Connecticut’s 13 Judicial Districts: Towns, Courts, and Dockets

Connecticut’s judicial districts are the 13 territorial divisions of the state’s Superior Court, each covering a defined list of towns and each with its own courthouse where civil lawsuits, family cases, foreclosures, and the most serious criminal matters are heard.1State of Connecticut Judicial Branch. Connecticut’s Courts Connecticut abolished county government in 1960 and built its court map around population centers and caseload instead, which is why the districts don’t line up with county names you might expect.2Connecticut General Assembly. County Government Abolishment The town-by-town assignments are set by Connecticut General Statutes Section 51-344 and can only be changed by the legislature.3Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 890 – Judicial Districts Established

The 13 Districts and the Towns in Each

The districts and their towns are:

  • Ansonia-Milford: Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Milford, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, and West Haven
  • Bridgeport: Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford, and Trumbull
  • Danbury: Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, and Sherman
  • Hartford: Avon, Bloomfield, Canton, East Granby, East Hartford, East Windsor, Enfield, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Hartford, Manchester, Marlborough, Simsbury, South Windsor, Suffield, West Hartford, Windsor, and Windsor Locks
  • Litchfield: Barkhamsted, Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Canaan, Colebrook, Cornwall, Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, New Milford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Roxbury, Salisbury, Sharon, Thomaston, Torrington, Warren, Washington, and Winchester
  • Middlesex: Chester, Clinton, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Middlefield, Middletown, Old Saybrook, Portland, and Westbrook
  • New Britain: Berlin, Bristol, Burlington, New Britain, Newington, Plainville, Plymouth, Rocky Hill, Southington, and Wethersfield
  • New Haven: Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Meriden, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Wallingford, and Woodbridge
  • New London: Bozrah, Colchester, East Lyme, Franklin, Griswold, Groton, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Lyme, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Norwich, Old Lyme, Preston, Salem, Sprague, Stonington, Voluntown, and Waterford
  • Stamford-Norwalk: Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Weston, Westport, and Wilton
  • Tolland: Andover, Bolton, Columbia, Coventry, Ellington, Hebron, Mansfield, Somers, Stafford, Tolland, Union, Vernon, and Willington
  • Waterbury: Middlebury, Naugatuck, Prospect, Southbury, Waterbury, Watertown, Wolcott, and Woodbury
  • Windham: Ashford, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Eastford, Hampton, Killingly, Plainfield, Pomfret, Putnam, Scotland, Sterling, Thompson, Windham, and Woodstock

The former Fairfield Judicial District was renamed the Bridgeport Judicial District, and the 2024 version of the statute reflects that change.3Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 890 – Judicial Districts Established Each district has one or more designated courthouse locations. Hartford holds court in Hartford, New London holds court in both Norwich and New London, and Litchfield holds court in Torrington.4Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 882 – Superior Court

Judicial District Courts vs. Geographical Area Courts

Connecticut doesn’t only have 13 judicial districts. It also has 20 geographical areas, and the two types of court handle different cases. Filing in the wrong one wastes time and money.

Judicial district courts, often called J.D. courts, handle the most serious criminal matters like murder trials, along with civil lawsuits, family cases, and foreclosures.1State of Connecticut Judicial Branch. Connecticut’s Courts A divorce, a personal injury suit, or a major contract dispute goes to a J.D. court.

Geographical area courts, called G.A. courts, handle criminal arraignments, misdemeanors, certain lower-level felonies, motor vehicle violations, infractions, and small claims cases.1State of Connecticut Judicial Branch. Connecticut’s Courts A traffic ticket or a misdemeanor arrest brings you to a G.A. court first.

Both are divisions of the Superior Court, Connecticut’s sole trial-level court of general jurisdiction. Neither outranks the other; they just divide the work.

How to Tell Which District Your Case Belongs In

Connecticut’s venue rules decide which judicial district hears your case. Filing in the wrong district can lead to delay or dismissal, though venue dismissals are typically without prejudice, so you can refile in the right place.

For most civil lawsuits, the rule is simple: file in the judicial district where either you or the defendant lives.5Justia. Connecticut Code 51-345 – Venue in Civil Actions and Housing Matters If neither party lives in Connecticut, venue goes to the district where the injury or transaction happened, or where the relevant property sits.

Some towns overlap between districts for venue purposes, which gives the plaintiff a choice. A party in Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Weston, Westport, or Wilton can file in either Stamford-Norwalk or Bridgeport. A party in Plymouth can choose between New Britain and Waterbury. The overlap rules are spelled out town by town in the statute.

Real property cases follow a stricter rule. Lawsuits over land titles, trespass, and mortgage foreclosures must be filed in the judicial district where the property is located.5Justia. Connecticut Code 51-345 – Venue in Civil Actions and Housing Matters No choice there.

Criminal cases work differently. The case is filed in the judicial district or geographical area where the alleged crime took place, not where the defendant lives. When an offense spans multiple districts, the prosecution can consolidate the proceedings in one location.

Small claims disputes stay in the G.A. court. The cap is $5,000 for money-only cases, with two exceptions: home improvement contract disputes can reach $15,000, and tenants suing for a wrongfully withheld security deposit can recover double the deposit even if that exceeds $5,000.6Justia. Connecticut Code 51-15 – Rules of Procedure in Certain Civil Actions, Small Claims, Expedited Process Cases A money claim above the small claims limit that doesn’t fit an exception has to be filed in the civil division of a J.D. court, where formal litigation rules apply.

Specialized Dockets Within the District Structure

Several specialized dockets sit inside the Superior Court and can pull a case out of its home district or route it to a particular courthouse. They aren’t separate courts, but they do affect where you’ll actually appear.

Regional Family Trial Docket

Each J.D. courthouse hears divorce, custody, and support cases. For especially contested family disputes, particularly high-conflict matters involving children, the presiding family judge can refer the case to the Regional Family Trial Docket in Middletown, where a single judge handles the matter from start to finish.7State of Connecticut Judicial Branch. Special Sessions of Superior Court Judges may appoint guardians ad litem to represent children’s interests.

Housing Sessions

Landlord-tenant disputes, evictions, and housing code cases are heard in housing sessions, which currently operate in six locations: Bridgeport, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, Stamford/Norwalk, and Waterbury.8State of Connecticut Judicial Branch. Housing Sessions Mediation is available at these locations and often resolves cases without trial. If your town isn’t served by a housing session, the housing matter is heard at the regular J.D. courthouse for your district.

Complex Litigation Docket

The Complex Litigation Docket takes civil cases with multiple parties, legally challenging issues, or claims in the millions. A party asks for the referral by application, pays a $335 fee, and the opposing side has 15 calendar days to object. The Chief Administrative Judge of the Civil Division decides.7State of Connecticut Judicial Branch. Special Sessions of Superior Court A single judge then handles the case through trial.

When a Case Leaves the State System

Not every case filed in Connecticut state court stays there. A defendant can remove a civil case to the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut if it involves a federal question — one arising under the U.S. Constitution, a federal statute, or a treaty.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1331 – Federal Question Removal is also available when the parties are citizens of different states and the amount in dispute exceeds $75,000.

The deadline is 30 days after the defendant receives the initial complaint or summons, whichever is shorter.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1446 – Procedure for Removal of Civil Actions If the case wasn’t initially removable but becomes so later through an amended pleading or new information, the 30-day clock restarts from when the defendant first learns the case qualifies. Miss the window and the case stays in the Connecticut judicial district where it was filed.