Connecticut Automotive Repair Licensing Law

Connecticut Code · 7 sections

The following is the full text of Connecticut’s automotive repair licensing law statutes as published in the Connecticut Code. For the official version, see the Connecticut Legislature.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-1.

Sec. 14-1. Definitions. Terms used in this chapter shall be construed as follows, unless another construction is clearly apparent from the language or context in which the term is used or unless the construction is inconsistent with the manifest intention of the General Assembly:

(1) “Activity vehicle” means a student transportation vehicle that is used to transport students in connection with school-sponsored events and activities, but is not used to transport students to and from school;

(2) “Agricultural tractor” means a tractor or other form of nonmuscular motive power used for transporting, hauling, plowing, cultivating, planting, harvesting, reaping or other agricultural purposes on any farm or other private property, or used for the purpose of transporting, from one farm to another, agricultural implements and farm products, provided the agricultural tractor is not used on any highway for transporting a pay load or for some other commercial purpose;

(3) “Antique, rare or special interest motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle twenty years old or older which is being preserved because of historic interest and which is not altered or modified from the original manufacturer's specifications;

(4) “Apparent candle power” means an illumination equal to the normal illumination in foot candles produced by any lamp or lamps, divided by the square of the distance in feet between the lamp or lamps and the point at which the measurement is made;

(5) “Authorized emergency vehicle” means (A) a fire department vehicle, (B) a police vehicle, or (C) an authorized emergency medical services vehicle, as defined in section 19a-175;

(6) “Autocycle” means a motor vehicle that meets the requirements of a motorcycle under 49 CFR Part 571, and (A) does not have more than three wheels in contact with the ground, (B) is designed to be controlled with a steering mechanism and foot pedals for acceleration, braking or shifting, (C) has a seat or seats that are fully or partially enclosed and in which the occupants sit with their legs forward, and (D) is equipped with safety belts, in accordance with section 14-100a, for all occupants;

(7) “Auxiliary driving lamp” means an additional lighting device on a motor vehicle used primarily to supplement the general illumination in front of a motor vehicle provided by the motor vehicle's head lamps;

(8) “Bulb” means a light source consisting of a glass bulb containing a filament or substance capable of being electrically maintained at incandescence;

(9) “Camp trailer” includes any trailer designed for living or sleeping purposes and used exclusively for camping or recreational purposes;

(10) “Camp trailer registration” means the type of registration issued to any trailer that is for nonbusiness use and is limited to camp trailers and utility trailers;

(11) “Camp vehicle” means any motor vehicle that is regularly used to transport persons under eighteen years of age in connection with the activities of any youth camp, as defined in section 19a-420;

(12) “Camper” means any motor vehicle designed or permanently altered in such a way as to provide temporary living quarters for travel, camping or recreational purposes;

(13) “Class 1 electric bicycle” means an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that engages only when the rider operates the electric bicycle's foot pedals, and disengages when the rider stops pedaling or such electric bicycle reaches the speed of twenty miles per hour;

(14) “Class 2 electric bicycle” means an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the electric bicycle, and disengages when the brakes are applied or such electric bicycle reaches the speed of twenty miles per hour;

(15) “Class 3 electric bicycle” means an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that engages only when the rider operates the electric bicycle's foot pedals, and disengages when the rider stops pedaling or such electric bicycle reaches the speed of twenty-eight miles per hour;

(16) “Combination registration” means the type of registration issued to a motor vehicle used for both private passenger and commercial purposes if such vehicle does not have a gross vehicle weight rating in excess of twelve thousand five hundred pounds;

(17) “Commercial driver's license” or “CDL” means a license issued to an individual in accordance with the provisions of sections 14-44a to 14-44m, inclusive, which authorizes such individual to drive a commercial motor vehicle;

(18) “Commercial driver's license information system” or “CDLIS” means the national database of holders of commercial driver's licenses established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration pursuant to Section 12007 of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986;

(19) “Commercial motor vehicle” means a vehicle designed or used to transport passengers or property, except a vehicle used for farming purposes in accordance with 49 CFR 383.3(d), fire fighting apparatus or an emergency vehicle, as defined in section 14-283, or a recreational vehicle in private use, which (A) has a gross vehicle weight rating of twenty-six thousand and one pounds or more, or a gross combination weight rating of twenty-six thousand and one pounds or more, inclusive of a towed unit or units with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than ten thousand pounds; (B) is designed to transport sixteen or more passengers, including the driver, or is designed to transport more than ten passengers, including the driver, and is used to transport students under the age of twenty-one years to and from school; or (C) is transporting hazardous materials and is required to be placarded in accordance with 49 CFR 172, Subpart F, as amended, or any quantity of a material listed as a select agent or toxin in 42 CFR Part 73;

(20) “Commercial registration” means the type of registration required for any motor vehicle designed or used to transport merchandise, freight or persons in connection with any business enterprise, unless a more specific type of registration is authorized and issued by the commissioner for such class of vehicle;

(21) “Commercial trailer” means a trailer used in the conduct of a business to transport freight, materials or equipment whether or not permanently affixed to the bed of the trailer;

(22) “Commercial trailer registration” means the type of registration issued to any commercial trailer;

(23) “Commissioner” includes the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and any assistant to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles who is designated and authorized by, and who is acting for, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles under a designation; except that the deputy commissioners of motor vehicles and the Attorney General are deemed, unless the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles otherwise provides, to be designated and authorized by, and acting for, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles under a designation;

(24) “Controlled substance” has the same meaning as provided in section 21a-240 and the federal laws and regulations incorporated in chapter 420b;

(25) “Conviction” means an unvacated adjudication of guilt, or a determination that a person has violated or failed to comply with the law in a court of original jurisdiction or an authorized administrative tribunal, an unvacated forfeiture of bail or collateral deposited to secure the person's appearance in court, the payment of a fine or court cost, or violation of a condition of release without bail, regardless of whether or not the penalty is rebated, suspended or probated;

(26) “Dealer” includes any person actively engaged in buying, selling or exchanging motor vehicles or trailers who has an established place of business in this state and who may, incidental to such business, repair motor vehicles or trailers, or cause them to be repaired by persons in his or her employ;

(27) “Disqualification” means a withdrawal of the privilege to drive a commercial motor vehicle, which occurs as a result of (A) any suspension, revocation, or cancellation by the commissioner of the privilege to operate a motor vehicle; (B) a determination by the Federal Highway Administration, under the rules of practice for motor carrier safety contained in 49 CFR 386, as amended from time to time, that a person is no longer qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle under the standards set forth in 49 CFR 391, as amended from time to time; or (C) the loss of qualification which follows any of the convictions or administrative actions specified in section 14-44k;

(28) “Drive” means to drive, operate or be in physical control of a motor vehicle, including a motor vehicle being towed by another;

(29) “Driver” means any person who drives, operates or is in physical control of a commercial motor vehicle, or who is required to hold a commercial driver's license;

(30) “Driver's license” or “operator's license” means a valid Connecticut motor vehicle operator's license or a license issued by another state or foreign jurisdiction authorizing the holder thereof to operate a motor vehicle on the highways;

(31) “Electric bicycle” means a bicycle equipped with operable foot pedals and an electric motor of fewer than seven hundred fifty watts of power that is either a class 1, class 2 or class 3 bicycle. “Electric bicycle” does not include a dirt bike or an all-terrain vehicle;

(32) “Electric foot scooter” means a device (A) that weighs not more than seventy-five pounds, (B) that has two or three wheels, handlebars and a floorboard that can be stood upon while riding, (C) that is powered by an electric motor and human power, and (D) whose maximum speed, with or without human propulsion on a paved level surface, is not more than twenty miles per hour;

(33) “Employee” means any operator of a commercial motor vehicle, including full-time, regularly employed drivers, casual, intermittent or occasional drivers, drivers under contract and independent owner-operator contractors, who, while in the course of operating a commercial motor vehicle, are either directly employed by, or are under contract to, an employer;

(34) “Employer” means any person, including the United States, a state or any political subdivision thereof, who owns or leases a commercial motor vehicle, or assigns a person to drive a commercial motor vehicle;

(35) “Farm implement” means a vehicle designed and adapted exclusively for agricultural, horticultural or livestock-raising operations and which is not operated on a highway for transporting a pay load or for any other commercial purpose;

(36) “Felony” means any offense, as defined in section 53a-25 and includes any offense designated as a felony under federal law;

(37) “Fatality” means the death of a person as a result of a motor vehicle accident;

(38) “Foreign jurisdiction” means any jurisdiction other than a state of the United States;

(39) “Fuels” means (A) all products commonly or commercially known or sold as gasoline, including casinghead and absorption or natural gasoline, regardless of their classification or uses, (B) any liquid prepared, advertised, offered for sale or sold for use, or commonly and commercially used, as a fuel in internal combustion engines, which, when subjected to distillation in accordance with the standard method of test for distillation of gasoline, naphtha, kerosene and similar petroleum products by “American Society for Testing Materials Method D-86”, shows not less than ten per cent distilled (recovered) below 347° Fahrenheit (175° Centigrade) and not less than ninety-five per cent distilled (recovered) below 464° Fahrenheit (240° Centigrade); provided the term “fuels” does not include commercial solvents or naphthas which distill, by “American Society for Testing Materials Method D-86”, not more than nine per cent at 176° Fahrenheit and which have a distillation range of 150° Fahrenheit, or less, or liquefied gases which would not exist as liquids at a temperature of 60° Fahrenheit and a pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute, and (C) any liquid commonly referred to as “gasohol” which is prepared, advertised, offered for sale or sold for use, or commonly and commercially used, as a fuel in internal combustion engines, consisting of a blend of gasoline and a minimum of ten per cent by volume of ethyl or methyl alcohol;

