Connecticut · LiensConnecticut judgment liens: the recorded certificate, relation back to an attachment and the release

In Connecticut a money judgment doesn't attach to land on its own. A judgment lien securing the unpaid judgment, with interest and costs, is placed on real property by recording, in the town clerk's office of the town where the land lies, a judgment lien certificate signed by the judgment creditor or the creditor's attorney or personal representative, giving the names and last-known addresses of both parties, the court and date of judgment, the original amount and the amount due, and a description of the property (C.G.S. §52-380a(a)). From recording, the judgment is a lien on the debtor's interest in that property; if the lien is placed within four months of judgment on property attached in the same action, it holds from the date of the attachment when the certificate refers to it (§52-380a(b)). The lien may be foreclosed or redeemed in the same manner as a mortgage (§52-380a(c)). Once the judgment is satisfied, the creditor must send a release; if the creditor fails to release within ten days after a written request, the creditor is liable for resulting damages under section 49-51, not exceeding one-half the amount of the lien (§52-380g).