Connecticut · Through Revised to January 1, 2026 (2026 Supplement to the General Statutes of Connecticut, applied over the base revision of January 1, 2025)

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-50a: Receipt of electronic transmission of process by state marshal. When permitted; requirements re; fees for.

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(a) As used in this section:
(1) “Amended process” means, at the direction of the issuing authority, changes made by a state marshal to a process to modify, adjust or correct minor, technical, clerical, typographical or scrivener's errors or conforming changes made during service of process, including adjustments made to the name, alias, agent or addresses of the parties, the court or the return date of the process.
(2) “Attorney-at-law” means an attorney admitted to practice law in this state, another state, district, territory or insular possession of the United States, foreign country or admitted to practice law in a United States federal or tribal court. “Attorney-at-law” includes an individual duly authorized by the attorney-at-law to transmit documents to a state marshal in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(3) “Business day” has the same meaning as provided in section 36a-330.
(4) “Portable document format” means an electronic file format that facilitates document exchange, is designed to be independent of the software, hardware and operating systems used to create the document, and that preserves the fonts, formatting, pagination and graphics of the source document, allowing the document to be viewed as it was intended to appear, regardless of the device or platform.
(5) “Public agency” includes (A) a public agency as defined in section 1-200, (B) a quasi-public agency as defined in section 1-120, and (C) an executive, legislative or judicial agency, department, board, commission, authority, institution or instrumentality of another state or of a county, municipality or other political subdivision of another state.
(6) “Special occasion” means a time when a party authorized to electronically transmit process to a state marshal determines it to be necessary, convenient or desirable to utilize the provisions of this section, subject where applicable to a fee as prescribed by this section, instead of tendering a state marshal an original process printed on paper, along with sufficient copies for service of process.
(b) On any special occasion, an attorney-at-law or public agency may direct process, including, but not limited to, any writ, summons, complaint, subpoena, attachment, execution, application, order, notice, motion or petition, to a state marshal in an electronic format, which clearly and accurately provides an image of the original process, including the signature of the authority issuing such process, provided:
(1) Such attorney-at-law or public agency obtains the permission of the state marshal prior to the electronic transmission of such process for service.
(2) The attorney-at-law or public agency transmits each process to the state marshal in one electronic file per process, in a letter-sized document, in a portable document format, that contains all pages of the document to be served, collated in the proper order for which the attorney-at-law or public agency is directing the state marshal to serve, so that the state marshal may print one electronic file per process, without the need to collate, assemble or print multiple electronic documents in a particular matter before making service.
(3) The attorney-at-law or public agency additionally electronically transmits to the state marshal, a letter, electronic mail or written instruction for service for each process to be served that succinctly provides the necessary information required for the state marshal to make legal service. In matters involving service under chapter 815a, or any other process where personal service is requested, information concerning the profile of the person to be served, when known and available, shall be electronically transmitted to the state marshal. Information electronically transmitted to the state marshal shall include, but is not limited to: (A) Any location where the person is known to spend time, (B) the telephone numbers of the person, (C) the employer, work location and working hours of the person, (D) a photo or physical description of the person, (E) the age or date of birth of the person, (F) the vehicles of the person, including make, model and plate numbers, and (G) safety concerns to be aware of when making service on the person. Such information may be provided by utilizing the respondent profile form accessible electronically on the Internet web site of the Judicial Branch.
(4) The attorney-at-law or public agency does not electronically transmit the same process to more than one state marshal for service.
(5) The attorney-at-law or public agency retains the original process which has been electronically transmitted to the state marshal, and when filed with the court, agency, board or tribunal, as the case may be, where the process is to be returned, the attorney-at-law or public agency causes the same document that was electronically transmitted to the state marshal for service, to be filed, without any alteration or amendment, except that in matters where amendments are made to the process by a state marshal at the time of service, the attorney-at-law or public agency shall file the amended process.
(c) For purposes of a state marshal serving a true and attested copy of any process under any provision of the general statutes, process that is electronically transmitted to a state marshal for service by an attorney-at-law or public agency under the provisions of this section shall be deemed to be an original document in the hands of a state marshal for service.
