A Connecticut eviction lookup starts at the state Judicial Branch’s free online Case Look-up portal, where summary process cases can be searched by party name, docket number, or property address.1Connecticut Judicial Branch. Case Look-up Results open the full case history, including filings, orders, and the final judgment. Not every case stays visible, though: a 2024 state law requires the court to pull certain records offline within 30 days when a case ends in the tenant’s favor, is dismissed, or is withdrawn.
Running the Search on the Judicial Branch Site
Housing cases used to live in a separate Housing Sessions lookup, but those searches have been folded into the Civil/Family Case Look-up portal. Either the Housing link or the Civil/Family link on the main Case Look-up page gets you to the same tools.2Connecticut Judicial Branch. Housing Case Look-up
You have three ways in:
- Party name. Enter the tenant’s or landlord’s first and last name. If the landlord is a company or LLC, use the business name. Results show the case title, court location, and filing date.
- Docket number. The fastest route when you have it. Connecticut docket numbers carry a prefix for the court and case type, followed by digits for the year and filing sequence.
- Property address. Useful when you don’t know the parties’ exact names but know where the rental is.2Connecticut Judicial Branch. Housing Case Look-up
Click the docket number on any result to open the case summary. That page lists every filing, motion, and court order in chronological order, and shows whether the case is still pending, whether a judgment for possession was entered, or how it was otherwise resolved.
What to Have Ready Before You Search
Specific inputs produce useful results. A party name search works when you know the legal name of the tenant or landlord. Partial names and nicknames won’t match. Common names can pull dozens of unrelated cases, so knowing the court location or an approximate filing year helps narrow the list.
A docket number is the cleanest shortcut. Every Connecticut case gets a unique identifier from the clerk, and if you have any court paperwork from the case, the docket number sits near the top. Using it bypasses the guesswork entirely.
Why a Case Might Not Appear
If you expected to find a case and it isn’t there, the record may have been removed by law. Under Connecticut General Statutes Section 47a-26j, effective July 1, 2024, the Judicial Department must remove all records and identifying information for a summary process case from its website within 30 days after any of the following:3Justia. Connecticut Code Title 47a Chapter 832 Section 47a-26j – Records of Summary Process Actions
- The landlord withdraws the case.
- The court dismisses the case or enters a nonsuit on any grounds.
- The court enters judgment for the tenant.
The statute applies retroactively, so cases disposed of years before July 2024 are also covered. A record can come back online if new activity happens, such as an appeal; the restored record then stays visible until 30 days after the new final disposition.3Justia. Connecticut Code Title 47a Chapter 832 Section 47a-26j – Records of Summary Process Actions
Cases that ended in a judgment against the tenant do remain online for a period after final disposition, but the court eventually removes them as the database ages. Being off the website doesn’t mean the record was destroyed or made confidential.
Finding Older or Archived Case Files
When a case has aged off the online system, the paper file is still public. Visit the clerk’s office at the Housing Session or Geographical Area court where the case was originally heard, and staff can help locate physical or archived records. Connecticut courts charge $1 per page for copies and $25 for a certified copy of a judgment file.4Connecticut Judicial Branch. Court Fees In-person records give you the complete history, beyond whatever window the website covers.
When a Removed Case Still Shows Up on a Tenant Screening Report
Section 47a-26j also bars anyone from disclosing a removed record for a commercial purpose, which the statute defines to include bulk sales of court records, tenant screening reports, evaluating prospective tenants, and other uses for financial gain.3Justia. Connecticut Code Title 47a Chapter 832 Section 47a-26j – Records of Summary Process Actions If your case qualified for removal, a tenant screening company is legally prohibited from putting it in a background report.
In practice, screening companies scrape court data regularly and keep copies in their own databases, so a dismissed or withdrawn eviction can still surface in a background check if the company hasn’t updated its files. Federal law caps how long this information can be reported. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, tenant screening companies generally cannot report civil lawsuits and judgments, including housing court cases, that are more than seven years old. Screening companies also have to take reasonable steps to make sure the information they report is accurate, which includes reflecting how a case was resolved.5Federal Trade Commission. Tenant Background Checks and Your Rights
To fix an error, dispute it in writing with the screening company that produced the report and attach supporting documents, such as a court order showing dismissal. The company generally has 30 days to investigate and give you the results, though some disputes may extend to 45 days. If the information is inaccurate or can’t be verified, the company must delete or correct it.6Federal Trade Commission. Disputing Errors on Your Tenant Background Check Report It’s also worth telling the landlord who ran the check, and you can ask the screening company to send the corrected report to that landlord too.