More than 20 new Connecticut laws will take effect in whole or in part on Jan. 1, 2026.
Laws passed by the legislature have effective dates of July 1, Oct. 1 and Jan. 1 each year, and certain parts of a law can have effective dates at different times.
From affordable housing requirements to tax credits for farmers, here is a summary of some of the new laws taking effect Jan. 1:
Housing & homeless
Connecticut’s new housing bill, now Public Act 25-49, passed in a special legislative session in November, and parts of it take effect Jan. 1. Each municipality will be required to submit a priority affordable housing plan to the state by Jan. 1 along with an inventory detailing vacant and developable land or propose “an alternative municipal fair share allocation.” The bill also bans “hostile” infrastructure meant to deter unhoused people from sitting, lying, sleeping or lingering in public areas.
Mortgages & foreclosures
Public Act 25-46 sets a 10-year statute of limitations on foreclosures on certain mortgages for a one-to-four-family home that the borrower lives in. Mortgages recorded before 2026 are exempt. The new law also reduces the time an unreleased mortgage is deemed invalid from 20 to 10 years, with some exceptions.
Farmers & tax credits
Farmers will see some relief in the form of tax credits under Public Act 25-152. The law creates a refundable business tax credit for investments in eligible machinery, equipment and buildings and more than doubles property tax exemptions for farmers in Connecticut.
Condos & solar panels
Public Act 25-73 aims to make it easier for condominium owners and associations to install solar panels on roofs or in common areas. The law creates an approval process, which also aims to protect homeowners associations from liability. It also clarifies that bylaws that prohibit and unreasonably restrict installation or use of solar panels on the roof of a detached unit are unenforceable.
Driving class & cameras
The required 8-hour safe driving course driver’s license applicants must take in Connecticut now requires participants to use a camera if taking the class remotely. Public Act 25-159 also requires 16- and 17-year-old driver’s license applicants who get a learner’s permit on or after Jan. 1, 2026, to submit a program completion certificate to the Department of Motor Vehicles commissioner.
Yellow envelopes & public awareness
The same law also requires the Department of Motor Vehicles by Jan. 1 to start giving yellow envelopes and awareness materials to its department offices and first responders, who are also required to receive training in interacting with people who have physical disabilities or cognitive impairments. The yellow envelopes are meant to help residents interact with emergency personnel or police during traffic stops.
AEDs & long-term care facilities
The state’s biennial budget bill, Public Act 25-168, includes a section that will require nursing homes, managed residential communities and other long-term care facilities to have and maintain an automated external defibrillator, or AED, in a central location starting Jan. 1. The AED’s location must be known and accessible to staff, residents and visiting family members under the law.
Pancreatic cancer & screening programs
Also under the budget bill, a new section requires the Department of Public Health commissioner to establish a pancreatic cancer screening and treatment referral program by Jan. 1 that helps promote screening and helps educate the public, especially in unserved and underserved populations.
Prisons & absentee ballots
Another section of the budget bill requires the secretary of the state to create absentee ballot application forms for use by eligible voters within Department of Correction facilities and to give the forms to DOC. The law also creates procedures for distributing and processing these applications, making it easier for people in custody to vote by absentee ballot. The law clarifies that those serving a prison sentence for a misdemeanor or those confined to a community residence like a halfway house are still eligible to vote, while a person convicted of a felony
forfeits the right to vote for the duration of his or her incarceration.
Prisons & public records
Public Act 25-161 will require the state’s corrections ombuds and the attorney general to publish online a list of cases filed against the Department of Correction for excessive force or medical neglect starting Jan. 1. The list must include case captions and party names, under the law. The Office of Correction Ombudsman is meant to investigate complaints, monitor conditions, advocate for systemic reforms, ensure transparency and provide recommendations to the governor, the legislature and the Department of Corrections.
Prisons & body cameras
The same law also requires the DOC commissioner to develop a plan by Jan. 1 for body-worn
cameras in correctional facilities. The plan must include recommendations for any needed legislation and budgetary resources as well as an implementation timeline, under the law. DOC must report the plan to the Government Oversight, Judiciary and Public Safety and
Security committees by Feb. 1.
PBMs & costs
Starting Jan. 1, Public Act 25-167 requires a pharmacy benefit manager, also known as a PBM, to offer a health plan the option of being charged the same price for a prescription drug that the PBM pays a pharmacy for the drug. PBMs are the middlemen that set the prices for the drugs used by every American, officials have said. The new law also requires that a bipartisan drug task force start annually reporting its findings and recommendations to the General Law, Human Services, Insurance and Real Estate, and Public Health committees as of Jan. 1.
Pharmacies & inspection reports
Public Act 25-101 requires any pharmacy located outside Connecticut that ships, mails, or delivers products to Connecticut – such as a compound pharmacy – to submit to the Department of Consumer Protection inspection reports showing they comply with the most recent U.S. pharmacopeia standards, starting Jan. 1
Medical marijuana & certifications
The same law will also allow a medical marijuana user to receive a written certification for 6 months, 1 year, 18 months or 2 years, as determined by a medical professional. Before, all certifications lasted one year. The law will also allow certain equity joint cannabis ventures to be located within 20 miles of each other now, even if they share backers or owners.
CSCU & reporting requirements
Starting Jan. 1, and annually going forward, the chancellor of Connecticut State Colleges & Universities must submit a five-year capital plan and a description of the efforts taken in the prior year to increase its enrollment to the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee under Public Act 25-174. The same law also requires the Department of Administrative Services to develop a plan to install solar photovoltaic systems on developed state properties and submit the plan to the Finance, Revenue and Bonding and GAE committees by Jan. 1.
Veterans & license plates
Starting Jan. 1, DMV will issue commemorative license plates in recognition of the “The Borinqueneers” under Public Act 25-15. The Borinqueneers were primarily Puerto Rican members of the 65th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army who served with distinction. The special plates will cost $60 and part of that fee will go to Hispanic-American Veterans of Connecticut for bilingual services and assistance to veterans and armed forces members, under the law.