(40) “Garage” includes every place of business where motor vehicles are, for compensation, received for housing, storage or repair;

(41) “Gross vehicle weight rating” or “GVWR” means the value specified by the manufacturer as the maximum loaded weight of a single or a combination (articulated) vehicle. The GVWR of a combination (articulated) vehicle commonly referred to as the “gross combination weight rating” or GCWR is the GVWR of the power unit plus the GVWR of the towed unit or units;

(42) “Gross weight” means the light weight of a vehicle plus the weight of any load on the vehicle, provided, in the case of a tractor-trailer unit, “gross weight” means the light weight of the tractor plus the light weight of the trailer or semitrailer plus the weight of the load on the vehicle;

(43) “Hazardous materials” has the same meaning as provided in 49 CFR 383.5;

(44) “Head lamp” means a lighting device affixed to the front of a motor vehicle projecting a high intensity beam which lights the road in front of the vehicle so that it can proceed safely during the hours of darkness;

(45) “High-mileage vehicle” means a motor vehicle having the following characteristics: (A) Not less than three wheels in contact with the ground; (B) a completely enclosed seat on which the driver sits; (C) a single or two cylinder, gasoline or diesel engine or an electric-powered engine; and (D) efficient fuel consumption;

(46) “Highway” includes any state or other public highway, road, street, avenue, alley, driveway, parkway, place or dedicated roadway for bus rapid transit service, under the control of the state or any political subdivision of the state, dedicated, appropriated or opened to public travel or other use;

(47) “Imminent hazard” means the existence of a condition that presents a substantial likelihood that death, serious illness, severe personal injury or a substantial endangerment to health, property, or the environment may occur before the reasonably foreseeable completion date of a formal proceeding begun to lessen the risk of that death, illness, injury or endangerment;

(48) “Intersecting highway” includes any public highway which joins another at an angle whether or not it crosses the other;

(49) “Light weight” means the weight of an unloaded motor vehicle as ordinarily equipped and ready for use, exclusive of the weight of the operator of the motor vehicle;

(50) “Limited access highway” means a state highway so designated under the provisions of section 13b-27;

(51) “Local authorities” includes the board of aldermen, common council, chief of police, warden and burgesses, board of selectmen or other officials having authority for the enactment or enforcement of traffic regulations within their respective towns, cities or boroughs;

(52) “Low-speed vehicle” has the same meaning as provided in 49 CFR 571.3, as amended from time to time;

(53) “Maintenance vehicle” means any vehicle in use by the state or by any town, city, borough or district, any state bridge or parkway authority or any public service company, as defined in section 16-1, in the maintenance of public highways or bridges and facilities located within the limits of public highways or bridges;

(54) “Manufacturer” means (A) a person, whether a resident or nonresident, engaged in the business of constructing or assembling new motor vehicles of a type required to be registered by the commissioner, for operation upon any highway, except a utility trailer, which are offered for sale in this state, or (B) a person who distributes new motor vehicles to new car dealers licensed in this state;

(55) “Median divider” means an intervening space or physical barrier or clearly indicated dividing section separating traffic lanes provided for vehicles proceeding in opposite directions;

(56) “Modified antique motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle twenty years old or older which has been modified for safe road use, including, but not limited to, modifications to the drive train, suspension, braking system and safety or comfort apparatus;

(57) “Motor bus” includes any motor vehicle, except a taxicab, as defined in section 13b-95, operated in whole or in part on any street or highway in a manner affording a means of transportation by indiscriminately receiving or discharging passengers, or running on a regular route or over any portion of a regular route or between fixed termini;

(58) “Motor home” means a vehicular unit designed to provide living quarters and necessary amenities which are built into an integral part of, or permanently attached to, a truck or van chassis;

(59) “Motor-driven cycle” means any of the following vehicles that have a seat height of not less than twenty-six inches and a motor having a capacity of less than fifty cubic centimeters piston displacement: (A) A motorcycle, other than an autocycle; (B) a motor scooter; or (C) a bicycle with attached motor, except an electric bicycle;

(60) “Motor vehicle” means any vehicle propelled or drawn by any nonmuscular power, including a low-speed vehicle. “Motor vehicle” does not include aircraft, motor boats, road rollers, baggage trucks used about railroad stations or other mass transit facilities, electric battery-operated wheel chairs when operated by persons with physical disabilities at speeds not exceeding fifteen miles per hour, golf carts operated on highways solely for the purpose of crossing from one part of the golf course to another, golf-cart-type vehicles operated on roads or highways on the grounds of state institutions by state employees, agricultural tractors, farm implements, such vehicles as run only on rails or tracks, self-propelled snow plows, snow blowers and lawn mowers, when used for the purposes for which they were designed and operated at speeds not exceeding four miles per hour, whether or not the operator rides on or walks behind such equipment, motor-driven cycles, as defined in section 14-286, special mobile equipment, as defined in section 14-165, mini-motorcycles, as defined in section 14-289j, electric bicycles, electric foot scooters and any other vehicle not suitable for operation on a highway;

(61) “Motorcycle” means (A) an autocycle, as defined in this section, or (B) a motor vehicle, with or without a side car, that has (i) not more than three wheels in contact with the ground, (ii) a saddle or seat which the rider straddles or a platform on which the rider stands, and (iii) handlebars with which the rider controls the movement of the vehicle. “Motorcycle” does not include a motor-driven cycle, an electric bicycle or an electric foot scooter;

(62) “National Driver Registry” or “NDR” means the licensing information system and database operated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and established pursuant to the National Driver Registry Act of 1982, as amended;

(63) “New motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle, the equitable or legal title to which has never been transferred by a manufacturer, distributor or dealer to an ultimate consumer;

(64) “Nonresident” means any person whose legal residence is in a state other than Connecticut or in a foreign country;

(65) “Nonresident commercial driver's license” or “nonresident CDL” means a commercial driver's license issued by a state to an individual who resides in a foreign jurisdiction;

(66) “Nonskid device” means any device applied to the tires, wheels, axles or frame of a motor vehicle for the purpose of increasing the traction of the motor vehicle;

(67) “Number plate” means any sign or marker furnished by the commissioner on which is displayed the registration number assigned to a motor vehicle by the commissioner;

(68) “Officer” includes any constable, state marshal, inspector of motor vehicles, state policeman or other official authorized to make arrests or to serve process, provided the officer is in uniform or displays the officer's badge of office in a conspicuous place when making an arrest;

(69) “Operator” means any person who operates a motor vehicle or who steers or directs the course of a motor vehicle being towed by another motor vehicle and includes a driver;

(70) “Out-of-service order” means an order (A) issued by a person having inspection authority, as defined in regulations adopted by the commissioner pursuant to section 14-163c, or by an authorized official of the United States Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration pursuant to any provision of federal law, to prohibit any motor vehicle specified in subsection (a) of section 14-163c from being operated on any highway, or to prohibit a driver from operating any such motor vehicle, or (B) issued by the United States Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, pursuant to any provision of federal law, to prohibit any motor carrier, as defined in Section 386.2 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, from engaging in commercial motor vehicle operations;

(71) “Owner” means any person holding title to a motor vehicle, or having the legal right to register the same, including purchasers under conditional bills of sale;

(72) “Parked vehicle” means a motor vehicle in a stationary position within the limits of a public highway;

(73) “Passenger and commercial motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle used for private passenger and commercial purposes which is eligible for combination registration;

(74) “Passenger motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle used for the private transportation of persons and their personal belongings, designed to carry occupants in comfort and safety, with a capacity of carrying not more than ten passengers including the operator thereof;

(75) “Passenger registration” means the type of registration issued to a passenger motor vehicle unless a more specific type of registration is authorized and issued by the commissioner for such class of vehicle;

(76) “Person” includes any individual, corporation, limited liability company, association, copartnership, company, firm, business trust or other aggregation of individuals but does not include the state or any political subdivision thereof, unless the context clearly states or requires;

(77) “Pick-up truck” means a motor vehicle with an enclosed forward passenger compartment and an open rearward compartment used for the transportation of property;

(78) “Pneumatic tires” means tires inflated or inflatable with air;

(79) “Pole trailer” means a trailer which is (A) intended for transporting long or irregularly shaped loads such as poles, logs, pipes or structural members, which loads are capable of sustaining themselves as beams between supporting connections, and (B) designed to be drawn by a motor vehicle and attached or secured directly to the motor vehicle by any means including a reach, pole or boom;

(80) “Public passenger endorsement” means an endorsement issued to an individual, which authorizes such individual to transport passengers, including, but not limited to, passengers who are students in accordance with subsection (b) or (c) of section 14-36a;

(81) “Recreational vehicle” includes the camper, camp trailer and motor home classes of vehicles;

(82) “Registration” includes the certificate of motor vehicle registration and the number plate or plates used in connection with such registration;

(83) “Registration number” means the identifying number or letters, or both, assigned by the commissioner to a motor vehicle;

(84) “Resident”, for the purpose of registering motor vehicles, includes any person who is a legal resident of this state, as the commissioner may presume from the fact that such person occupies a place of dwelling in this state for more than six months in a year, or any person, firm or corporation owning or leasing a motor vehicle used or operated in intrastate business in this state, or a firm or corporation having its principal office or place of business in this state;

(85) “School bus” means any school bus, as defined in section 14-275, including a commercial motor vehicle used to transport preschool, elementary school or secondary school students from home to school, from school to home, or to and from school-sponsored events, but does not include a bus used as a common carrier;

