Connecticut does not have sheriffs. The state abolished the office in 2000, and today the work that sheriffs do in most other states is split between two groups: state marshals, who are independent contractors serving legal papers and executing court orders, and judicial marshals, who are Judicial Department employees handling courthouse security and prisoner transport. Along with Alaska, Connecticut is one of only two states without a functioning sheriff system.
How Connecticut Ended the Sheriff System
The groundwork was laid in 1959, when the legislature voted to abolish county government. The law took effect on October 1, 1960, and stripped counties of their remaining responsibilities.1Connecticut General Assembly. County Government Abolishment The elected sheriff position survived that round and lingered for another four decades as an elected county officer in a state that no longer had county government.
The legislature resolved the inconsistency in 2000 with Public Act 00-99. The act transferred every remaining sheriff function to other entities. Prisoner transport and courthouse custody went to the Judicial Department, which began employing judicial marshals. Civil process service and court order execution went to a newly created class of state marshals. The act also removed sheriffs and deputy sheriffs from the statutory definition of “peace officer,” ending their law enforcement authority.2Connecticut General Assembly. Public Act 00-99 – An Act Reforming the Sheriff System
Former deputies who had been handling prisoner custody and court security on December 1, 2000 were converted to judicial marshals and became Judicial Department employees. Former deputies who had been serving civil process became state marshals and shifted from government employees to independent contractors.3Connecticut General Assembly. Chapter 78 – Judicial and State Marshals
What State Marshals Do
State marshals handle the civil functions that sheriffs perform elsewhere. They serve lawsuits, subpoenas, eviction notices, restraining orders, tax warrants, and other court papers. Connecticut law requires a state marshal to accept and promptly execute any process directed to them, provide a receipt on demand, and make a truthful return to the court. A marshal who fails to do so or files a false return is liable for double the damages caused.4Justia. Connecticut Code 6-32 – Duties
State marshals are not on a government payroll. They work as independent contractors, paid per service, and their fees are set by agreement with the attorney, court, or agency hiring them, subject to minimums established by the State Marshal Commission.3Connecticut General Assembly. Chapter 78 – Judicial and State Marshals They have the right to enter private property while executing court orders, and they carry personal immunity for non-reckless harm caused in the course of those duties.
One jurisdictional limit matters if you are trying to serve someone outside the state: a Connecticut state marshal cannot physically leave Connecticut to serve process. When service on an out-of-state party is allowed, it must be done by certified mail or publication.5State of Connecticut. State Marshal Commission Manual – Section 4 Civil Process
As of March 2026, roughly 148 active state marshals work across Connecticut’s eight historic counties, with the largest numbers in Hartford County (41) and Fairfield County (37).6State of Connecticut. Active State Marshal List
What Judicial Marshals Do
Judicial marshals handle the functions that look most like traditional law enforcement, but only inside the courthouse system. They are employees of the Judicial Department, and their two core responsibilities are courthouse security and prisoner custody.
On the transport side, the Judicial Department moves inmates between courthouses and correctional facilities at various stages of the legal process, from arraignment through sentencing and initial confinement. The Chief Court Administrator sets employment standards and training requirements for judicial marshals to ensure secure custody throughout.3Connecticut General Assembly. Chapter 78 – Judicial and State Marshals The Judicial Department is also responsible for prisoner custody inside courthouses, though local police handle custody when a police lockup has been designated as a courthouse lockup.2Connecticut General Assembly. Public Act 00-99 – An Act Reforming the Sheriff System
Inside the courthouse, judicial marshals fill a role comparable to court security officers in other states. The Judicial Department can also contract with other agencies for security management, training, or coordination.
Arrest Authority: The Capias Warrant Exception
State marshals are not police officers, but they do have one slice of arrest authority. A capias (or capias mittimus) is a civil arrest warrant issued when someone violates a court order or fails to appear after receiving a summons, subpoena, or citation. When executing a capias, a state marshal physically takes the person into custody, and the warrant lets them do so anywhere in Connecticut, not just the county where they were appointed.7State of Connecticut. State Marshal Commission Manual – Section 3 Capias
How much force a marshal can bring depends on whether they belong to the Capias Unit:
- Capias Unit members have completed training through the Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POST-C) in use of force, defensive tactics, handcuffing, baton and pepper spray techniques, and emergency medical aid. They may carry handcuffs and, with separate firearms authorization from the Commission, a firearm. They also carry at least $1,000,000 in liability insurance.8State of Connecticut. State Marshal Commission Use of Force Policy
- Non-Capias Unit marshals cannot carry any force equipment while executing a capias and can only act where the subject voluntarily cooperates.7State of Connecticut. State Marshal Commission Manual – Section 3 Capias
After taking someone into custody, a marshal may conduct a limited protective search for weapons that could endanger the marshal or staff at the facility where the person will be brought. Beyond this capias authority, state marshals do no patrol, criminal investigation, or traffic enforcement.
Who Does the Rest of the Police Work
Without county government, Connecticut law enforcement runs at two levels. The Connecticut State Police cover areas without a local police department and provide statewide consistency in training and standards; specialized units such as the Major Crime Unit handle complex investigations that would overwhelm smaller departments. Municipal police departments enforce local ordinances and state law inside their city or town boundaries, and most Connecticut residents are served by municipal departments, with the State Police filling in for smaller and more rural towns.
The marshals sit alongside this structure without overlapping it. Judicial marshals handle security and custody inside courthouses. State marshals handle civil process outside courthouses. Neither group patrols, investigates crimes, or writes traffic tickets. Keeping civil process separate from criminal law enforcement was one of the stated goals of the 2000 reform.2Connecticut General Assembly. Public Act 00-99 – An Act Reforming the Sheriff System
Hiring a State Marshal or Filing a Complaint
If you need papers served, you contact a state marshal directly and agree on a fee. The current statutory ceiling is $50 per process served, with a second service on the same matter at $50 and subsequent services at the same address at $20 each, plus mileage at the state employee rate.9Justia. Connecticut Code 52-261 – Fees and Expenses of Officers and Persons Serving Process or Performing Other Duties The State Marshal Commission publishes an active marshal list organized by county.6State of Connecticut. Active State Marshal List
If a state marshal acts improperly during service of process, an eviction, or any other official duty, you can file a written complaint with the State Marshal Commission at the Department of Administrative Services in Hartford. Attach supporting documents. The Commission investigates and, if it finds probable cause, convenes a formal hearing under the state’s Uniform Administrative Procedures Act. No state marshal can be removed except by Commission order, for cause, after notice and a hearing.10Justia. Connecticut Code 6-38b – State Marshal CommissionState Marshal Commission Complaint Form