Connecticut: Homestead Exemption Amounts
The short answer
Connecticut protects up to $250,000 of the equity in your home from a money-judgment creditor, one of the more generous exemptions in the country, raised from $75,000 in 2021. The protection is per person, so two owners of the same home (for example, a married couple) can each claim it, shielding up to $500,000. It's automatic, there's nothing to file, and there's no limit on lot size; a house, condo, co-op, or mobile home used as your primary residence all qualify. 'Value' is measured after subtracting your mortgage and other liens, and the exemption drops to $75,000 against a judgment for sexual abuse, sexual assault, or other willful, wanton, or reckless misconduct.
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This is the general rule in Connecticut. Ezel applies current Connecticut law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-352b(21) creates the homestead exemption as one item in the general list of property exempt from postjudgment collection, and § 52-352a supplies the definitions ('homestead,' 'value,' 'exemptioner'). Both are in Title 52, Chapter 906 (Postjudgment Procedures). Purely statutory: Connecticut has no constitutional homestead. The $250,000 figure was set by 2021 P.A. 21-161 (HB 6466), effective Oct. 1, 2021, raising it from $75,000 |
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| Exemption amount | $250,000 of home equity per exemptioner (§ 52-352b(21)). 'Value' is the fair market value of the real property LESS any statutory or consensual lien that encumbers it (§§ 52-352b(21), 52-352a(1)), so it protects net equity above your mortgage and other liens. It's a flat figure with no inflation adjustment. One reduction: against a money judgment arising from sexual abuse or exploitation of a minor, sexual assault, or other willful, wanton, or reckless misconduct by a natural person, the exemption is only $75,000 |
| Size or acreage limit | None. Connecticut caps the exemption only by dollar value, not by lot size or acreage. 'Homestead' is defined broadly as owner-occupied real property, a cooperative, or a mobile manufactured home used as a primary residence (§ 52-352a(5)), so a single-family house, condominium, co-op unit, or mobile home all qualify, regardless of how large the land is |
| Automatic, or do you have to file something? | Automatic. The homestead is exempt by operation of law; nothing has to be recorded in advance. Connecticut has no required homestead declaration: you claim the exemption when a creditor tries to reach the home through execution, or on your bankruptcy schedules. (A homeowner can record a voluntary notice for the record, but it is not a condition of the exemption.) |
| Who qualifies, and can spouses double it? | The exemption belongs to any 'natural person' whose owner-occupied real property, co-op, or mobile home is their primary residence (§§ 52-352a(4)-(5), 52-352b). Because it runs per exemptioner, two people who both own and occupy the same home, for example, a married couple who are joint owners, can each claim $250,000, protecting up to $500,000 of equity in that one home |
| What it actually protects you from | The homestead is 'exempt,' which § 52-352a(3) defines as 'not subject to any form of process or court order for the purpose of debt collection.' In practice, a money-judgment creditor can't reach the first $250,000 of your net home equity through execution or a forced sale. Because 'value' is measured after subtracting mortgages and other liens, the exemption shields the equity you hold above those encumbrances, up to the cap |
| Debts that can still reach your home | Connecticut builds its exceptions into how 'value' is measured rather than listing carve-out debts: the protected value is the home's fair market value LESS 'any statutory or consensual lien which encumbers it' (§ 52-352b(21)). So a mortgage or home-equity loan you signed (consensual liens) and property-tax or mechanic's liens (statutory liens) effectively come first: the exemption only protects equity above them. The exemption also shrinks to $75,000 against a judgment for sexual abuse, sexual assault, or other willful, wanton, or reckless misconduct. Federal tax liens reach the home under federal law |
| Protection for sale proceeds | No dedicated window for cash sale proceeds. Section 52-352b protects the homestead's value and, separately, insurance money paid on exempt property 'to the same extent that the property was exempt' (§ 52-352b(17)), but there is no provision keeping the cash proceeds of a voluntary sale exempt for a set period the way Oregon (one year) or California (six months) does. Don't assume a grace window exists between selling and rebuying |
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Governing law
Connecticut's homestead exemption is entirely statutory, there's no homestead provision in the state constitution. The rule lives in the state's post-judgment collection statutes: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-352b lists the property that is exempt from a creditor's collection, and item (21) on that list is the homestead. A companion section, § 52-352a, defines the key terms, "homestead," "value," and "exemptioner." Both are in Title 52, Chapter 906 (Postjudgment Procedures). The current $250,000 figure was set by Public Act 21-161 (House Bill 6466), which took effect October 1, 2021 and raised the exemption from $75,000.
Exemption amount
$250,000 of home equity, per exemptioner. Importantly, "value" here doesn't mean the sticker price of the house: under § 52-352b(21) and the definition in § 52-352a(1), it's the fair market value of the property less any statutory or consensual lien on it. So the exemption protects your net equity, what's left after your mortgage and other liens, up to $250,000. The amount is a flat number with no inflation adjustment.
