Connecticut • Special assessment notice
Special assessment from your Connecticut condo — and the 15% the board can charge without a vote
Connecticut gives boards a powerful tool — a 15% annual 'safe harbor' to assess without any owner vote — and a unique crisis: pyrrhotite 'crumbling concrete' foundations that can cost six figures per building to fix.
The short answer
Connecticut's CIOA lets the board levy special assessments up to 15% of the annual budget per year with NO owner vote; above 15%, owners can reject it (§ 47-261e). In the crumbling-foundation belt, pyrrhotite remediation is a six-figure driver. CondoSignal reads your notice against CIOA. Free.Connecticut at a glance
No-vote safe harbor
15% / year
Of the annual budget (§ 47-261e).
Above 15%
Owners can reject
Majority of all owners.
Pyrrhotite
~41-town belt
Six-figure fix; CFSIC sunsets 2030.
Super-lien
9 months
One of the strongest (§ 47-258).
The 15% safe harbor
Under CIOA § 47-261e, a special assessment is effective with no owner vote if it stays within a cumulative 15% of the association's annual budget for the year. Above that, the board must notice owners and the assessment is subject to rejection by a majority of all owners. So a board with major capital needs can impose substantial assessments each year without owner input — a real risk if you're relying on today's low dues.
Pyrrhotite — the crumbling-foundation crisis
In a belt of ~41 north-central and eastern Connecticut towns, concrete foundations made with pyrrhotite are slowly failing — a six-figure remediation per building that standard policies exclude. A state captive (CFSIC) covers condo associations, but it sunsets June 30, 2030. If your building is in the affected region, a foundation test on record is the most important thing to confirm.
Borrowing needs a real vote
While ordinary assessments use the 15% safe harbor or a rejection vote, borrowing for a capital project and pledging future assessments as collateral requires an affirmative owner vote (§ 47-261e). The resale certificate (with a 5-day cancellation right) discloses approved capital expenditures over $1,000 — but not pending unvoted specials, so read the minutes too.
Your rights in Connecticut
Connecticut owners can reject a special assessment above 15% of the budget by majority vote, must affirmatively approve borrowing, and get a 5-day resale-certificate cancellation right (§ 47-261e / -270). None of this is legal advice — confirm against CIOA and Connecticut counsel.
What to check
- Check whether the assessment stays within the 15% no-vote safe harbor.
- If above 15%, confirm the rejection-vote notice and window.
- In the affected region, confirm a pyrrhotite foundation test is on record.
- If borrowing is involved, confirm the affirmative owner vote.
- Read the resale certificate for approved capital expenditures.
- Read the minutes for pending unvoted specials.
Sources
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47-261e — budgets, special assessments, loans(High)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47-258 — lien for assessments(High)
- CFSIC — Connecticut Foundation Solutions Indemnity Company(High)
Educational only — not legal, financial, or engineering advice. Confirm against the current statute and, where it matters, a Connecticut-licensed professional.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Not sure what your documents are really telling you?
Get a free CondoSignal review of your situation — we read the paperwork against your state's rules and tell you what to do next. No cost, no obligation.