Section 20-427 - Holder to exhibit and advertise certificate, when. Prohibited acts. Penalties. Certificates generally not transferable. Expiration. Renewal. Building permits(a) Each person engaged in making home improvements shall (1) exhibit his certificate of registration upon request by any interested party, (2) state in any advertisement the fact that he is registered, and (3) include his registration number in any advertisement.(b) No person shall: (1) Present or attempt to present, as such person's own, the certificate of another,(2) knowingly give false evidence of a material nature to the commissioner for the purpose of procuring a certificate, (3) represent himself or herself falsely as, or impersonate, a registered home improvement contractor or salesman,(4) use or attempt to use a certificate which has expired or which has been suspended or revoked,(5) offer to make or make any home improvement without having a current certificate of registration under this chapter,(6) represent in any manner that such person's registration constitutes an endorsement of the quality of such person's workmanship or of such person's competency by the commissioner,(7) employ or allow any person to act as a salesman on such person's behalf unless such person is registered as a home improvement salesman, or(8) fail to refund the amount paid for a home improvement within ten days of a written request mailed or delivered to the contractor's last-known address, if no substantial portion of the contracted work has been performed at the time of the request and more than thirty days has elapsed since the starting date specified in the written contract, or more than thirty days has elapsed since the date of the contract if such contract does not specify a starting date.(c) In addition to any other remedy provided for in this chapter, (1) any person who violates any provision of subsection (b) of this section, except subdivision (8), shall be guilty of a class B misdemeanor and (2) any person who violates the provisions of subdivision (8) of subsection (b) of this section shall be guilty of a class B misdemeanor if the home improvement that is offered or made has a total cash price of ten thousand dollars or less and shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor if the home improvement that is offered or made has a total cash price of more than ten thousand dollars. Notwithstanding subsection (d) or (e) of section 53a-29 or section 54-56e, if the court determines that a contractor cannot fully repay his victims within the period of probation established in subsection (d) or (e) of section 53a-29 or section 54-56e, the court may impose probation for a period of not more than five years. A violation of any of the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed an unfair or deceptive trade practice under subsection (a) of section 42-110b.(d) The commissioner may, after notice and a hearing in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, impose a civil penalty on any person who engages in or practices the work or occupation for which a certificate of registration is required by this chapter without having first obtained such a certificate of registration or who wilfully employs or supplies for employment a person who does not have such a certificate of registration or who wilfully and falsely pretends to qualify to engage in or practice such work or occupation, or who engages in or practices any of the work or occupations for which a certificate of registration is required by this chapter after the expiration of such person's certificate of registration or who violates any of the provisions of this chapter or the regulations adopted pursuant thereto. Such penalty shall be in an amount not more than one thousand five hundred dollars per violation. Any civil penalty collected pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited in the consumer protection enforcement account established in section 21a-8a.(e) Certificates issued to home improvement contractors or salesmen shall not be transferable or assignable, except when the holder of the certificate changes only the name or type of business entity of such business.(f) All certificates issued under the provisions of this chapter shall expire annually on March thirty-first, except that certificates which expire on November 30, 2021, shall be renewed on November 30, 2021, and expire on March 31, 2022. The fee for renewal of a certificate shall be the same as the fee charged for an original application, except that for certificates which expire on March 31, 2022, a prorated renewal fee shall be charged to reflect the portion of the year for which the certificate will be active.(g) The renewal fee for a certificate of registration as a home improvement contractor acting solely as the contractor of record for a registration as a home improvement contractor acting solely as the contractor of record for a corporation, shall be waived, if such contractor uses such registration for the sole purpose of directing, supervising or performing home improvements for such corporation.(h) Failure to receive a notice of expiration or a renewal application shall not exempt a contractor or salesman from the obligation to renew.(i) No contractor shall commence work unless each applicable building or construction permit has been obtained as may be required under the general statutes or local ordinances.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-427
(P.A. 79-606, S. 10, 14; P.A. 81-361, S. 2, 39; 81-472, S. 136, 159; P.A. 82-315, S. 3; P.A. 88-269, S. 8; P.A. 89-251, S. 149, 203; P.A. 91-325 , S. 1 ; P.A. 94-36 , S. 22 , 42 ; 94-68 , S. 2 ; P.A. 96-117 , S. 2 ; P.A. 00-192 , S. 79 , 102 ; P.A. 03-167 , S. 3 ; 03-186 , S. 2 ; P.A. 04-257 , S. 104 ; P.A. 08-102 , S. 4 .)
Amended by P.A. 23-0099,S. 15 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2023 Regular Session, eff. 6/29/2023.Amended by P.A. 21-0197, S. 7 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2021 Regular Session, eff. 7/1/2022.Amended by P.A. 21-0037, S. 29 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2021 Regular Session, eff. 6/4/2021. Cited. 224 Conn. 231 ; 231 Conn. 707 . Cited. 13 Conn.App. 194 ; 41 CA 476 . Subsec. (b): Cited. 215 C. 336 ; 228 C. 574 ; 229 C. 516 . Subdiv. (5): Although the case against defendant under section was initially dismissed based on statute of limitations, the state's successful appeal on the statute of limitations calculation and subsequent trial did not constitute unlawful double jeopardy. 250 C. 1 . Subdiv. (5): Requires current valid license. 19 Conn.App. 1 . Cited. 45 CA 743 . Subdiv. (5): Prosecution after earlier dismissal for expiration of statute of limitations did not constitute double jeopardy. 49 CA 553 . "Person" as used in Subdiv. (7) includes a registered contractor. 88 CA 144 . Plain language of Subdiv. (5) indicates that provision applies to any "person", including a subcontractor, and is not limited in application to contractors, and plain meaning of "makes any home improvement" includes installation of kitchen sink and garden window. 137 CA 855 . Cited. 44 CS 274 . Subsec. (c): Cited. 42 CA 124 . Trial court abused its discretion in failing to award at least nominal damages under CUTPA for defendant's violations of Home Improvement Act. 75 CA 334.
See Sec. 21a-4(c) re fines for late certificate renewals. See Sec. 21a-10(b) re staggered schedule of certificate renewals.