There is one carve-down: if the money judgment against you arises from a claim of sexual abuse or exploitation of a minor, sexual assault, or other willful, wanton, or reckless misconduct committed by a natural person, the homestead exemption is reduced to $75,000.
Size or acreage limit
None. Connecticut limits the exemption only by dollar value, not by the size of the land. The definition of "homestead" in § 52-352a(5) is deliberately broad: "owner-occupied real property, co-op or mobile manufactured home ... used as a primary residence." That means a single-family house, a condominium, a cooperative apartment, or a mobile manufactured home can all qualify, no matter how large or small the lot.
Automatic, or do you have to file something?
Automatic. The homestead is exempt by operation of law, there's no declaration you must record to make the exemption apply. You raise it when it matters: when a creditor tries to reach the home through an execution, or by listing it on your schedules in a bankruptcy case. Some homeowners choose to record a voluntary notice of the claim for the record, but that recording is not a condition of the exemption, you have the protection either way.
Who qualifies, and can spouses double it?
The exemption belongs to any "natural person" whose owner-occupied real property, co-op, or mobile home is their primary residence (§§ 52-352a(4)-(5), 52-352b). Because § 52-352a(4) defines an "exemptioner" as the natural person entitled to the exemption, the $250,000 runs per exemptioner, so two people who both own and occupy the same home, such as a married couple who are joint owners, can each claim $250,000. Together that shields up to $500,000 of equity in the one home.
What it actually protects you from
The homestead is "exempt," and § 52-352a(3) defines "exempt" as "not subject to any form of process or court order for the purpose of debt collection." In practical terms, a money-judgment creditor cannot reach the first $250,000 of your net home equity through an execution or forced sale. And because "value" is figured after subtracting your mortgage and other liens, the exemption protects the equity you actually hold above those encumbrances, up to the cap.
Debts that can still reach your home
Connecticut handles exceptions differently from states that list specific carve-out debts. Instead, it builds the limit into how "value" is measured: § 52-352b(21) protects the home's fair market value less "any statutory or consensual lien which encumbers it." So a mortgage or home-equity loan you signed (consensual liens) and property-tax or mechanic's liens (statutory liens) effectively come first, the exemption only shields the equity left above them. Separately, the exemption shrinks to $75,000 against a judgment for sexual abuse, sexual assault, or other willful, wanton, or reckless misconduct. And federal tax liens can reach the home under federal law.
Protection for sale proceeds
Connecticut's homestead exemption doesn't come with a dedicated window protecting the cash proceeds of a sale. Section 52-352b protects the homestead's value, and it separately exempts insurance money paid on exempt property "to the same extent that the property was exempt" (§ 52-352b(17)), but there's no provision keeping the cash from a voluntary sale exempt for a set period the way Oregon (one year) or California (six months) does. If you sell and plan to rebuy, don't assume there's a statutory grace period shielding the money in between; ask a lawyer about your situation.
What trips people up
The most common mix-up is between this exemption and property taxes. This $250,000 homestead exemption protects your home from creditors; it has nothing to do with your property tax bill. Connecticut has no general property-tax homestead exemption, its property-tax relief runs through separate programs for veterans, the elderly, the disabled, and the blind. Nearly every "homestead exemption" bill you'll see in the legislature (like the 2026 municipal-option proposal) is about property taxes, not this creditor protection. Second, remember that the $250,000 is measured after your mortgage: if you have little equity above what you owe, that's what the exemption covers. Third, if you and a co-owner both live in the home, you may each get the exemption, don't leave the second $250,000 on the table. Finally, note the $75,000 floor for judgments tied to abuse or reckless-misconduct claims.
Common questions
How much of my home equity is protected from creditors in Connecticut? Up to $250,000 per owner, measured as your equity above your mortgage and other liens. Two owners of the same home can protect up to $500,000 combined.
Do I have to file a homestead declaration? No. The exemption is automatic. You can record a voluntary notice, but it isn't required and doesn't add to the protection.
Does the exemption stop my mortgage lender? No. "Value" is calculated after subtracting consensual liens like your mortgage, so the lender's claim comes first; the exemption protects the equity above it.
Is there any situation where I only get $75,000? Yes, when the judgment against you arises from sexual abuse or exploitation of a minor, sexual assault, or other willful, wanton, or reckless misconduct. In that case the homestead exemption is reduced to $75,000.
Statutes and sources
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-352b (exempt property; item (21) is the homestead, $250,000, fair market value less statutory or consensual liens, $75,000 floor for certain misconduct judgments), https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_906.htm (accessed 2026-07-09)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-352a (definitions of "value," "exempt," "exemptioner," and "homestead"), https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_906.htm (accessed 2026-07-09)
- 2021 Conn. Public Act 21-161 (House Bill 6466), effective Oct. 1, 2021 (raised the homestead exemption from $75,000 to $250,000), https://www.cga.ct.gov/2021/ACT/PA/PDF/2021PA-00161-R00HB-06466-PA.PDF (accessed 2026-07-09)
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