(d) Except as otherwise provided by law, no state marshal shall be required to accept process in an electronic format. A state marshal may voluntarily elect to receive the electronic transmission of process under the provisions of this section at the request of an attorney-at-law or public agency, subject to the provisions and fees prescribed in this section.
(e) If a state marshal elects to receive the electronic transmission of process, the state marshal shall maintain and monitor an electronic mail address used for the purposes of this section.
(f) An attorney-at-law or public agency shall not transmit process to a state marshal in an electronic format, where the number of pages to be printed in any one matter for all parties to be served exceeds fifty pages in total, or the number of processes for separate matters to be transmitted, within a time period of one week, exceeds five processes, except that a state marshal and an attorney-at-law or public agency may agree to a different number of processes or pages to be accepted by electronic transmission.
(g) (1) The provisions of this section shall not apply for the purposes of personal delivery to a state marshal, pursuant to section 52-593a, before the passage of the time limited by law within which an action may be brought. (2) No process relating to a matter in which a statute of limitations is tolling within sixty days shall be electronically transmitted to a state marshal; such process shall only be delivered to a state marshal for service as original process, printed on paper and personally signed in ink by the issuing authority, along with sufficient copies for the state marshal to effectuate service.
(h) Receipt of electronic process under this section shall occur by reply of the state marshal to the attorney-at-law or public agency transmitting such process. A state marshal electing to receive process in an electronic format from an attorney-at-law or public agency under the provisions of this section may, within two business days after receiving such process, reject any such process for service, if (1) the requirements of subdivision (2) or (3) of subsection (b) of this section have not been met, (2) the process is not signed, or is out of order, (3) the process is not received in a clear and legible format, or cannot be accessed electronically, (4) the lawful deadline for service of the process cannot reasonably be met, or (5) the number of pages or processes to be printed exceeds the limitations prescribed in subsection (f) of this section. A state marshal shall provide notification of the rejection of electronic process for service to the attorney-at-law or public agency by electronic mail.
(i) (1) A state marshal shall receive for each process, in any one matter that is electronically transmitted for service under this section, a fee of fifty dollars, irrespective of the number of persons to be served, as a fee for the receiving and handling electronic process for service. A state marshal shall also receive a fee of one dollar for each page printed under the provisions of this section. Fees assessed pursuant to this section shall not be a taxable cost of the action. Such fees for electronic receipt and handling and printing of process shall be listed on the state marshal's return of service under a separate total segregated from other fees.
(2) A state marshal receiving and printing an electronic process shall charge the fees prescribed by this section and shall not adjust or waive such fees, nor shall such fees be subject to a minimum rate promulgated by the state pursuant to section 6-38a. Fees under this section shall not apply or be charged in the case of the transmittal and printing of executions issued under chapter 832 or 906, warrants issued under chapter 204, ejectments under section 49-22, service of process under a waiver of fees issued pursuant to section 52-259b, capias mittimus orders issued under any provisions of the general statutes or orders of protection and relief under chapter 815a. Fees under this section shall not be considered a fee for copies of writs and complaints pursuant to chapter 901 and shall be in addition to any fee under said chapter payable to the officer serving process.
(j) A state marshal when printing documents for service, as provided by this section, shall print such documents on letter-sized paper. When making service of electronically transmitted documents printed for service under this section, the state marshal shall not be required to send printed documents or a printed return of service back to the attorney-at-law or public agency which electronically transmitted such process, but the state marshal shall electronically transmit the marshal's return of service to such attorney-at-law or public agency. In the event that the process was amended by a state marshal at the time of service, such amended process shall also be returned.
(k) No state marshal shall, in the performance of receiving electronically transmitted process, be liable for damage, errors or omissions related to the electronic transmission, receipt, printing or filing of electronically transmitted process, including, but not limited to: (1) Missing pages in the transmission, (2) the failure to receive the electronic transmission due to electronic or technical malfunctions, or such other similar errors, or (3) erroneous service of process on account of the failure of an attorney-at-law or public agency to comply with the provisions of this section in the transmission and filing of such process.

