Connecticut
Connecticut Court Records: How to Use Case Look-up, and the Real Clean Slate Status
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 10, 2026). · 2 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Connecticut's court records search, Case Look-up, is split by court type rather than run as one unified tool, and its own Clean Slate program page is a genuinely useful lesson in why a .gov page is not automatically the current truth. That page still displays a completion target that passed years ago, even though the underlying program has, in fact, caught up.
Information last verified on 2026-08-10. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
This guide is part of a broader look at court records by state. For the general mechanics of federal versus state versus county searches, see how to look up court records and are court records public.
Case Look-up: Split by Court Type
Connecticut's Judicial Branch runs its court records search as a family of tools grouped under Case Look-up rather than a single unified database. The Judicial Branch's own description of the section states it provides users with information about Supreme and Appellate, civil, family, criminal, motor vehicle, housing, and small claims cases, with each category generally reached through its own look-up path rather than one universal name search. That split-by-type structure is consistent with how a number of states organize case access, but it means confirming which look-up tool applies to the specific court level and case type is the first step, not an afterthought.
Erasure: Connecticut's Own Term
Connecticut does not use sealing or expungement as its statutory term. The operative word is erasure, defined in Connecticut General Statutes § 54-142a. Under that statute, all police and court records and records of any state's attorney pertaining to an erased charge are to be erased, and a person or agency in possession of an erased record generally may not disclose the underlying information to anyone. One notable carve-out: court records specifically excludes a record or transcript of the proceedings made or prepared by an official court reporter, and any audio or video recording of any court proceeding. In other words, the official transcript or recording of a hearing can survive even after the case record itself is erased.
Automatic Erasure: The Timelines
Connecticut General Statutes § 54-142a sets automatic erasure timelines for offenses committed on or after January 1, 2000. Misdemeanor convictions are erased seven years from the date the court entered the person's most recent judgment. Class D and E felony convictions erase automatically after ten years on the same basis. Family violence crimes, sexual offenses, and the violent crimes listed under the statute's exclusion provision are not eligible for this automatic track.
The Clean Slate Status: Why the .gov Page Is Wrong
This is worth flagging directly, because it is a real example of a state page going stale. Connecticut's own Clean Slate program page, at portal.ct.gov, still states as of this writing that the State is working to resolve issues that were identified while building the system to erase convictions automatically, with a target completion date of January 31, 2024, a date that has clearly passed without the page being updated.
The actual, more current picture comes from reporting published July 15, 2026: Connecticut has fully cleared its Clean Slate erasure backlog. All 170,000 people who were eligible have had their records erased, amounting to nearly 350,000 individual cases, and erasures are now happening automatically, on a rolling basis, as people become eligible going forward. If you are checking Connecticut's Clean Slate status for a specific purpose, do not rely on the stale program page alone; look for the most recent update available at the time.
Certified Copies
This guide does not publish a statewide certified-copy fee figure for Connecticut, since it could not be confirmed from a primary source in this session. Contact the clerk of the specific court where the case was filed.
For Full Expungement Eligibility Detail
This page covers Connecticut's terminology and the current, corrected Clean Slate status. For the full eligibility walkthrough, including how petition-based erasure works for cases that fall outside the automatic track, see Connecticut expungement laws, which this guide does not duplicate.
Using Connecticut Court Records the Right Way
Case Look-up is built for checking a specific case, whether it is your own or one you have a legitimate reason to look into, not for compiling a background file on someone else. If a Connecticut court record is used to screen a job applicant or a tenant, that use is governed separately by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c, a criminal conviction is exempt from the standard seven-year reporting window that applies to most arrests and civil judgments, meaning it can be reported indefinitely unless it has been erased under Connecticut law.
Related Resources
Court Records by State covers the full 50-state picture. See also How to Look Up Court Records, Are Court Records Public?, Connecticut Expungement Laws, Connecticut Background Check Laws, Connecticut Warrant Search, and Connecticut Public Records Laws.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about Connecticut's Case Look-up system and its erasure law, including the current Clean Slate backlog status as of mid-2026 reporting. It is not legal advice. Program status and portal features change; verify current details with the Connecticut Judicial Branch or a licensed Connecticut attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.
Last updated: 2026-08-10. Portal facts and fees reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Connecticut's court records search one unified tool?
No. Case Look-up is organized by court level and case type, Supreme and Appellate, civil, family, criminal, motor vehicle, housing, and small claims each generally have their own look-up path.
Does Connecticut use the word sealing or expungement?
Neither. Connecticut's statutory term is erasure, under Connecticut General Statutes 54-142a.
What survives an erasure in Connecticut?
Official court transcripts prepared by a court reporter and any audio or video recording of a court proceeding are specifically excluded from erasure, even though the underlying case record is erased.
Is Connecticut's Clean Slate erasure automatic?
For eligible offenses, yes. Misdemeanor convictions erase automatically after 7 years, and Class D or E felony convictions after 10 years, for offenses on or after January 1, 2000. Family violence, sexual offenses, and certain violent crimes are excluded.
Has Connecticut actually finished its Clean Slate backlog?
