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SB 1314 Connecticut Senate · 2025 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING PROHIBITED CHARTER AMENDMENTS.

SB 1314 prohibits municipalities from amending their charters to change specific rules related to planning, zoning, and property decisions. It blocks changes to petition requirements for challenging commission decisions (like signature rules), commission regulations, and vote thresholds for eminent domain or disposing of municipal property - except municipalities can increase vote requirements to a two-thirds majority or adjust public notice rules. Existing rules allowing stricter vote requirements (adopted before July 1, 2023) remain valid, but municipalities cannot lower these thresholds below a simple majority. This bill directly affects local governments by limiting how they can modify charter provisions governing planning, zoning, and property processes. It takes effect October 1, 2025, with no fiscal impact on state or municipal budgets.
Issues: ✗ HousingOpposes HousingBlocks municipalities from amending charters to change zoning/planning rules that could advance housing development, restricting local housing policy flexibility.90% confidence
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 13, 2025 Last action Apr 15, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → PD Joint Favorable Substitute · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was renamed from a repealer to a substitute bill and its effective date was moved from July 1, 2025 to October 1, 2025. The core policy remains the same: municipalities cannot change rules about how citizens petition to challenge planning or zoning decisions, except they can adjust voting thresholds for eminent domain or property disposition. A new provision allows municipalities that had higher voting requirements before July 1, 2023 to keep those requirements but prevents them from raising them further.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on municipal charter amendments regarding planning and zoning processes, with no change in applicability.
TIMELINE

Effective date changed from July 1, 2025 to October 1, 2025

REQUIREMENT

New provision allows municipalities with pre-July 2023 higher voting thresholds for eminent domain or property disposition to maintain those thresholds while preventing further increases

TECHNICAL

Bill title changed from repealer to substitute bill with updated legislative numbering

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
9
Key actions
1
Committee
2
Mar 28, 2025
Upper · Passed
Joint Favorable Substitute
upper
Feb 13, 2025
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Planning and Development
upper
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.