By State › Connecticut

Connecticut: Laws & Legal Considerations

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Connecticut permits rainwater collection for both outdoor and indoor non-potable applications, with simple systems falling outside the building code entirely.

RuleConnecticut
Source water Rooftop or other catchment
Simple outdoor systems A basic downspout-to-rain-barrel or cistern setup for outdoor use isn't covered by the Connecticut Building Code at all
Indoor non-potable use Governed by Section 1303, Nonpotable Rainwater Collection and Distribution Systems
Permitted uses Outdoor use and indoor non-potable use (not drinking)

Where to find it: Connecticut’s official watershed and stormwater management plan incorporates rainwater harvesting without requiring a separate water rights permit for typical systems.

Water rights: riparian and littoral doctrine combined

Connecticut recognizes both riparian rights (for landowners along rivers and streams) and littoral rights (for landowners along the coast), both grounded in reasonable use.

ConceptHow it works in Connecticut
Riparian rights Landowners along a river or stream may make reasonable use of the water touching their property
Littoral rights Landowners along coastal waters have reasonable access rights specific to that coastal frontage
Larger alterations No alteration of a watercourse or wetland is allowed without a DEEP permit

Where to find it: the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) administers water rights and watercourse alteration permits.

Concealed carry: technically may-issue, functioning closer to shall-issue since 2022

Connecticut’s pistol permit system remains legally “may-issue,” but its practical operation changed meaningfully after the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision.

RequirementDetail
Standard Technically may-issue, but courts have required issuing authorities to apply objective, documented criteria rather than open-ended discretion since Bruen, functioning closer to shall-issue in practice
Minimum age 21
Process A local permit from your town's police department or first selectman first, then a State Permit to Carry Pistols and Revolvers; roughly 8 weeks
Training required A course meeting or exceeding the NRA Basic Pistol Course standard, including live-fire instruction (some basic NRA safety-only courses don't qualify)
Cost $70 for the state permit
Reciprocity Connecticut does not recognize concealed carry permits issued by any other state

Where this sits relative to other states covered so far

Connecticut’s non-recognition of any other state’s permit matches New Jersey’s position, the most restrictive on that specific point covered on this site. Combined with the two-step local-then-state permit process and mandatory live-fire training, Connecticut’s overall system remains among the most demanding covered here, even though it no longer operates as a purely discretionary “proper cause” system the way it did before 2022.

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