Sec. 22a-452a. State lien against real estate as security for amounts paid to clean up or to remove hazardous waste. Notice and hearing. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 22a-452a. State lien against real estate as security for amounts paid to clean up or to remove hazardous waste. Notice and hearing. (a) On and after June 3, 1985, any amount paid by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection pursuant to subsection (b) of section 22a-451 to contain and remove or mitigate the effects of a spill or to remove any hazardous waste shall be a lien against the real estate on which the spill occurred or from which it emanated or against real estate where no spill occurred but from which hazardous waste was removed provided such hazardous waste did not enter such real estate through surface or subsurface migration. Any such lien shall be filed in accordance with the provisions of this section, except that such lien against real estate which has been transferred in accordance with the provisions of sections 22a-134 to 22a-134d, inclusive, shall not have priority over any previous transfer or encumbrance. The amount of the lien shall include administrative costs, as set forth in subsection (a) of section 22a-451, as of the date of the filing of the lien. Any costs incurred subsequent to the filing of the lien may be the subject of another lien.

      (b) A lien pursuant to this section shall not be effective unless (1) a certificate of lien is filed in the land records of each town in which the real estate is located, describing the real estate, the amount of the lien, the name of the owner as grantor, and (2) the commissioner mails a copy of the certificate to the owner of record and to all other persons of record holding an interest in such real estate over which the commissioner's lien is entitled to priority. Upon presentation of a certificate of lien, the town clerk shall endorse thereon his identification and the date and time of receipt and forthwith record it in accordance with section 42a-9-519.

      (c) (1) Before filing a lien under this section, the commissioner shall give the owner of the property on which the lien is to be filed and mortgagees and lienholders of record a notice of his intent to file a certificate of lien, as provided in this subsection.

      (2) The notice required under this subsection shall be sent by certified mail or served in the manner for serving civil process and shall provide the following: (A) A statement of the purpose of the lien; (B) a brief description of the property to be affected by the lien; (C) a statement of the sum of the expenses incurred by the commissioner in containing, removing or mitigating the effects of a spill or removing hazardous waste; (D) a brief statement of the facts demonstrating probable cause that the property is the subject of the expenses incurred by the commissioner; and (E) the time period following service during which any recipient of such notice whose legal rights may be affected by the lien may request a hearing before the commissioner. A request for a hearing under this subsection must be received by the commissioner on or before thirty days following the service of the notice of intent to file a certificate of lien. A hearing held pursuant to a request filed under this subsection shall be limited to determining, in a summary manner, probable cause for filing the certificate of lien.

      (d) In the absence of a timely request for a hearing, the certificate of lien may be filed on the land records immediately. If a hearing is held, the commissioner may issue a decision authorizing the filing of a certificate of lien on the land records, denying the filing of a certificate of lien or authorizing the filing and modifying the amount of the certificate of lien.

      (e) Within thirty days after the filing of the certificate of lien pursuant to this section, any property owner, mortgagee or other lienholder of record who has been served with a copy of the certificate of lien and whose legal rights may be affected by the lien may file with the commissioner a request for a hearing limited to the issues of a reduction in the amount of the lien or a discharge of the lien in its entirety. If requested, the commissioner shall hold a hearing as soon thereafter as practicable. There shall be no stay of a decision by the commissioner authorizing the filing of a certificate of lien unless the party seeking a stay has posted a surety acceptable to the commissioner in an amount sufficient to cover the full amount of the lien plus interest and costs.

      (f) Except as provided in subsection (a) of this section, such lien shall take precedence over all transfers and encumbrances recorded on or after June 3, 1985, in any manner affecting such interest in such real estate or any part of it on which the spill occurred or from which the spill emanated, or real estate which has been included, within the preceding three years, in the property description of such real estate and is contiguous to such real estate. This subsection shall not apply to real estate which consists exclusively of residential real estate, including, but not limited to, residential units in any common interest community, as defined in section 47-202.

      (g) In the case of all other real estate, including real estate which consists exclusively of residential real estate, including but not limited to, residential units in any common interest community, as defined in section 47-202, the lien shall take precedence over any transfer or encumbrance recorded after the commissioner files with the town clerk notice of intent to file a lien on the land records in the town in which the real estate is located.

      (h) When any amount with respect to which a lien has been recorded under the provisions of this section has been paid or reduced, the commissioner, upon request of any interested party, shall issue a certificate discharging or partially discharging such lien, which certificate shall be recorded in the same office in which the lien was recorded. The town clerk shall note the recording of the certificate of discharge upon the original notice of lien. Any action for the foreclosure of such lien shall be brought by the Attorney General in the name of the state in the superior court for the judicial district in which the property subject to such lien is situated, or, if such property is located in two or more judicial districts, in the superior court for any one such judicial district, and the court may limit the time for redemption or order the sale of such property or make such other or further decree as it judges equitable.

      (P.A. 84-535, S. 2; P.A. 85-443, S. 2, 5; P.A. 87-475, S. 3; P.A. 97-218, S. 3; P.A. 01-132, S. 168; P.A. 07-217, S. 116.)

      History: P.A. 85-443 divided section into Subsecs. and amended Subsec. (a) to apply section to amounts paid after June 3, 1985, instead of October 1, 1984; inserted new provisions as Subsec. (b) to require filing of the lien in the town clerk's office; amended Subsec. (c) to give the lien precedence over transfers and encumbrances to property on which the spill occurred or emanated from three years prior to the spill except residential real estate; inserted new provisions as Subsec. (d) to give the lien precedence over all transfers after filing, and amended Subsec. (e) to authorize the commissioner to issue a certificate partially discharging the lien; P.A. 87-475 amended Subsec. (a) by making the lien apply only to real estate on which a spill occurred, or from which it emanated and adding provision limiting the lien to prospective transfers only, amended Subsec. (b) by requiring that town clerk make certain endorsements and amended Subsec. (e) by requiring the town clerk to note any discharge on the original lien notice; P.A. 97-218 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that the lien under this section may be filed against real property in certain circumstances where no spill occurred but from which hazardous waste was removed and to provide that the amount of the lien shall include administrative costs, made a technical change in Subsec. (b), added new Subsecs. (c), (d) and (e) re notice and hearing requirements for imposition of the lien, redesignated former Subsecs. (c), (d) and (e) as Subsecs. (f), (g) and (h), and deleted provision in Subdiv. (h) re action or appeal in accordance with Secs. 49-35a to 49-35c, inclusive; P.A. 01-132 amended Subsec. (b) to make a technical change and replace reference to Sec. 42a-9-409 with Sec. 42a-9-519; P.A. 07-217 made technical changes in Subsec. (f), effective July 12, 2007.

      Cited. 216 C. 419. Cited. 226 C. 358. Cited. 236 C. 722.

      Cited. 30 CA 204.