Yes, as of mid-2026 reporting, even though the state's own program webpage still displays an outdated 2024 target date. All 170,000 eligible people, covering nearly 350,000 cases, have had their records erased, and the process now runs automatically on a rolling basis.
Can I use a Connecticut court record to screen a job applicant or tenant?
Not on its own. Employment and tenant screening are separately governed by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Connecticut General Statutes, Title 54 (Criminal Procedure), Chapter 961a
§ 54-142a(Formerly Sec. 54-90). Erasure of criminal records.In forcecited in 4 of our articles
(a) Whenever in any criminal case, on or after October 1, 1969, the accused, by a final judgment, is found not guilty of the charge or the charge is dismissed, all police and court records and records of any state's attorney pertaining to such charge shall be erased upon the expiration of the time to file a writ of error or take an appeal, if an appeal is not taken, or upon final determination of the appeal sustaining a finding of not guilty or a dismissal, if an appeal is taken. Nothing in this subsection shall require the erasure of any record pertaining to a charge for which the defendant was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect or guilty but not criminally responsible by reason of mental disease or defect.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-02 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at cga.ct.gov
Cited in 102 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):Connecticut courts read section 54-142a narrowly. Doe v. Manson (1981) held erasure means sealing, though a pardoned person may request physical destruction of court records, and that the correction commissioner's prison records are not court records. State v. Morowitz (1986) held it does not bar testimony from personal knowledge.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Doe v. Manson (Supreme Court of Connecticut 1981, 183 Conn. 183)✓A pardoned man sued to make the corrections commissioner destroy all records of his imprisonment; the court held section 54-142a reaches only records created or kept by or for a court, so court documents were destroyed but internal prison files were not.
- Rado v. Board of Education of the Borough of Naugatuck (Supreme Court of Connecticut 1990, 216 Conn. 541)✓A tenured teacher acquitted of eavesdropping on school telephone lines was fired on testimony from the state's investigator and telephone company workers; the court held section 54-142a does not obliterate memory or bar testimony not shown to be derived from erased records.
- State v. Morowitz (Supreme Court of Connecticut 1986, 200 Conn. 440)✓A podiatrist convicted of assaulting sedated patients argued an earlier victim could not testify because those prior charges had been dismissed and erased; the court held section 54-142a covers records only and cannot insulate a person from the consequences of his prior actions.
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: Connecticut Background Check Laws (2026 Guide), Expungement Laws by State: How to Clear Your Record (2026), Connecticut Expungement Laws: Erasure, Clean Slate, and Absolute Pardon
United States Code Title 15
§ 1681cRequirements relating to information contained in consumer reportsIn forcecited in 61 of our articles
Except as authorized under subsection (b), no consumer reporting agency may make any consumer report containing any of the following items of information: Cases under title 11 or under the Bankruptcy Act that, from the date of entry of the order for relief or the date of adjudication, as the case may be, antedate the report by more than 10 years. Civil suits, civil judgments, and records of arrest that, from date of entry, antedate the report by more than seven years or until the governing statute of limitations has expired, whichever is the longer period. Paid tax liens which, from date of payment, antedate the report by more than seven years. Accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss which antedate the report by more than seven years. Any other adverse item of information, other than records of convictions of crimes which antedates the report by more than seven years.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-16 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov
Cited in 383 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):Katz v. Donna Karan Co. (2017) addressed the FACTA truncation rule in 1681c(g) and affirmed dismissal for lack of Article III standing, treating material risk of harm as a fact question. Edward Seamans v. Temple University (2014) held the seven-year window in 1681c(a)(4) is extended for an education loan only until that loan is repaid.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Katz v. Donna Karan Co. (Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit 2017, 872 F.3d 114)✓A shopper sued two stores whose receipts printed the first six digits of his credit card number; the Second Circuit affirmed dismissal for lack of standing, seeing no clear error in the finding that those digits show only the card issuer, not a material risk of identity theft.
- Edward Seamans v. Temple University (Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2014, 744 F.3d 853)✓A defaulted university loan kept appearing on a borrower's credit reports after he repaid it because the school never reported the delinquency date; the Third Circuit held the Higher Education Act suspends section 1681c(a)(4)'s aging-off rule only until repayment.
- Gonzales v. Arrow Financial Services, LLC (Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 2011, 660 F.3d 1055)✓A debt buyer offered to settle health club debts over seven years old, saying that if it was reporting the account the bureaus would be told it was settled; the Ninth Circuit, treating those debts as unreportable under section 1681c(a)(4), called that implication misleading.
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: How Long Does a Felony Stay on Your Record? (2026), Background Check Laws by State (2026 Guide), Alabama Background Check Laws (2026 Guide)
Sources and References
- Connecticut Judicial Branch, Case Look-up(jud.ct.gov).gov
- Connecticut General Assembly, Connecticut General Statutes § 54-142a, Erasure of criminal records(cga.ct.gov).gov
- New Hampshire Public Radio, After years of delays, CT clears Clean Slate criminal erasure backlog(nhpr.org)
- Cornell Legal Information Institute, 15 U.S.C. § 1681c, Requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports(law.cornell.edu)