(86) “Second” violation or “subsequent” violation means an offense committed not more than three years after the date of an arrest which resulted in a previous conviction for a violation of the same statutory provision, except in the case of a violation of section 14-215, 14-224, 14-227a or 14-227m, “second” violation or “subsequent” violation means an offense committed not more than ten years after the date of an arrest which resulted in a previous conviction for a violation of the same statutory provision;

(87) “Semitrailer” means any trailer type vehicle designed and used in conjunction with a motor vehicle so that some part of its own weight and load rests on or is carried by another vehicle;

(88) “Serious traffic violation” means a conviction of any of the following offenses: (A) Excessive speeding, involving a single offense in which the speed is fifteen miles per hour or more above the posted speed limit, in violation of section 14-218a or 14-219; (B) reckless driving in violation of section 14-222; (C) following too closely in violation of section 14-240 or 14-240a; (D) improper or erratic lane changes, in violation of section 14-236; (E) using a hand-held mobile telephone or other electronic device or typing, reading or sending text or a text message with or from a mobile telephone or mobile electronic device in violation of subsection (e) of section 14-296aa while operating a commercial motor vehicle; (F) driving a commercial motor vehicle without a valid commercial driver's license in violation of section 14-36a or 14-44a; (G) failure to carry a commercial driver's license in violation of section 14-44a; (H) failure to have the proper class of license or endorsement, or violation of a license restriction in violation of section 14-44a; or (I) a violation of any provision of chapter 248, by an operator who holds a commercial driver's license or learner's permit that results in the death of another person;

(89) “Service bus” includes any vehicle except a vanpool vehicle or a school bus designed and regularly used to carry ten or more passengers when used in private service for the transportation of persons without charge to the individual;

(90) “Service car” means any motor vehicle used by a manufacturer, dealer or repairer for emergency motor vehicle repairs on the highways of this state, for towing or for the transportation of necessary persons, tools and materials to and from the scene of such emergency repairs or towing;

(91) “Shoulder” means that portion of a highway immediately adjacent and contiguous to the travel lanes or main traveled portion of the roadway;

(92) “Solid tires” means tires of rubber, or other elastic material approved by the Commissioner of Transportation, which do not depend on confined air for the support of the load;

(93) “Spot lamp” or “spot light” means a lighting device projecting a high intensity beam, the direction of which can be readily controlled for special or emergency lighting as distinguished from ordinary road illumination;

(94) “State” means any state of the United States and the District of Columbia unless the context indicates a more specific reference to the state of Connecticut;

(95) “Stop” means complete cessation of movement;

(96) “Student” means any person under the age of twenty-one years who is attending a preprimary, primary or secondary school program of education;

(97) “Tail lamp” means a lighting device affixed to the rear of a motor vehicle showing a red light to the rear and indicating the presence of the motor vehicle when viewed from behind;

(98) “Tank vehicle” means any commercial motor vehicle designed to transport any liquid or gaseous material within a tank that is either permanently or temporarily attached to the vehicle or its chassis, which includes, but is not limited to, a cargo tank and portable tank, as defined in 49 CFR 383.5, as amended, provided it does not include a portable tank with a rated capacity not to exceed one thousand gallons;

(99) “Tractor” or “truck tractor” means a motor vehicle designed and used for drawing a semitrailer;

(100) “Tractor-trailer unit” means a combination of a tractor and a trailer or a combination of a tractor and a semitrailer;

(101) “Trailer” means any rubber-tired vehicle without motive power drawn or propelled by a motor vehicle;

(102) “Truck” means a motor vehicle designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property;

(103) “Ultimate consumer” means, with respect to a motor vehicle, the first person, other than a dealer, who in good faith purchases the motor vehicle for purposes other than resale;

(104) “United States” means the fifty states and the District of Columbia;

(105) “Used motor vehicle” includes any motor vehicle which has been previously separately registered by an ultimate consumer;

(106) “Utility trailer” means a trailer designed and used to transport personal property, materials or equipment, whether or not permanently affixed to the bed of the trailer;

(107) “Vanpool vehicle” includes all motor vehicles, the primary purpose of which is the daily transportation, on a prearranged nonprofit basis, of individuals between home and work, and which: (A) If owned by or leased to a person, or to an employee of the person, or to an employee of a local, state or federal government unit or agency located in Connecticut, are manufactured and equipped in such manner as to provide a seating capacity of at least seven but not more than fifteen individuals, or (B) if owned by or leased to a regional ride-sharing organization in the state recognized by the Commissioner of Transportation, are manufactured and equipped in such manner as to provide a seating capacity of at least six but not more than nineteen individuals;

(108) “Vehicle” includes any device suitable for the conveyance, drawing or other transportation of persons or property, whether operated on wheels, runners, a cushion of air or by any other means. The term does not include devices propelled or drawn by human power or devices used exclusively on tracks;

(109) “Vehicle identification number” or “VIN” means a series of Arabic numbers and Roman letters that is assigned to each new motor vehicle that is manufactured within or imported into the United States, in accordance with the provisions of 49 CFR 565, unless another sequence of numbers and letters has been assigned to a motor vehicle by the commissioner, in accordance with the provisions of section 14-149;

(110) “Wrecker” means a vehicle which is registered, designed, equipped and used for the purposes of towing or transporting wrecked or disabled motor vehicles for compensation or for related purposes by a person, firm or corporation licensed in accordance with the provisions of subpart (D) of part III of this chapter or a vehicle contracted for the consensual towing or transporting of one or more motor vehicles to or from a place of sale, purchase, salvage or repair.

(1949 Rev., S. 2350; 1953, S. 1278d, 1281d; 1955, S. 1279d, 1280d; 1959, P.A. 162; 283, S. 1; 1961, P.A. 233, S. 10; 1963, P.A. 560; February, 1965, P.A. 414, S. 1; 448, S. 1, 2, 3; 1967, P.A. 454, S. 1; 799; 821; 1969, P.A. 189; 569, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 355, S. 1, 2; 416, S. 2; 629; 740, S. 1; 848, S. 1, 2; 1972, P.A. 255, S. 1; P.A. 73-676, S. 1; P.A. 75-253, S. 1, 2; P.A. 76-250, S. 2–4; P.A. 77-67; P.A. 79-25, S. 1; 79-175, S. 2, 3; 79-244, S. 1, 5, 6; 79-627, S. 5, 6; P.A. 80-466, S. 2, 25; P.A. 81-394, S. 1; P.A. 82-460, S. 1, 2, 9; 82-472, S. 39, 183; P.A. 83-224, S. 1, 2; 83-278; 83-431, S. 2; 83-587, S. 67, 96; P.A. 84-429, S. 1; 84-546, S. 37, 173; P.A. 86-383, S. 1, 6; P.A. 88-245, S. 1, 7; P.A. 90-263, S. 1, 74; P.A. 91-272, S. 5, 8; P.A. 93-341, S. 1, 38; P.A. 95-79, S. 39, 189; 95-314, S. 4; P.A. 97-236, S. 23, 27; P.A. 99-268, S. 1, 2, 29; P.A. 00-35, S. 1; 00-99, S. 44, 154; 00-169, S. 22, 35; P.A. 02-70, S. 1, 17; P.A. 03-265, S. 5; P.A. 04-199, S. 7; 04-217, S. 1; P.A. 05-218, S. 2, 3, 15, 16, 42, 43; P.A. 06-130, S. 15; P.A. 07-167, S. 1–3, 38; P.A. 08-150, S. 1; P.A. 09-187, S. 34, 41, 49, 54; P.A. 10-32, S. 46; 10-110, S. 37; P.A. 11-213, S. 51, 52, 61; P.A. 12-81, S. 26; P.A. 13-271, S. 3–5; 13-277, S. 8; P.A. 14-130, S. 2; P.A. 15-46, S. 1; P.A. 16-55, S. 13; 16-126, S. 6; P.A. 17-202, S. 42; P.A. 18-165, S. 3; P.A. 19-119, S. 21; 19-162, S. 1; P.A. 21-106, S. 35; P.A. 22-44, S. 13, 22; 22-58, S. 22; P.A. 24-20, S. 15, 35.)

