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Foreclosure Clarity · Connecticut foreclosure questions

A law day or a sale is on my papers

My law day or foreclosure sale is coming up. What can I do?

Strict foreclosure and foreclosure by sale are two different kinds of court judgment. A law day and a sale date are two different dates. Your judgment and court papers control, not this page. What may still matter at this stage depends on the facts, and each possibility has its own limits. No page can promise an outcome. This page explains the terms and where to find the dates on your papers.

Find the date on your papers

First identify what the court ordered

Start with the judgment itself.

Strict foreclosure

Key date: law day or law days

Foreclosure by sale

Key date: sale date. A committee runs the sale. The court approves it after.

A Connecticut foreclosure judgment is one of two types. The judgment says which type applies. Each type has its own key date, and the two dates are not the same.

Strict foreclosure

A court judgment that sets one or more law days. It does not involve an auction.

Law day

A date written in a strict foreclosure judgment. Law days are assigned in order among the people with an interest in the property. A law day is the date by which that person may pay the amount the court found due, including costs. If no one pays, the court rules and statutes describe ownership (title) as becoming absolute in the party that brought the case. When that happens in a particular case depends on the judgment and the court record. A law day is not a hearing.

Foreclosure by sale

A court judgment that orders the property sold. The court appoints a person called a committee to run the sale, sets the sale date, and names an appraiser. The court must approve the sale after it happens.

Sale date

The date set for the committee's auction of the property. Court standing orders say sales are usually held at noon at the property unless the court orders otherwise. The sale date is not the date ownership passes. The court's approval of the sale comes later.

In short: a strict foreclosure has law days. A foreclosure by sale has a sale date. Your judgment and papers control, not this page.

Find the date on your actual papers

You can search the Connecticut Judicial Branch case look-up by name, docket number, or property address. Check what you find with the court clerk. A search with no result does not prove there is no case.

Two places can show the date. The first is the judgment, or the court-ordered letter the plaintiff sends to owners who did not appear in the case. The second is the Judicial Branch case look-up, which also has a Pending Foreclosure Sales list. Check any date you find with the clerk of the court named on your papers. Do not guess the court from your town.

The summons names the court. Do not guess it from your town. Start with the papers in front of you

The papers can show:

  • The court name and docket number
  • The names of the plaintiff and the servicer
  • Whether the judgment is a strict foreclosure or a foreclosure by sale
  • The law days and their order among the parties, or the sale date, time, place, and committee
  • The dates of the judgment and of the notice
  • The amount the court found due, the appraisal, and fees

What may affect what happens next

These categories may matter at this stage. Each has its own rules and time limits. Whether any of them applies to a case is a question for individual review. Foreclosure Clarity cannot say that any of them is open to you.

  • Payment under the judgment. For a strict foreclosure, see “Law day” above. For a foreclosure by sale, the statute covers payment before the sale. If the plaintiff is paid the amount found due, with interest and costs, further proceedings in the suit are stayed.
  • Motion to open a judgment. A motion to open asks the court to reopen a judgment. Different rules cover different kinds of judgments, and each has its own time period. See These are different steps. For a strict foreclosure judgment, a statute lets the court open it for cause shown. Opening it is the court's choice. Foreclosure Clarity cannot say whether a motion to open is available in a case or whether it would be granted. The limits that apply after title is absolute are explained in the next sections.
  • Appeal. An appeal has its own time period, counted from notice of the judgment. See These are different steps.
  • Bankruptcy. See the section below.
  • Servicemember protections. Federal law protects servicemembers in some mortgage cases. If the mortgage began before the person's military service, a court may stay the case or adjust the obligation in stated circumstances.
  • Agreement or loan change with the lender. A settlement or loan change with the lender can change how a case ends. The lender is not required to agree. Connecticut's EMAP is a CHFA loan program, not a grant. Eligibility and funding limits apply. Whether an application or an appeal changes any date is a question for individual review.

Filing for bankruptcy can affect the timing of a foreclosure. How it affects a particular case depends on the facts. Foreclosure Clarity cannot tell you whether it would help, or whether it would not.

Bankruptcy law includes something called the automatic stay. It can pause some actions, including foreclosure cases, while the bankruptcy is open. It has exceptions and limits. For example, there are limits when someone files more than once in a short time, and a creditor can ask the bankruptcy court to end the stay.

Connecticut also has a law about bankruptcy petitions and strict foreclosure judgments. It depends on things like whether title has already become absolute. Federal law has rules about catching up on missed mortgage payments through bankruptcy and when that right ends. How these rules fit together in Connecticut depends on the case.

What matters can include the type of bankruptcy, the timing, earlier filings, and what stage the foreclosure has reached. Bankruptcy also has other effects, such as on credit and on other debts. It is a federal court process with its own lawyers.