Where this section sits in the code

TITLE 52. CIVIL ACTIONS
CHAPTER 896. CIVIL PROCESS, SERVICE AND TIME FOR RETURN

(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Amended process” means, at the direction of the issuing authority, changes made by a state marshal to a process to modify, adjust or correct minor, technical, clerical, typographical or scrivener's errors or conforming changes made during service of process, including adjustments made to the name, alias, agent or addresses of the parties, the court or the return date of the process.

(2) “Attorney-at-law” means an attorney admitted to practice law in this state, another state, district, territory or insular possession of the United States, foreign country or admitted to practice law in a United States federal or tribal court. “Attorney-at-law” includes an individual duly authorized by the attorney-at-law to transmit documents to a state marshal in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(3) “Business day” has the same meaning as provided in section 36a-330.

(4) “Portable document format” means an electronic file format that facilitates document exchange, is designed to be independent of the software, hardware and operating systems used to create the document, and that preserves the fonts, formatting, pagination and graphics of the source document, allowing the document to be viewed as it was intended to appear, regardless of the device or platform.

(5) “Public agency” includes (A) a public agency as defined in section 1-200, (B) a quasi-public agency as defined in section 1-120, and (C) an executive, legislative or judicial agency, department, board, commission, authority, institution or instrumentality of another state or of a county, municipality or other political subdivision of another state.

(6) “Special occasion” means a time when a party authorized to electronically transmit process to a state marshal determines it to be necessary, convenient or desirable to utilize the provisions of this section, subject where applicable to a fee as prescribed by this section, instead of tendering a state marshal an original process printed on paper, along with sufficient copies for service of process.

(b) On any special occasion, an attorney-at-law or public agency may direct process, including, but not limited to, any writ, summons, complaint, subpoena, attachment, execution, application, order, notice, motion or petition, to a state marshal in an electronic format, which clearly and accurately provides an image of the original process, including the signature of the authority issuing such process, provided:

(1) Such attorney-at-law or public agency obtains the permission of the state marshal prior to the electronic transmission of such process for service.

(2) The attorney-at-law or public agency transmits each process to the state marshal in one electronic file per process, in a letter-sized document, in a portable document format, that contains all pages of the document to be served, collated in the proper order for which the attorney-at-law or public agency is directing the state marshal to serve, so that the state marshal may print one electronic file per process, without the need to collate, assemble or print multiple electronic documents in a particular matter before making service.

(3) The attorney-at-law or public agency additionally electronically transmits to the state marshal, a letter, electronic mail or written instruction for service for each process to be served that succinctly provides the necessary information required for the state marshal to make legal service. In matters involving service under chapter 815a, or any other process where personal service is requested, information concerning the profile of the person to be served, when known and available, shall be electronically transmitted to the state marshal. Information electronically transmitted to the state marshal shall include, but is not limited to: (A) Any location where the person is known to spend time, (B) the telephone numbers of the person, (C) the employer, work location and working hours of the person, (D) a photo or physical description of the person, (E) the age or date of birth of the person, (F) the vehicles of the person, including make, model and plate numbers, and (G) safety concerns to be aware of when making service on the person. Such information may be provided by utilizing the respondent profile form accessible electronically on the Internet web site of the Judicial Branch.

(4) The attorney-at-law or public agency does not electronically transmit the same process to more than one state marshal for service.

(5) The attorney-at-law or public agency retains the original process which has been electronically transmitted to the state marshal, and when filed with the court, agency, board or tribunal, as the case may be, where the process is to be returned, the attorney-at-law or public agency causes the same document that was electronically transmitted to the state marshal for service, to be filed, without any alteration or amendment, except that in matters where amendments are made to the process by a state marshal at the time of service, the attorney-at-law or public agency shall file the amended process.

(c) For purposes of a state marshal serving a true and attested copy of any process under any provision of the general statutes, process that is electronically transmitted to a state marshal for service by an attorney-at-law or public agency under the provisions of this section shall be deemed to be an original document in the hands of a state marshal for service.