History: 1959 acts added Subsecs. (21) and (51); 1961 act redefined “used or secondhand motor vehicle” in and added definitions of “new motor vehicle” and “ultimate consumer” to Subsec. (55); 1963 act redefined “second” or “subsequent” violation in Subsec. (44); 1965 acts added snow and lawn machines to Subsec. (26), “driver” to Subsec. (32) and Subsecs. (6), (14), (23), (39), (48) and (54); 1967 acts added Subsecs. (57) and (58) defining “tractor” or “truck tractor” and “wrecker” or “wrecker vehicle” and redefined “resident” in Subsec. (42) to delete persons carrying on business or engaged in occupation for more than six months a year; 1969 acts redefined “motor vehicle” in Subsec. (26) to exclude golf carts and added Subsec. (59) defining “farm implements”; 1971 acts redefined “gross weight” in Subsec. (14) to include special provision re tractor-trailer units, redefined “officer” in Subsec. (31) to include sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, redefined “manufacturer” in Subsec. (22), redefined “vehicle” in Subsec. (56) to include vehicles operated on cushions of air and to delete requirement that machine be suitable for use on highways and added Subsecs. (60) and (61) defining “tractor-trailer unit” and “limited access highway”; 1972 act redefined “manufacturer” in Subsec. (22) to include distributor of vehicles to new car dealers; P.A. 73-676 added Subsec. (62) defining “minibike” or “minicycle”; P.A. 75-253 redefined “motorcycle” to exclude vehicles with wholly or partially enclosed drivers' seat with motor outside enclosed area; P.A. 76-250 excluded bicycles with helper motors in Subsec. (25) defining “motorcycle” and Subsec. (26) defining “motor vehicle”; P.A. 77-67 redefined “motor vehicles” in Subsec. (26) to delete requirement that vehicle be suitable for operation on a highway, to exclude vehicles used at mass transit facilities other than railroads and vehicles not suitable for operation on highway; P.A. 79-25 added Subsecs. (63) and (64) defining “antique, rare or special interest motor vehicle” and “modified antique motor vehicle”; P.A. 79-175 added Subsec. (65) defining “vanpool vehicle”; P.A. 79-244 also added Subsec. (65) re vanpool vehicles and excluded vanpool vehicles from definitions of “public service motor vehicle” and “service bus” in Subsecs. (40) and (46); P.A. 79-627 included gasohol in Subsec. (12) defining “fuels”, effective July 1, 1979, and applicable to fuel sold on or after that date; P.A. 80-466 amended definition of “motor vehicle registration” in Subsec. (27) to reflect use of single license plate; P.A. 81-394 added Subdiv. (66) defining “high-mileage vehicle”; P.A. 82-460 redefined “passenger motor vehicle” to specify applicability to vehicles capable of carrying not more than ten passengers, redefined “commercial motor vehicle”, deleting limitations re use in business of registrant and propulsion method and redefined “passenger and commercial motor vehicle”, deleting requirement that vehicles be “designed for use” for passenger and commercial purposes; P.A. 82-472 made technical corrections in definition of “high-mileage vehicle”; P.A. 83-224 amended Subdiv. (26) to exclude from the definition of a motor vehicle, golf cart type vehicles operated by state employees on state institution grounds; P.A. 83-278 amended Subdiv. (65) to include in definition of “vanpool vehicle” certain vehicles owned by or leased to recognized regional ride-sharing organizations; P.A. 83-431 amended Subdiv. (26) to exclude from the definition of a motor vehicle, special mobile equipment as defined in Sec. 14-165 (i); P.A. 83-587 made technical change in Subdiv. (12); P.A. 84-429 deleted the definition of “curb” in Subsec. (9), “distributor” in Subsec. (11), “head light” in Subsec. (15), “intersection” in Subsec. (18), “motor vehicle registration” in Subsec. (27), “rotary traffic island” in Subsec. (43), “secondhand motor vehicle” in Subsec. (55) and “wrecker vehicle” in Subsec. (58), transferred definition of “head lamp” from Subsec. (15) to (16), “registration” from Subsec. (27) to (45), “used motor vehicle” from Subsec. (55) to (62), “new motor vehicle” from Subsec. (55) to (31), “ultimate consumer” from Subsec. (55) to (61) and “wrecker” from Subsec. (58) to (65), added Subsec. (4) from Sec. 14-1a, renumbered the remaining Subsecs. as follows: (2) to (3), (3) to (5), (4) to (6), (5) to (7), (6) to (8), (7) to (9), (8) to (10), (10) to (11), (12) to (13), (13) to (14), (14) to (15), (16) to (18), (17) to (19), (19) to (20), (20) to (22), (21) to (23), (22) to (24), (23) to (25), (24) to (28), (25) to (29), (26) to (30), (28) to (32), (29) to (33), (30) to (34), (31) to (35), (32) to (36), (33) to (37), (34) to (38), (35) to (40), (36) to (39), (37) to (41), (38) to (42), (39) to (43), (40) to (44), (41) to (46), (42) to (47), (44) to (48), (45) to (49), (46) to (50), (47) to (51), (48) to (52), (49) to (53), (50) to (54), (51) to (55), (52) to (56), (53) to (59), (54) to (60), (56) to (64), (59) to (12), (60) to (58), (61) to (21), (62) to (2), (63) to (27), (64) to (63) and (66) to (17), and rephrased renumbered Subsec. (10) re definition of “commissioner”; P.A. 84-546 redefined “commissioner” to include deputy commissioner of motor vehicles, attorney general and any assistant to motor vehicles commissioner, but did not take effect, P.A. 84-429 having taken precedence; P.A. 86-383 redefined “commercial motor vehicle” in Subdiv. (9) to include vehicles transporting other passengers with their necessary personal belongings; P.A. 88-245 made technical change to definition of “commissioner” in Subsec. (10); P.A. 90-263 subdivided the section into Subsecs. (a) and (b), in Subsec (a) amending Subdiv. (7) to substitute recreational for pleasure purposes and to delete phrase “used for the purpose of transporting personal property of the owner”, amending Subdiv. (8) to redefine “camper” as any motor vehicle designed or permanently altered in such a way as to provide temporary living quarters for travel, camping or recreational purposes, amending Subdiv. (9) to delete definition of “commercial motor vehicle” and insert definition of “combination registration”, adding new definitions of “commercial driver's license” in Subdiv. (10), “commercial motor vehicle” in Subdiv. (11), “commercial registration” in Subdiv. (12), “commercial trailer” in Subdiv. (13), “controlled substance” in Subdiv. (15), “conviction” in Subdiv. (16), “disqualification” in Subdiv. (18), “drive” in Subdiv. (19), “driver” in Subdiv. (20), “driver's license” in Subdiv. (21), “employee” in Subdiv. (22), “employer” in Subdiv. (23), “felony” in Subdiv. (25), “foreign jurisdiction” in Subdiv. (26), “gross weight rating” in Subdiv. (29), “hazardous materials” in Subdiv. (31), “motor home” in Subdiv. (45), “nonresident commercial driver's license” in Subdiv. (50), “out-of-service order” in Subdiv. (55), “passenger registration” in Subdiv. (60), “recreational vehicle” in Subdiv. (64), “serious traffic violation” in Subdiv. (70), “state” in Subdiv. (76), “tank vehicle” in Subdiv. (79), “United States” in Subdiv. (85), and “utility trailer” in Subdiv. (87) and renumbering the other Subdivs. accordingly, amending definition of “motor bus” in Subdiv. (44), formerly Subdiv. (28), to include any motor vehicle, except a taxicab, deleting reference to public service motor vehicle, amending definition of “operator” in Subdiv. (54), formerly Subdiv. (36), to include a driver, amending definition of “passenger and commercial motor vehicle” in Subdiv. (58), formerly Subdiv. (39), to include vehicles eligible for combination registration, amending definition of “passenger motor vehicle” in Subdiv. (59), formerly Subdiv. (40), to delete former provisions and insert new provisions concerning use, design and capacity, amending definition of “person” in Subdiv. (61), formerly Subdiv. (41), to specifically exclude the state or any political subdivision thereof, amending definition of “pole trailer” in Subdiv. (63), formerly Subdiv. (43), to delete reference to commercial motor vehicle, and deleting definition of “public service motor vehicle” in Subdiv. (44), and inserting new language in Subsec. (b) re meaning of term “public passenger transportation permit”; P.A. 91-272 amended exception to definition of “commercial motor vehicle” in Subsec. (a)(11)(B) to include vehicles designed to transport “more than” 10 passengers and used to transport students under 21 to and from school; P.A. 93-341 amended definition of “commercial driver's license” by deleting the reference to a “Class 1” license and reference to Sec. 14-36a, redefined “commercial motor vehicle” to exclude vehicles used “within one hundred fifty miles of a farm in connection with the operation of such farm” and recreational vehicles “in private use”, redefined “serious traffic violation” to add a new Subpara. (E) re accident resulting in death, redefined “service bus” to include “school bus” and added definition of “school bus”, renumbering previously existing Subdivs. of Subsec. (a) as necessary and made technical change in Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 95-79 amended Subsec. (a)(61) by redefining “person” to include a limited liability company, effective May 31, 1995; P.A. 95-314 amended Subsec. (a)(69) to provide that a “second” or “subsequent” violation is one committed within “three” years after date of arrest resulting in a previous conviction for the same offense, in lieu of 5 years, and to redefine term in the case of a violation of Sec. 14-215, 14-224 or 14-227a(a); P.A. 97-236 redefined “service bus” to require that school bus be “regularly used” to carry 8 or more persons, effective June 24, 1997; P.A. 99-268 redefined “motorcycle” in Subsec. (a)(46) to exclude a vehicle “designed to have” a completely enclosed driver's seat in lieu of a vehicle having a completely “or partially” enclosed driver's seat, redefined “serious traffic violation” in Subsec. (a)(71) by changing from a violation of “sections 14-230 to 14-237, inclusive” to a violation of “section 14-236” in Subpara. (D) and redefined “service bus” in Subsec. (a)(72) to increase the minimum number of persons such vehicle may carry from “eight or more persons” to “ten or more passengers”; P.A. 00-35 redefined “wrecker” in Subsec. (a)(91) to delete “exclusively” following “equipped and used” and to add “by a person, firm or corporation licensed in accordance with the provisions of subdivision (D) of part III of this chapter”; P.A. 00-99 replaced reference to sheriff and deputy sheriff in Subsec. (a)(53) with state marshal, effective December 1, 2000; P.A. 00-169 redefined “person” in Subsec. (a)(61) to include a business trust and revised effective date of P.A. 99-268 but without affecting this section; P.A. 02-70 amended Subsec. (a)(9) to add “rating”, substituted “place of residence” for “legal residence” and provide that such residence be occupied for more than six months in a year in Subdiv. (67), added new Subdiv. (91) re definition of “vehicle identification number” or “VIN”, redesignated existing Subdiv. (91) as Subdiv. (92) and made technical changes in Subdivs. (4), (17), (40), (53) and (55), effective July 1, 2002, and amended Subsec. (a)(40) to add “new” and replace “under section 14-12, who offers the motor vehicles” with “by the commissioner, for operation upon any highway, which are offered” in Subpara. (A) and to make a technical change in Subpara. (B) (Revisor's note: The reference in Subsec. (a)(92) to “subdivision (D)” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “subpart (D)” for clarity of reference); P.A. 03-265 redefined “passenger motor vehicle” in Subdiv. (59); P.A. 04-199 defined “pick-up truck”, made technical changes and renumbered Subdivs. in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-217 defined “activity vehicle”, “commercial driver's license information system”, “fatality”, “imminent hazard” and “National Driver Registry”, redefined “disqualification”, “school bus” and “serious traffic violation”, made technical changes and renumbered Subdivs. in Subsec. (a), effective January 1, 2005; P.A. 05-218 amended Subsec. (a)(10) by substituting “twelve thousand five hundred” for “ten thousand” and amended Subsec. (a)(67) by deleting “and having a gross vehicle weight rating of less than ten thousand pounds” and, effective July 1, 2005, amended Subsec. (a)(3) by changing “twenty-five” to “twenty”, amended Subsec. (a)(44) by adding “except a utility trailer”, amended Subsec. (a)(47) by changing “twenty-five” to “twenty” and making a technical change, and added Subsec. (a)(99) defining “camp vehicle”; P.A. 06-130 amended Subsec. (a) by redefining “commercial motor vehicle” in Subdiv. (13), redefining “gross vehicle weight rating” in Subdiv. (32), redefining “hazardous materials” in Subdiv. (34), deleting former Subdiv. (46) re definition of “minibike or minicycle”, renumbering Subdivs. (47) to (50) as (46) to (49), inclusive, adding “mini-motorcycle” to definition of “motor vehicle” and renumbering it as Subdiv. (50), renumbering Subdivs. (52) to (97) as (51) to (96), inclusive, redefining “wrecker” and renumbering it as Subdiv. (97) and renumbering Subdiv. (99) as (98), effective June 2, 2006; P.A. 07-167 made technical changes in Subsec. (a)(13), (24) and (50), effective June 25, 2007, and deleted Subsec. (a) designator and former Subsec. (b) re definition of “public passenger transportation permit”, effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 08-150 redefined “camp trailer” in Subdiv. (8), added new Subdiv. (9) defining “camp trailer registration”, added new Subdiv. (18) defining “commercial trailer registration”, added new Subdiv. (52) defining “motor-driven cycle”, redefined “motorcycle” in existing Subdiv. (49) and renumbered said definition as new Subdiv. (54), redefined “resident” in existing Subdiv. (72) and renumbered said definition as new Subdiv. (76), added new Subdiv. (88) defining “student”, renumbered existing Subdiv. (98) defining “camp vehicle” as new Subdiv. (10) and renumbered remaining Subdivs. and internal references accordingly; P.A. 09-187 amended Subdiv. (53) to replace “bicycles with helper motors” with “motor-driven cycles” in definition of “motor vehicle”, Subdiv. (63) to redefine “out-of-service order”, Subdiv. (80)(A) to replace “Speeding in excess of fifteen miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit” with “Excessive speeding, involving a single offense in which the speed is fifteen miles per hour or more above the posted speed limit” in definition of “serious traffic violation”, and Subdiv. (98) to delete “with a manufacturer's GVWR of ten thousand pounds or less” in definition of “utility trailer”; P.A. 10-32 made a technical change in Subdiv. (53), effective May 10, 2010; P.A. 10-110 deleted former Subdiv. (1) re definition of “activity vehicle” and redesignated existing Subdivs. (2) to (102) as Subdivs. (1) to (101), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-213 changed effective date of P.A. 10-110, S. 37, from July 1, 2011, to July 1, 2012, and redefined “serious traffic violation” in Subdiv. (79) of section as amended by P.A. 10-110, effective July 1, 2011, and redefined “serious traffic violation” in Subdiv. (80) of present section, effective July 13, 2011; P.A. 12-81 added new Subdiv. (1) restoring definition of “activity vehicle”, redesignated existing Subdivs. (1) to (101) as Subdivs. (2) to (102) and made a technical change in Subdiv. (62), effective July 1, 2012 (Revisor's note: In Subdiv. (53), a reference to “subsection (i) of section 14-165” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “section 14-165” to conform with a change made to the prior version of section by P.A. 10-32, S. 46); P.A. 13-271 amended Subdiv. (52) to redefine “motor-driven cycle” by replacing reference to motor horsepower with reference to motor capacity, amended Subdiv. (63) to redefine “out-of-service order” by replacing provision re orders issued by police or motor vehicle inspector with provision re orders issued by persons having inspection authority, replacing reference to commercial motor vehicle with reference to motor vehicle specified in Sec. 14-163c(a) and making technical changes, and amended Subdiv. (80) to redefine “serious traffic violation” by adding provision re use of hand-held mobile telephone or other electronic device in Subpara. (E) and replacing “while operating a commercial motor vehicle” with “by an operator who holds a commercial driver's license or instruction permit” in Subpara. (I), effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 13-277 amended Subdiv. (40) to redefine “highway” by adding reference to dedicated roadway for bus rapid transit service, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 14-130 added Subdiv. (103) defining “public passenger endorsement”, effective June 6, 2014; P.A. 15-46 added new Subdiv. (6) defining “autocycle”, redesig