If you are thinking about bankruptcy, a bankruptcy attorney can review your situation. If a bankruptcy is already open, tell the attorney you are working with.

If the date has already passed

Some people reach this page after a law day or sale date has passed.

This is what the rules say in general. It is not a prediction for any case. Whether a date has passed, who holds title, and what happens next depend on the court record. If a law day or sale date has passed, those questions need the docket and the judgment, and individual review.

After a law day (strict foreclosure)

  • If no one redeems by the last law day, the statutes describe title as becoming absolute. When that happens in a given case depends on the order of law days, any stay or extension, any bankruptcy, and any appeal.
  • Once title is absolute, reopening the judgment is limited by statute. It generally needs the agreement of the people who appeared in the case, within stated limits.
  • Do not assume there is extra time after a law day or a sale. The judgment and the court papers control.
  • Some steps may exist depending on the case. Each is limited by time, by the court's choice, or by what the other side agrees to. Whether any applies is a question for individual review.

After a sale (foreclosure by sale)

  • The court must approve the sale. After approval, the committee gives a deed to the buyer.
  • A possession order can follow once the time to appeal the approval has passed.
  • Money from a sale is brought into the court. The court's standing letter to owners who did not appear tells them to check with the clerk after the sale to learn whether any money may be available to them.

Possession

  • Possession is taken through a court process called an execution of ejectment, carried out by a marshal.
  • In a strict foreclosure, the court rules provide for a stay of ejectment until the day after the last law day unless the court orders otherwise.
  • The statute says an execution of ejectment cannot be carried out fewer than five business days after it is served. This is a minimum set by law. It is not a move-out date for anyone.
  • Tenants have separate rights under Connecticut law. It is not accurate to say everyone must leave on a law day.

Money after the date

A deficiency, which is money still owed if a sale does not cover the debt, may be sought in some cases. Whether it applies to anyone is a question for individual review. So are questions about credit and taxes.

What kind of help do you need?

Late in a case, many people want more than one kind of help. All three paths are shown side by side below.

There is more than one way to get help. You can use one, two, or all three. You do not have to start with a lawyer.

Understand it myself

Read plain-language explanations, look at your own papers, and check official court pages. This is a good place to start if you want to know what you are looking at before you talk to anyone.

Read the sections above, then look up the case.

Get free or public help

Government agencies, courts, and nonprofits run their own programs. Some cost nothing, some cost a little, and some depend on your income or where you live. Some give information or advice. Advice is not the same as having a lawyer represent you in your case. Foreclosure Clarity does not run these programs. The help page says what each one does, what it cannot do, and when we last checked it.

See programs, what each one can and cannot do, and when we last checked.

Who can I call for help with my mortgage?

See free and public help

Talk with an attorney

A private attorney can look at your papers and your facts and give advice about your situation. This is one path, not the only one. Attorneys charge fees and set their own terms. Foreclosure Clarity does not rank, rate, or recommend attorneys.

Talk with an attorney

Picking one path does not close off the others.

Talking with an attorney

An attorney can look at your papers and your facts and give advice about your situation. The Judicial Branch says lawyers can explain the laws, help you weigh your options, negotiate or mediate, prepare documents, and represent you in court. Some offer a free or low-cost first meeting.

Questions that usually need individual review

  • Whether papers were served properly
  • What defenses or claims to raise, and what to put in an answer
  • Whether to file a particular motion, including a motion to open a judgment
  • Whether to appeal
  • Whether bankruptcy fits your situation, and its timing
  • Servicemember protections
  • Questions about title, possession, or what you may owe or be owed after a sale

You do not always need an attorney. The court's own notice lists several places to start: an attorney, the Foreclosure Clerk, or a Court Service Center. Some people handle parts of their case themselves. Some attorneys offer help with only part of a matter, which is called limited-scope help. Ask what is included.

Cost. Attorneys charge fees and set their own terms. Ask about fees in writing. County bar lawyer referral services are paid referrals. They are not legal aid. The Connecticut Bar Association says it cannot provide you with a free attorney to represent you. Some public and nonprofit programs offer advice from attorneys. Advice is not the same as representation.

Before you hire. You can check whether a Connecticut attorney is licensed and whether there is a discipline history using the Judicial Branch tools on the help page. Be careful with anyone who asks for money up front before you meet. See the scam warning.

Foreclosure Clarity does not rank, rate, or recommend attorneys, and being listed anywhere on this site is not an endorsement.

Talk with an attorney

Be careful with anyone who asks for money up front, guarantees results, or asks you to sign over your deed. See the scam warning.

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  2. I was served foreclosure papers. What now?
  3. Who can I call for help with my mortgage?

Sources and last checked

Sources are listed below. We last checked them on October 2, 2026.

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