How much can a landlord charge as a late fee in Connecticut?

Lesser of $5/day up to $50, or 5% of the delinquent rent (tenant's share if subsidized); one late charge per payment (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(b) (P.A. 23-207)). A late charge may be assessed only after the 9-day grace period (4 days for weekly tenancies) and must be in a written lease.

How does Connecticut compare with other states?

Among the 31 states we have verified, 3 require no notice at all, 9 others use the same 3 days as Connecticut, and 17 require a longer one. Among states that require a notice, the median is 7 days. Connecticut is in the minority with a statutory limit. 12 of the 31 verified states cap late fees by statute, and 10 set a grace period before one can be charged. Figures for states we have not verified yet are left out of these counts.

Connecticut Late Rent Laws (2026): Notice, Grace & Late Fees

Q: How much notice does a landlord have to give for unpaid rent in Connecticut?

The rule in Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 47a-15a(a), 47a-23): Rent must remain unpaid through a 9-day grace period (4 days for week-to-week), then a notice to quit giving at least 3 days before the quit date. If rent is still unpaid once that period has run, the landlord can file an eviction case.

Q: Is there a grace period for late rent in Connecticut?

Yes, for late fees: Connecticut sets a 9-day grace period. A late charge may be assessed only after the 9-day grace period (4 days for weekly tenancies) and must be in a written lease (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(b) (P.A. 23-207)).

Q: Can a landlord evict for late rent in Connecticut?

Yes, for rent that remains unpaid, once the notice step is done: rent must remain unpaid through a 9-day grace period (4 days for week-to-week), then a notice to quit giving at least 3 days before the quit date (Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 47a-15a(a), 47a-23).

Q: Does federal law change the notice for unpaid rent in Connecticut?

It can. At "covered properties" under the federal CARES Act (generally those with a federally backed mortgage or federal subsidies), a 30-day notice to vacate for nonpayment is required in every state. Local ordinances can also be stricter than Connecticut's statute.

The Connecticut timeline, with dates

Here is the order of events when rent due on the 1st goes unpaid. Connecticut's rule depends on a condition (or sets no fixed number of days), so we describe the steps rather than put a date on them.

The 1stRent is due (the example due date used throughout this page).
Not before the 10thLate fee: Connecticut sets a 9-day grace period. A late charge may be assessed only after the 9-day grace period (4 days for weekly tenancies) and must be in a written lease. Whether the fee can start on that day or the next depends on how Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(b) (P.A. 23-207) counts days.
NoticeRent must remain unpaid through a 9-day grace period (4 days for week-to-week), then a notice to quit giving at least 3 days before the quit date (Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 47a-15a(a), 47a-23). Because of that condition, we don't compute an example date.
Earliest filingOnly after the 3-day period has fully run with rent still unpaid.

The notice for unpaid rent

Rent must remain unpaid through a 9-day grace period (4 days for week-to-week), then a notice to quit giving at least 3 days before the quit date. Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 47a-15a(a), 47a-23

Among the 31 states we have verified, 3 require no notice at all, 9 others use the same 3 days as Connecticut, and 17 require a longer one. Among states that require a notice, the median is 7 days.

Late fees and the grace period

A late charge may be assessed only after the 9-day grace period (4 days for weekly tenancies) and must be in a written lease. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(b) (P.A. 23-207)

Statutory limit: Lesser of $5/day up to $50, or 5% of the delinquent rent (tenant's share if subsidized); one late charge per payment.

This limit isn’t a single percentage, so we don’t turn it into a dollar table. Apply it as written to your own rent and lease terms.

Connecticut is in the minority with a statutory limit. 12 of the 31 verified states cap late fees by statute, and 10 set a grace period before one can be charged.

What else to know in Connecticut

Notes from our review: Connecticut uses an unconditional notice to quit (no statutory pay-and-stay right in the notice). Code pages are 'revised to January 1, 2025'; 2025-session amendments appear only in the 2026 Supplement and were not checked.

Cities and counties can add their own rules on top of the state’s. At “covered properties” under the federal CARES Act — generally those with a federally backed mortgage or federal subsidies — a 30-day notice to vacate for nonpayment is required in every state.

Connecticut and its neighbors

State	Notice	Grace period	Late-fee cap	Source
Connecticut	3 days	9 days	Statutory cap (see guide)	Verified
Massachusetts	14 days	30 days	No statutory cap	Verified
New York	14 days	5 days	Lesser of $50 or 5%	Verified
Rhode Island	5 days	None statewide	No statutory cap	Unverified

Notice periods across the 31 verified states

Notice before filing	States
No pre-filing notice	3
3 days	10
5 days	3
7 days	3
10 days	5
14 days	6
No fixed number	1

Sources

Notice for unpaid rent: Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 47a-15a(a), 47a-23
Late fees and grace period: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(b) (P.A. 23-207)
Status: verified — the notice rule was read in statute text (or a verbatim copy of it) for our September 14, 2026 review.

Connecticut late rent laws (2026)