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-52.

Sec. 14-52. New car dealer's, used car dealer's and repairer's licenses. Surety bonds. Penalty. (a) No person, firm or corporation may engage in the business of the buying, selling, offering for sale or brokerage of any motor vehicle or the repairing of any motor vehicle without having been issued a new car dealer's, a used car dealer's or a repairer's license. The license fee for each such license, payable to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, shall be as follows: (1) New motor vehicle dealer, seven hundred dollars; (2) used motor vehicle dealer, five hundred sixty dollars; and (3) repairer, three hundred forty dollars. Each such license shall be renewed biennially according to renewal schedules established by the commissioner to effect staggered renewal of all such licenses. If the adoption of a staggered system results in the expiration of any license more or less than one year from its issuance, the commissioner may charge a prorated amount for such license fee. Not less than forty-five days prior to the date of expiration of each such license, the commissioner shall send or transmit to each licensee, in a manner determined by the commissioner, an application for renewal. Any licensee which has not filed the application for renewal accompanied by the prescribed fee prior to the date of expiration of its license shall cease to engage in business. An application for renewal filed with the commissioner after the date of expiration shall be accompanied by a late fee of one hundred dollars. The commissioner shall not renew any license under this subsection which has expired for more than forty-five days.

(b) (1) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, each applicant for a repairer's license shall furnish a surety bond in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars.

(2) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, each applicant for a new car dealer's or a used car dealer's license shall furnish a surety bond in the amount of sixty thousand dollars.

(3) Each applicant for a leasing or rental license issued pursuant to section 14-15, who is engaged in the leasing or renting of motor vehicles for periods of thirty days or more, shall furnish a surety bond in the amount of fifteen thousand dollars.

(4) Each such bond required under subdivisions (1) to (3), inclusive, of this subsection shall be conditioned upon the applicant or licensee complying with the provisions of any state or federal law or regulation relating to the conduct of such business and provided as indemnity for any loss sustained by any customer by reason of any acts of the licensee constituting grounds for suspension or revocation of the license or such licensee going out of business. Each surety bond shall be executed in the name of the state of Connecticut for the benefit of any aggrieved customer, but the penalty of the bond shall not be invoked except upon order of the commissioner after a hearing held before said commissioner in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54. For purposes of this subdivision, “customer” does not include (A) any person, firm or corporation that finances a licensed dealer's motor vehicle inventory, or (B) any licensed dealer, in such person's capacity as a dealer, who buys motor vehicles from, or sells motor vehicles to, another licensed dealer.

(5) The commissioner shall assess an administrative fee of two hundred dollars against any licensee for failing to provide proof of bond renewal or replacement on or before the date of the expiration of the existing bond. Such fee shall be in addition to the license suspension or revocation penalties and the civil penalties to which the licensee is subject pursuant to section 14-64.

(c) The commissioner may request information from any applicant for a repairer's license or used car dealer's license concerning the financial status and ability of such applicant to comply with the requirements of this subpart and the regulations adopted thereunder. The commissioner shall review such information to determine if the applicant has sufficient financial resources to conduct the business in a manner consistent with the reasonable security and protection of its customers in regard to the duties and responsibilities imposed by the provisions of this subpart and the regulations adopted thereunder. The commissioner may refuse to issue a license if the applicant fails to provide any such information requested or, if, after review by the commissioner, the commissioner is not satisfied as to such applicant's financial status. The commissioner may, in any case deemed appropriate, grant a license on condition that the applicant post a surety bond, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, in an amount prescribed by the commissioner that is greater than the minimum amount required by the applicable provisions of said subsection (b). Any applicant aggrieved by any decision of the commissioner made pursuant to this subsection shall be afforded an opportunity for hearing in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54. The commissioner may adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 to carry out the provisions of this subsection.

(d) Any person, firm or corporation engaging in the business of the buying, selling, offering for sale or brokerage of any motor vehicle or of the repairing of any motor vehicle without a license shall be guilty of a class B misdemeanor.

