 town clerks.
At a glance
| Record | Held by | Cost | Online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business and entity search | Business Services Division, Secretary of the State | Free to search | Yes |
| UCC filings | Secretary of the State — Lien Records Search | Free to search | Yes |
| Professional licenses | eLicense Connecticut — Dept. of Consumer Protection and Dept. of Public Health | Free | Yes |
| Property and land records | 169 town and city clerks | Copy fees set by the town | Varies by town |
| Court records | Connecticut Judicial Branch | Free to search | Yes |
| Criminal records | State Police Bureau of Identification, DESPP | $75 state check · $15 fingerprinting · $13.25 federal | By mail |
| Vital records | State Vital Records Office, DPH — or the town clerk | Birth $30 state / $20 town · Death and marriage $20 | Yes |
| Unclaimed property | Office of the State Treasurer | Free | Yes |
| Voter and resident records | Secretary of the State; town registrars of voters | Fee set by statute | By request |
Worth knowing about Connecticut
You can search criminal convictions by name, free
The Judicial Branch runs a public Criminal/Motor Vehicle Convictions Search by Defendant. Enter a last name, optionally a first initial and a birth year with a range, pick a court location or search them all, and it returns convictions.
That is a genuinely unusual thing for a state to publish. Massachusetts will not let you search criminal cases by name at all. Connecticut puts it on the open web at no charge and timestamps the data currency at the top of the page.
There is a matching civil case lookup for Superior Court civil, family and housing matters, also free and also searchable by party name.
The court data is convictions. For the full criminal history, including anything that did not end in conviction, you still need the State Police check.
The Freedom of Information Commission has real enforcement power
Connecticut does not send public records disputes to a court in the first instance. It has a standing Freedom of Information Commission that hears complaints, holds hearings, and issues orders against agencies.
You have 30 days from the denial to file a complaint. There is no filing fee. The Commission can order an agency to hand over records and can impose civil penalties on officials who violate the Act without reasonable grounds.
Along with the Massachusetts Supervisor of Records, this is one of the better records appeal processes in the region. Use it. Agencies in Connecticut know the Commission exists and that shapes how they answer a request in the first place.
Record by record
Business and entity search
Open search →- Held by
- Business Services Division, Secretary of the State
- Cost
- Free to search
Search corporations, LLCs and partnerships by business name, business ID, filing number, or by principal or agent name.
Annual reports carry the principals and their addresses as at the filing date. Several years of them gives you a dated address history on the people behind an entity.
UCC filings
Open lien search →- Held by
- Secretary of the State — Lien Records Search
- Cost
- Free to search
Connecticut’s lien search is unusually good, and it is not just UCC. One free search by debtor surname and first name covers:
- Original UCC financing statements
- IRS liens
- Judgments
- Vessel and aircraft liens
Most states make you run three or four separate searches to get that. Here it is one box, and the page states how current the UCC and IRS lien data is.
A UCC-1 names the debtor, the secured party and the collateral, which frequently names the bank. The vessel and aircraft coverage matters on the Connecticut coast.
Professional licenses
Open eLicense →- Held by
- eLicense Connecticut — Dept. of Consumer Protection and Dept. of Public Health
- Cost
- Free
Connecticut consolidated most licensing into a single eLicense system covering trades, health professions, liquor permits and many occupational credentials in one search.
Licence records carry a business address, licence history and disciplinary action. Liquor permits are worth remembering — they name the individual permit holder behind a bar or restaurant.
Property and land records
- Held by
- 169 town and city clerks
- Cost
- Copy fees set by the town
Connecticut abolished county government. There are no county recorders. Every deed, mortgage, lien and attachment is recorded with the clerk of the town where the land sits, indexed by grantor and grantee.
Many towns publish an online index through a commercial vendor, with coverage typically starting in the 1990s. Assessments and field cards come from the town assessor and are usually the easier free lookup.
Court records
Open convictions search →- Held by
- Connecticut Judicial Branch
- Cost
- Free to search
Two free public searches, both by name:
- Criminal/Motor Vehicle Convictions Search by Defendant — last name, first initial, birth year with a range, and court location.
- Civil / Family / Housing case look-up at civilinquiry.jud.ct.gov — by party name, with docket entries and scheduled events.
Between them these two cover most of what an investigator wants from Connecticut courts without paying anyone.
Criminal records
Open SPBI →- Held by
- State Police Bureau of Identification, DESPP
- Cost
- $75 state check · $15 fingerprinting · $13.25 federal
The full State Criminal History Check is $75. Fingerprinting, if you need it, is a separate $15. The federal check is $13.25 and is only available where a statute or federal act specifically allows it.
Criminal history requests go in by post to SPBI at 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown. Fingerprinting is by appointment; the record checks are not a walk-in service.
For most name-based work the free Judicial Branch convictions search will answer the question at no cost. Reach for SPBI when you need the repository record rather than the court record.
Vital records
Open how to obtain →- Held by
- State Vital Records Office, DPH — or the town clerk
- Cost
- Birth $30 state / $20 town · Death and marriage $20
Records are available from the state office or from the town where the event occurred — or, usefully, the town where the person resided at the time.
- Birth certificate — $30 from the state, $20 from the town
- Death, marriage or civil union — $20
State requests take a money order payable to "Treasurer, State of Connecticut". VitalChek is the only approved third-party vendor.
Access is restricted; Connecticut limits certified copies to qualifying parties.
Unclaimed property
Open search →- Held by
- Office of the State Treasurer
- Cost
- Free
Free name search over dormant accounts, uncashed cheques and insurance proceeds. Each record carries the address the holder had on file when the property was reported.
Voter and resident records
- Held by
- Secretary of the State; town registrars of voters
- Cost
- Fee set by statute
Connecticut voter registration lists are public records, obtainable from the Secretary of the State or from the town registrar of voters. Commercial use is restricted.
This is one of the more accessible voter files in New England, and worth remembering as an address source.
Public records requests in Connecticut
- Statute
- Freedom of Information Act, Conn. Gen. Stat. ch. 14
- Response deadline
- 4 business days to acknowledge; prompt production
- Appeal to
- Freedom of Information Commission
- Appeal window
- 30 days from the denial — no filing fee
Connecticut has a dedicated Freedom of Information Commission that hears complaints, holds hearings and issues orders. It is not an advisory body and it is not a court.
File within 30 days of the denial. No fee. The Commission can order production and can impose civil penalties on an official who denies access without reasonable grounds.
Failure to respond is treated as a denial, so silence does not stall your clock indefinitely — but do not let the 30 days run while you wait politely for a reply.
What Connecticut will not give you
- Driver and vehicle records. Closed under the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act.
- Erased records. Connecticut erases records on acquittal, dismissal and under Clean Slate. Erased matters disappear from the convictions search and from the SPBI check.
- Non-conviction data. The free court search returns convictions only. Nolles, dismissals and pending matters are not in it.
- Vital records. Certified copies are restricted to qualifying parties.
- Statewide land records. They do not exist. Connecticut has no county government — records are with 169 town clerks.
Related
- Rhode Island — the neighbouring state
- Massachusetts — the other neighbour
- UCC filings name the lender
- Reading a civil docket
- Appealing a public records denial
Fees and procedures verified August 2026. Clerks change their counter rules more often than the statutes change — call before you drive.