AN ACT CONCERNING HISTORIC DISTRICTS AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION.
This bill updates Connecticut's historic preservation laws to require public hearings with live web broadcasts for all historic district commission review applications, ensuring greater transparency in the approval process. It also clarifies appeal procedures, allowing aggrieved parties to challenge commission decisions in superior court within 15 days using established zoning board appeal processes. Additionally, the bill exempts property owned by state agencies, municipalities, and nonprofit higher education institutions from certain preservation requirements while requiring municipalities to submit renovation plans for non-exempt properties to receive nonbinding commission opinions. Finally, the legislation defines specific terms related to historic structures and rehabilitation to clarify eligibility for tax incentives and other preservation-related benefits.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Mar 5, 2026
Last action Apr 28, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Raised Bill
→
PD Joint Favorable Substitute
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was renamed from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'Substitute Bill' and renumbered to reflect its new status in the legislative process. The text includes minor formatting corrections and clarifies the scope of exemptions for state agencies and municipalities by combining them into a single category. Additionally, a new definition for 'substantial rehabilitation' was added to clarify the financial threshold required for certain historic preservation incentives.
Scope change
The bill's scope was slightly clarified by merging the exemptions for state agencies and municipalities into one unified provision, while the overall applicability to historic districts and nonprofit institutions remains unchanged.
TECHNICAL
The bill title was changed from 'Raised Bill No. 5508' to 'Substitute Bill No. 5508' to indicate it is a revised version of the original proposal.
REQUIREMENT
Minor wording changes were made to the hearing notice requirements to improve clarity, such as adding 'Any' before 'public hearing' and clarifying that notices must appear in newspapers with substantial circulation.
ELIGIBILITY
The exemption clause for state agencies and municipalities was consolidated into a single paragraph, simplifying the language regarding which properties are excluded from certain historic district requirements.
DEFINITION
A new definition was added for 'substantial rehabilitation' or 'substantially rehabilitate,' defining it as rehabilitation costs exceeding 25% of the structure's assessed value.
Floor votes · House Apr 27, 2026
How they voted
104–43
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 150
Apr 27, 2026
D
Democratic101
97% Yea
R
Republican49
85% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
21
Key actions
5
Committee
4
Amendments
1
Apr 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
HOUSE PASSED, HOUSE AMEND. SCH. A
lower
Apr 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
HOUSE ADOPTED HOUSE AMEND. SCH. A
lower
Apr 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Joint Favorable
lower
Apr 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
REF. BY HOUSE TO COMMITTEE ON Appropriations
lower
Mar 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Joint Favorable Substitute
lower
Mar 5, 2026
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Planning and Development
lower
8 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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