(e) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall transmit to the Commissioner of Revenue Services and the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection a summary of any complaint that the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles receives alleging that a person, firm or corporation is engaging in the business of the buying, selling, offering for sale or brokerage of any motor vehicle or of the repairing of any motor vehicle without a license.

(1949 Rev., S. 2392; 1953, S. 1308d; 1961, P.A. 581, S. 10; 1967, P.A. 384; P.A. 75-577, S. 25, 126; P.A. 77-305; 77-376, S. 1, 3; P.A. 81-172, S. 4; P.A. 83-489, S. 8, 17; P.A. 84-254, S. 37, 62; 84-391, S. 5, 8; 84-508; 84-528, S. 1; P.A. 85-613, S. 29, 154; P.A. 86-58; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-13, S. 6, 21; P.A. 93-164, S. 2; P.A. 95-301; P.A. 96-167, S. 8; P.A. 02-70, S. 22; P.A. 10-110, S. 12; P.A. 11-213, S. 22, 57; P.A. 12-81, S. 7; P.A. 14-130, S. 14; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 210; P.A. 17-79, S. 9; P.A. 21-106, S. 19; P.A. 22-44, S. 2; P.A. 23-40, S. 3.)

History: 1961 act increased license fees; 1967 act included brokerage of motor vehicles in activities requiring license; P.A. 75-577 added provision that failure to secure license is an infraction; P.A. 77-305 deleted provision re infraction; P.A. 77-376 increased fee for new motor vehicle dealer from $25 to $50, for used motor vehicle dealer from $20 to $40 and for repairer from $12 to $24; P.A. 81-172 included a provision for a limited repairer's license; P.A. 83-489 doubled license fees; P.A. 84-254 increased the license fees scheduling increases to take effect as of July first of 1985, 1989, 1991 and 1993, and made editorial change for grammatical correctness in sentence following Subdiv. (3), substituting “shall” for “to”; P.A. 84-391 provided for the staggered renewal of dealers' and repairers' licenses, deleting provision whereby licenses ran from day of issuance to last day of February next following; P.A. 84-508 specified that license fee is payable to motor vehicles commissioner and added Subsec. (b) requiring an applicant for a dealer's or repairer's license to furnish a surety bond; P.A. 84-528 added Subsec. (c) providing that any person, firm or corporation repairing motor vehicles without a license shall be guilty of a class C misdemeanor; P.A. 85-613 made technical change in Subsec. (a)(3); P.A. 86-58 amended Subsec. (b)(3) to provide that surety bond penalty may be invoked upon order of motor vehicle commissioner after administrative hearing and eliminated reference to court adjudication; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-13 increased new motor vehicle dealer license fee from $225 to $560 and $700 after July 1, 1993, increased the used motor vehicle license fee from $225 to $450 and $500 after July 1, 1993, increased the repairer or limited repairer license fee from $235 to $270 and $340 after July 1, 1993, changed renewal requirement of each license from annual to biennial and deleted obsolete fee increases; P.A. 93-164 amended Subsec. (b) by increasing the repairer's and limited repairer's license surety bond from $2,500 to $5,000, increasing the new car dealer's and used car dealer's license surety bond from $5,000 to $20,000 and inserting new Subdiv. (3) requiring an applicant for a leasing or rental license pursuant to Sec. 14-15 to furnish a $10,000 surety bond, renumbering and revising former Subdiv. (3) accordingly; P.A. 95-301 amended Subsec. (c) to change penalty for unlicensed motor vehicle repair business, from class C misdemeanor to class B misdemeanor, and added Subsec. (d) re transmission of summaries of complaints re such unlicensed businesses; P.A. 96-167 amended Subsec. (a) to add provisions re mailing of application for renewal, failure to file such application with fee, imposition of $100 late fee for application filed after date of license expiration and to provide that commissioner shall not renew license which has expired for more than 45 days; P.A. 02-70 amended Subsec. (a) to delete provisions re fees applicable prior to July 1, 1993, and re payment of fees to commissioner, amended Subsec. (b) to add an exception re Subsec. (c) in Subdivs. (1) and (2) and to make a technical change for purposes of gender neutrality in Subdiv. (4), inserted new Subsec. (c) to allow commissioner to request financial information from any applicant for a repairer's license or used car dealer's license, to review the information to determine if the applicant has sufficient financial resources to conduct business, to allow commissioner to refuse to issue a license if the applicant fails to provide information or if the commissioner is unsatisfied as to the applicant's financial status, to allow commissioner to grant a license on condition that applicant post a surety bond, to provide opportunity for a hearing and to allow commissioner to adopt regulations, redesignated existing Subsecs. (c) and (d) as Subsecs. (d) and (e), amended Subsec. (d) to make the buying, selling, offering for sale or brokerage of any motor vehicle without a license a class B misdemeanor and amended Subsec. (e) to require commissioner to transmit to the Revenue Services and Environmental Protection Commissioners a summary of any complaint alleging the buying, selling, offering for sale or brokerage of any motor vehicle without a license and to make a technical change for purposes of gender neutrality; P.A. 10-110 amended Subsec. (b)(2) to increase surety bond amount from $20,000 to $50,000; P.A. 11-213 amended Subsec. (a) to replace “mail” with “send or transmit” and add “in a manner determined by the commissioner” re renewal applications, amended Subsecs. (b) and (c) to insert “cash bond” and amended Subsec. (b)(4) to require each cash bond to be deposited with commissioner, effective July 13, 2011 (Revisor's note: In Subsec. (e), “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection” to conform with changes made by P.A. 11-80, S. 1); P.A. 12-81 amended Subsec. (b) to add Subdiv. (5) re assessment of $50 fee for failing to continuously maintain bond requirements; P.A. 14-130 amended Subsec. (b)(4) by replacing references to person and party with references to customer, and by adding provision re persons and entities excluded from definition of “customer”, effective July 1, 2014; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 amended Subsec. (b)(5) to add “administrative” re fee and to substitute provision re failure to provide proof of bond renewal or replacement for provision re failure to continuously maintain bond requirements, effective June 30, 2015; P.A. 17-79 amended Subsec. (b)(5) by increasing fee from $50 to $200 for failure to provide proof of bond renewal or replacement, effective July 1, 2017; P.A. 21-106 amended Subsecs. (b) and (c) to remove provisions re cash bond; P.A. 22-44 amended Subsec. (b) to remove provision re limited repairer's license and increase surety bond from $5,000 to $25,000 in Subdiv. (1), add new Subdiv. (2) re limited repairer's license, redesignate existing Subdivs. (2) to (5) as Subdivs. (3) to (6), amend redesignated Subdiv. (3) to increase surety bond from $50,000 to $60,000, amend redesignated Subdiv. (4) to increase surety bond from $10,000 to $15,000 and make a technical and conforming change, effective July 1, 2022; P.A. 23-40 amended Subsec. (a) to delete references to limited repairer's license, amended Subsec. (b) to delete former Subdiv. (2) re surety bond for limited repairer's license and redesignate existing Subdivs. (3) to (6) as Subdivs. (2) to (5) and made technical and conforming changes, effective January 1, 2024.

See Sec. 14-67l re motor vehicle junk yard licenses.

See Sec. 14-331 re revocation or suspension of gasoline dealer's or distributor's license.

Cited. 134 C. 151; 143 C. 634; 154 C. 540; 218 C. 265. Surety bond furnished in accordance with section does not provide indemnity for that portion of a civil judgment incorporating award of attorney's fees or award of punitive damages. 267 C. 524.

Cited. 9 CA 686. Punitive damages are not provided for by section; plaintiff was not entitled to recover punitive damages and attorney's fees in the calculation of “loss”. 70 CA 790.

Failure to obtain license will preclude repairer from enforcing a contract for repair. 36 CS 321.

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Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-54.

Sec. 14-54. Location to be approved by local authorities. Any person who desires to obtain a license for dealing in or repairing motor vehicles shall first obtain and present to the commissioner a certificate of approval from the zoning enforcement official of the municipality where such license is desired, affirming that the proposed location and use of the property conform to the zoning regulations of such municipality. In addition thereto, such certificate shall be approved by the local building official and local fire marshal. The provisions of this section shall not apply to (1) a transfer of ownership to a spouse, child, brother, sister or parent of a licensee, (2) a transfer of ownership to or from a corporation in which a spouse, child, brother, sister or parent of a licensee has a controlling interest, or (3) a change in ownership involving the withdrawal of one or more partners from a partnership.

(1949 Rev., S. 2394; 1953, S. 1310d; P.A. 77-614, S. 486, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 84-195; P.A. 89-244, S. 2; P.A. 03-184, S. 2; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 70; P.A. 05-218, S. 22; P.A. 06-133, S. 23; P.A. 16-55, S. 4; P.A. 23-40, S. 30.)

History: P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 made state police department a division within the department of public safety, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 84-195 exempted from the approval of location requirement transfers of ownership to an immediate family member or certain changes in ownership; P.A. 89-244 exempted from the approval of location requirement transfers of ownership to or from a corporation in which an immediate family member of a licensee has a controlling interest; P.A. 03-184 replaced requirement for approval of certificate by chief elected official or zoning board of appeals with requirement that the certificate be obtained from the zoning commission, planning and zoning commission or other board or authority of the municipality; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced provision authorizing the zoning commission or combined planning and zoning commission to issue certificate of approval with provision that in any town or city with a zoning commission, combined planning and zoning commission and a board of appeals, such certificate shall be obtained from the board of appeals; P.A. 05-218 replaced provisions re certificate obtained from board of appeals and approved by chief of police or commander of state police situated nearest to location with provision re certificate obtained from zoning commission and made a technical change; P.A. 06-133 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and amended same to apply only to municipalities having population of no less than twenty thousand and added Subsec. (b) applicable to municipalities having population of less than twenty thousand, effective June 6, 2006; P.A. 16-55 deleted former Subsec. (a) re obtaining license in municipality having population of no less than 20,000, deleted Subsec. (b) designator, deleted provision re obtaining license in municipality with population of less than 20,000 and replaced provision re approval by chief of police or commander of state police barracks with provision re approval by local building official and local fire marshal, effective July 1, 2016; P.A. 23-40 replaced provision re certificate of approval from municipal board or authority or board of appeals with provision re certificate of approval from municipal zoning enforcement official and added provision re affirmation that location and use of property conform to municipal zoning regulations, effective July 1, 2023.