(d) Except as otherwise provided by law, no state marshal shall be required to accept process in an electronic format. A state marshal may voluntarily elect to receive the electronic transmission of process under the provisions of this section at the request of an attorney-at-law or public agency, subject to the provisions and fees prescribed in this section.

(e) If a state marshal elects to receive the electronic transmission of process, the state marshal shall maintain and monitor an electronic mail address used for the purposes of this section.

(f) An attorney-at-law or public agency shall not transmit process to a state marshal in an electronic format, where the number of pages to be printed in any one matter for all parties to be served exceeds fifty pages in total, or the number of processes for separate matters to be transmitted, within a time period of one week, exceeds five processes, except that a state marshal and an attorney-at-law or public agency may agree to a different number of processes or pages to be accepted by electronic transmission.

(g) (1) The provisions of this section shall not apply for the purposes of personal delivery to a state marshal, pursuant to section 52-593a, before the passage of the time limited by law within which an action may be brought. (2) No process relating to a matter in which a statute of limitations is tolling within sixty days shall be electronically transmitted to a state marshal; such process shall only be delivered to a state marshal for service as original process, printed on paper and personally signed in ink by the issuing authority, along with sufficient copies for the state marshal to effectuate service.

(h) Receipt of electronic process under this section shall occur by reply of the state marshal to the attorney-at-law or public agency transmitting such process. A state marshal electing to receive process in an electronic format from an attorney-at-law or public agency under the provisions of this section may, within two business days after receiving such process, reject any such process for service, if (1) the requirements of subdivision (2) or (3) of subsection (b) of this section have not been met, (2) the process is not signed, or is out of order, (3) the process is not received in a clear and legible format, or cannot be accessed electronically, (4) the lawful deadline for service of the process cannot reasonably be met, or (5) the number of pages or processes to be printed exceeds the limitations prescribed in subsection (f) of this section. A state marshal shall provide notification of the rejection of electronic process for service to the attorney-at-law or public agency by electronic mail.

(i) (1) A state marshal shall receive for each process, in any one matter that is electronically transmitted for service under this section, a fee of fifty dollars, irrespective of the number of persons to be served, as a fee for the receiving and handling electronic process for service. A state marshal shall also receive a fee of one dollar for each page printed under the provisions of this section. Fees assessed pursuant to this section shall not be a taxable cost of the action. Such fees for electronic receipt and handling and printing of process shall be listed on the state marshal's return of service under a separate total segregated from other fees.

(2) A state marshal receiving and printing an electronic process shall charge the fees prescribed by this section and shall not adjust or waive such fees, nor shall such fees be subject to a minimum rate promulgated by the state pursuant to section 6-38a. Fees under this section shall not apply or be charged in the case of the transmittal and printing of executions issued under chapter 832 or 906, warrants issued under chapter 204, ejectments under section 49-22, service of process under a waiver of fees issued pursuant to section 52-259b, capias mittimus orders issued under any provisions of the general statutes or orders of protection and relief under chapter 815a. Fees under this section shall not be considered a fee for copies of writs and complaints pursuant to chapter 901 and shall be in addition to any fee under said chapter payable to the officer serving process.

(j) A state marshal when printing documents for service, as provided by this section, shall print such documents on letter-sized paper. When making service of electronically transmitted documents printed for service under this section, the state marshal shall not be required to send printed documents or a printed return of service back to the attorney-at-law or public agency which electronically transmitted such process, but the state marshal shall electronically transmit the marshal's return of service to such attorney-at-law or public agency. In the event that the process was amended by a state marshal at the time of service, such amended process shall also be returned.

(k) No state marshal shall, in the performance of receiving electronically transmitted process, be liable for damage, errors or omissions related to the electronic transmission, receipt, printing or filing of electronically transmitted process, including, but not limited to: (1) Missing pages in the transmission, (2) the failure to receive the electronic transmission due to electronic or technical malfunctions, or such other similar errors, or (3) erroneous service of process on account of the failure of an attorney-at-law or public agency to comply with the provisions of this section in the transmission and filing of such process.

Collected 2026-09-06T19:07:28Z. Source file · JSON

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