Cited. 134 C. 151; 140 C. 210. In determining application of certificate of approval of a motor vehicle repair business, the zoning commission acts in a special capacity and not under municipal zoning ordinances or zoning statutes; it serves as the local agency named by the General Assembly to determine whether a certificate of approval should be issued. 143 C. 634. Cited. 147 C. 469; 154 C. 540; 218 C. 265.

Cited. 21 CA 347; 24 CA 369; 28 CA 500. Local zoning board of appeals acts as an agent of the state when it undertakes consideration of a certificate of approval and therefore is governed by Uniform Administrative Procedure Act. 48 CA 599. In reviewing a location approval application, a municipal zone board is obligated to make a determination, irrespective of the permitted nature of the proposed use, on whether a certificate of approval should be issued. 213 CA 200.

Cited. 12 CS 70.

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Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-63.

Sec. 14-63. Regulations. Customer complaints. Stipulation by licensees. (a) The commissioner may make, alter or repeal regulations governing the administration of all statutes relating to the license and business of dealers and repairers in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54.

(b) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, establishing (1) a procedure whereby customers of dealers and repairers may file complaints with the Department of Motor Vehicles concerning the operations of and services provided by any such licensees, and (2) a procedure specifying the circumstances under which a licensee may stipulate to a complaint and waive such licensee's right to an administrative hearing. Such regulations shall provide for the commissioner to contact each licensee that is the subject of a complaint in order to notify such licensee of the complaint and to relate to such licensee the particular matters alleged by the complainant. If the commissioner determines that the facts as alleged give rise to one or more violations of law related to the licensee's business, the commissioner may attempt to mediate a voluntary resolution of the complaint acceptable to the complainant and the licensee. Such regulations shall also provide that, if an acceptable resolution to the complaint is not achieved, the commissioner shall complete the commissioner's investigation of the facts and shall, if the commissioner has reason to believe that the licensee has violated any provision of section 14-64, proceed to take any action authorized under the provisions of section 14-64. If, after such an investigation, the commissioner elects not to take action against the licensee, the commissioner shall notify both the complainant and the licensee in writing. Such notice shall include a brief statement of the reasons why the commissioner has taken no action. The commissioner shall also inform the complainant and the licensee that an unresolved complaint exists and that, unless the commissioner has determined that the allegations, even if true, fail to state a violation of applicable statutory or regulatory standards, the same shall be recorded in the records of the department pertaining to such licensee until such time as the licensee submits to the commissioner satisfactory evidence, signed by the complainant or the complainant's attorney, that the claim has been resolved by agreement with the complainant or submits to the department satisfactory evidence of final adjudication in favor of such licensee. An agreement between the licensee and the complainant shall not preclude the commissioner from proceeding to take action if the commissioner has reason to believe that the licensee has violated any provision of section 14-64. A decision by the commissioner not to take action against the licensee shall be without prejudice to the claim of the customer; and neither the fact that the department has determined not to proceed nor the notice furnished to the parties, in accordance with this subsection, shall be admissible in any civil action.

(1949 Rev., S. 2403; P.A. 79-114; P.A. 86-114; P.A. 02-70, S. 28; P.A. 03-278, S. 41; P.A. 13-271, S. 24; P.A. 14-130, S. 18.)

History: P.A. 79-114 prohibited regulations requiring place of business to have more than two bays; P.A. 86-114 added Subsec. (b) re adoption of regulations establishing complaint procedure and specifying circumstances under which licensee may stipulate to complaint and waive hearing; P.A. 02-70 amended Subsec. (a) to authorize commissioner to make, alter or repeal regulations in accordance with chapter 54, deleting reference to “after notice and hearing, provided such regulations shall not require the place of business of a repairer to have more than two bays”, and amended Subsec. (b) to make a technical change for purposes of gender neutrality, to require regulations to provide for commissioner to contact each licensee that is the subject of a complaint to notify licensee of the complaint, to require commissioner to attempt to mediate voluntary resolution of the complaint and to specify procedures, in regulations, in the event the complaint is unresolved; P.A. 03-278 made technical changes in Subsec. (b), effective July 9, 2003; P.A. 13-271 amended Subsec. (b) to make commissioner's attempt to mediate complaint permissive, if commissioner determines facts give rise to violation of law related to licensee's business, rather than mandatory, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 14-130 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provision re regulations to become effective 10 days after copy mailed to licensees, effective June 6, 2014.

Subsec. (b):

An insurance company obligated to pay for repair of motor vehicle is a “customer” and may file complaint with Department of Motor Vehicles against a motor vehicle repair shop. 285 C. 794.

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Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-65

Sec. 14-65n. Notice re motor vehicle repaired or worked upon is subject to an open recall. (a) For the purposes of this section, “open recall” means a safety-related recall for which notification by a manufacturer of a motor vehicle has been provided under 49 USC 30119, as amended from time to time, that necessitates repairs or modifications to a motor vehicle by an authorized motor vehicle dealer, but does not include a recall related to defects or failures to comply with requirements relating to labeling or notification in an owner's manual or a recall where the remedy is for the manufacturer to repurchase the motor vehicle or otherwise provide financial compensation to the owner of the motor vehicle.

(b) During the course of performing repair work or changing the oil or tires and tubes of a motor vehicle, a repairer licensed in accordance with section 14-52 or a person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of changing the oil or tires and tubes of a motor vehicle, shall determine whether the motor vehicle being repaired or worked upon is subject to an open recall by checking information provided by the manufacturer of the motor vehicle or other known and readily available sources, such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If the motor vehicle is subject to one or more open recalls, the repairer, person, firm or corporation shall provide the owner of the motor vehicle with written notice of each such open recall at the time of such repair or work. The notice shall include a description of each open recall and a statement that a motor vehicle dealer approved by the manufacturer of the motor vehicle may repair or modify the motor vehicle at no cost to the owner, except as provided in 49 USC 30120, as amended from time to time.

(c) Nothing in this section shall alter the liability under common law of any motor vehicle manufacturer or motor vehicle dealer approved by the manufacturer to repair or modify a motor vehicle subject to an open recall.

(d) A repairer or person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of changing the oil or tires and tubes of a motor vehicle and any employee of such repairer or person, firm or corporation shall not be liable to any person for any act or omission related to the provision of a written notice regarding an open recall required pursuant to this section.

(P.A. 23-40, S. 24.)

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(E)

WRECKERS

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21-11

Sec. 21-11a. Requirements for scrap metal processors, junk dealers and junk yard owners or operators. Notification. Prohibitions. Penalties. (a) A scrap metal processor, as defined in section 14-67w, shall record, for all loads of scrap metal purchased or received by such processor, a description of such scrap metal, the weight of such metal, the price paid for such metal and the identification of the person who delivered such metal. Such scrap metal processor shall take a photograph of the motor vehicle delivering such scrap metal, including the number plate of such vehicle. Such scrap metal processor shall not be required to segregate scrap metal it receives from other materials on its premises and hold the same for five days except for wire or cable that could be used in the transmission of telecommunications or data or scrap equipment, wire or cable that could be used in the transmission or distribution of electricity by an electric distribution company unless purchased from (1) a person licensed pursuant to section 29-402 to engage in the business of demolition of buildings, or (2) a person who has already segregated such scrap metal pursuant to this chapter and such person provides such scrap metal processor with a written statement affirming such segregation. Upon receipt of a load of scrap metal that contains wire or cable that could be used in the transmission of telecommunications or data or scrap equipment, wire or cable that could be used in the transmission or distribution of electricity by an electric distribution company, such scrap metal processor shall take a photograph of the motor vehicle delivering such scrap metal, including the number plate of such vehicle, and of such load of scrap metal. Upon receipt of wire or cable that could be used in the transmission of telecommunications or data or scrap equipment, wire or cable that could be used in the transmission or distribution of electricity by an electric distribution company, such scrap metal processor shall make a copy of the certificate of registration of such vehicle, record a description of the material received, and record a statement as to the location from which the material came. Upon receipt of a load of scrap metal that contains materials, equipment or parts used in the construction, operation, protection or maintenance of a railroad right-of-way, such scrap metal processor shall take a photograph of the motor vehicle delivering such scrap metal, including the number plate of such vehicle and of such load of scrap metal. Upon receipt of a load of scrap metal that contains materials, equipment or parts used in the construction, operation, protection or maintenance of a railroad right-of-way, such scrap metal processor shall make a copy of the certificate of registration of such vehicle, record a description of the material received and record a statement as to the location from which the material came.

(b) The scrap metal processor shall maintain the documents, photographs and other records required under subsection (a) of this section in good condition and shall retain such records for a period of not less than two years. Such records shall be open for inspection by law enforcement officials upon request during normal business hours.

(c) A scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junk yard owner or operator shall immediately notify a municipal law enforcement authority in the municipality in which such scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junk yard is located of the name, if known, and motor vehicle number plate, if available, of any person offering to sell a bronze statue, plaque, historical marker, cannon, cannon ball, bell, lamp, lighting fixture, lamp post, architectural artifact or similar item to such scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junk yard owner or operator.

(d) No scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junk yard owner or operator may purchase or receive a stainless steel or aluminum alloy beer or other beverage keg container if such container is marked with an indicia of ownership of any person or entity other than the person or entity presenting such container for sale. For purposes of this subsection, “indicia of ownership” means words, symbols or a registered trademark printed, stamped, etched, attached or otherwise displayed on such container that identify the owner of such container.

(e) No scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junk yard owner or operator may purchase or receive any property that such scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junk yard owner or operator suspects or has reasonable cause to believe is municipal property unless the person delivering such property presents at the time of delivery a letter on the letterhead of the municipality authorizing such purchase or receipt and signed by either (1) the chief executive officer of the municipality, or (2) the head of the municipal department responsible for maintaining such public property. The scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junk yard owner or operator shall send any moneys paid for such municipal property to the official designated in the letter of authorization.

(f) (1) (A) Except as provided in subparagraphs (B) and (C) of this subdivision, no scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junk yard owner or operator may receive a catalytic converter of a motor vehicle that is not attached to such motor vehicle unless such processor, dealer, owner or operator, at the time of receipt:

(i) Records the place and date of the transaction, a description of the catalytic converter, including item type and identification number, if any, and the amount paid for the catalytic converter;

(ii) Records a description of the seller and the seller's name, residence address and motor vehicle operator's license or identity card number or, if the seller is a business, the name, address and telephone number of the business;

(iii) Records the number plate of the motor vehicle used to transport the catalytic converter to the licensee;

(iv) Obtains from the seller a statement (I) that the seller is the owner of such catalytic converter, or (II) identifying the name of the person from whom the seller obtained the catalytic converter, as shown on a signed transfer document; and

(v) Takes a clear photograph or video of the seller, the motor vehicle operator's license or identity card of the seller and the catalytic converter.

(B) No scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junk yard owner or operator may receive a catalytic converter of a motor vehicle that is not attached to such motor vehicle from a motor vehicle recycler unless:

(i) Such catalytic converter has a stock number affixed to or written on such converter by such recycler, and

(ii) At the time of receipt, such processor, dealer, owner or operator (I) receives a written statement on such recycler's letterhead that includes the stock number of the catalytic converter and the vehicle identification number of the motor vehicle from which such catalytic converter was detached, provided a single written statement may be used for a transaction involving more than one catalytic converter, and (II) takes a clear photograph or video of the employee of such recycler who is transferring the catalytic converter and such employee's motor vehicle operator's license or identity card.

(C) No scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junk yard owner or operator may receive a catalytic converter of a motor vehicle that is not attached to such motor vehicle from a motor vehicle repair shop unless:

(i) Such catalytic converter was removed from a motor vehicle that was serviced by such shop,

(ii) Such catalytic converter has a stock number affixed to or written on such converter by such shop, and

(iii) At the time of receipt, such processor, dealer, owner or operator (I) receives a written statement on such shop's letterhead that includes the stock number affixed to or written on such converter, information on the motor vehicle from which such catalytic converter was detached, including the vehicle identification number and registration number, if applicable, of the motor vehicle and a receipt for the services performed on such motor vehicle, provided a single written statement may be used for a transaction involving more than one catalytic converter, and (II) takes a clear photograph or video of the employee of such shop who is transferring the catalytic converter and such employee's motor vehicle operator's license or identity card.

(2) A person selling a catalytic converter pursuant to subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of this subsection may sell only one catalytic converter to a scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junk yard owner or operator per day.

(3) A scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junk yard owner or operator may only pay a seller of a catalytic converter by check. If the seller is a motor vehicle recycler or motor vehicle repair shop, such check shall be payable to the motor vehicle recycler or motor vehicle repair shop. If the seller is not a motor vehicle recycler or motor vehicle repair shop, such processor, dealer, owner or operator shall either (A) send the check to the address provided by the seller in subparagraph (A)(ii) of subdivision (1) of this subsection, or (B) hold the check at such processor's, dealer's, owner's or operator's place of business for collection by the seller not earlier than the third business day after the date of the purchase of such catalytic converter by such processor, dealer, owner or operator.

(4) A scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junk yard owner or operator may only sell a catalytic converter that such processor, dealer, owner or operator received in compliance with the provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection, and may sell such catalytic converters without any limitation on the number that may be sold per day.

(5) Each scrap metal processor, junk dealer or junk yard owner or operator shall submit to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, on a weekly basis or more frequently as determined by the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection upon consideration of the volume and nature of the business, a sworn statement of such processor's, dealer's, owner's or operator's catalytic converter transactions, (A) describing the property received, (B) setting forth the nature and terms of each transaction, and (C) identifying the name and address of the motor vehicle recycler or motor vehicle repair shop from which the property was received, or identifying the name and residence address and providing a description of the person from whom the property was received. Such statement shall be in an electronic format prescribed by the commissioner. The commissioner may grant an exemption from the requirement of submitting such statement in electronic format for good cause shown. The commissioner shall include information submitted pursuant to this subsection in any database that stores information submitted pursuant to section 21-43.

(6) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, concerning the creation and retention of documents and other records required by subdivision (1) of this subsection. Such documents and records shall be open for inspection by law enforcement officials upon request during normal business hours.

(g) A scrap metal processor who has purchased scrap metal that is subsequently determined to have been stolen and is returned to the owner of such metal shall have a civil cause of action against the person from whom such metal was purchased.

(h) A first violation of any provision of subsections (a) to (e), inclusive, of this section shall be a class C misdemeanor. A second violation of any provision of said subsections shall be a class B misdemeanor and a third or subsequent violation of any provision of said subsections shall be a class A misdemeanor.

(i) For purposes of this section, “motor vehicle recycler” means a motor vehicle recycler licensed pursuant to section 14-67l, and “motor vehicle repair shop” has the same meaning as provided in section 14-65e.

(P.A. 07-121, S. 2; P.A. 08-150, S. 55; P.A. 09-35, S. 9; 09-243, S. 2; P.A. 14-83, S. 1; P.A. 16-151, S. 17; P.A. 22-43, S. 2.)

History: P.A. 08-150 amended Subsec. (a) to add requirements for receipt of scrap metal and “wire that could be used in the transmission of telecommunications or data” and to change reference to certificate of registration of “person” to certificate of registration of “vehicle” and added Subsecs. (c) to (f) re notification requirements, prohibited acceptance of certain items and penalties; P.A. 09-35 amended Subsec. (a)(1) to replace “registered” with “licensed”; P.A. 09-243 amended Subsec. (a) to make existing requirements for handling and documentation of scrap metal containing wire that could be used in transmission of telecommunications or data applicable to “cable” that could be so used and to “scrap equipment, wire or cable that could be used in the transmission or distribution of electricity by an electric distribution company” and to make conforming and technical changes; P.A. 14-83 added new Subsec. (e) re receipt of municipal property, redesignated existing Subsecs. (e) and (f) as Subsecs. (f) and (g) and made technical and conforming changes; P.A. 16-151 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provisions re receipt of scrap metal that contains materials, equipment or parts used in construction, operation, protection or maintenance of railroad right-of-way, effective July 1, 2016; P.A. 22-43 amended Subsecs. (a) and (c) to substitute “license” with “number”, added new Subsec. (f) re catalytic converters, redesignated existing Subsecs. (f) and (g) as Subsecs. (g) and (h), made technical changes in redesignated Subsec. (h) and added Subsec. (i) re definition of “motor vehicle recycler” and “motor vehicle repair shop”, effective July 1, 2022.

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Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-23

Sec. 29-23a. Establishment of rotational system for summoning wreckers. Exemptions. Regulations. (a) The Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection may establish, within its patrol jurisdiction, a rotational system for summoning licensed wrecker operators for the purpose of towing or transporting motor vehicles which are disabled, inoperative or wrecked in the event the owners or operators of such vehicles are incapacitated, unavailable or leave the procurement of wrecker service to the officer at the scene of an accident or the location of a disabled vehicle. Any such licensee may participate in such system, provided (1) his operators fulfill certain qualifications, including certification by the Towing and Recovery Association of America or a certification program approved by the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and his equipment meets safety and mechanical standards established by the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection and the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, and (2) his business is located so as to provide prompt and efficient service.

(b) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall grant variations or exemptions from, or approve equivalent or alternate compliance with, the provisions of this section where strict compliance with such provisions would entail practical difficulty or unnecessary hardship or is otherwise adjudged unwarranted, provided any such variation, exemption, approved equivalent or alternate compliance shall, in the opinion of said commissioner, secure the public safety.

(c) The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 concerning the operation of such rotational system and the removal from the system of wrecker services which fail to comply with the requirements specified in such regulations or any provision of the general statutes or a regulation concerning the operation of a motor vehicle repair, towing or storage facility or the operation of a motor vehicle.

(P.A. 83-166; P.A. 98-138; P.A. 11-51, S. 134.)

History: P.A. 98-138 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a), adding provision requiring certification of wrecker operators and including Commissioner of Public Safety as standard-setting authority and deleting provision allowing the commissioner to adopt regulations and added Subsec. (b) authorizing commissioner to grant variations from strict compliance with the section and new Subsec. (c) re adoption of regulations; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Commissioner of Public Safety” and “Department of Public Safety” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection” and “Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection”, respectively, effective July 1, 2011.

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The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)