Demolition Delay Ordinances

Hit the “pause” button when a property is threatened.

A demolition delay ordinance increases the odds that historic structures will be saved by buying time for property owners and community members to work through alternatives to demolition. Typically, an ordinance will outline a 2-stage process:

A determination of whether a building or structure is architecturally significant, and
A determination of whether a demolition delay should be imposed.

A map of towns with demolition delay ordinances is below. Many towns have adopted demolition delay ordinances that require a 90-day waiting period before a property can be demolished. In communities around the state, that 90-day window has proven to be enough to save a structure. Learn more about local preservation laws.

See the list of properties currently threatened by demolition.

CLICK HERE

Does My Town Have a Demolition Delay Ordinance?

Check the map to see if your town has a demolition delay ordinance, is a Certified Local Government (CLG), or has created a Local Historic District (LHD):

Bethel

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Branford

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Bridgeport

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Bristol

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Brookfield

Demo Delay: Yes, 30-90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Canton

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Clinton

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Colchester

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Coventry

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Darien

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

East Hartford

Demo Delay: Yes, 60 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

East Windsor

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Essex

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Fairfield

Demo Delay: Yes, 60 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Farmington

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Ansonia

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Berlin

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Bethlehem

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Chaplin

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Cheshire

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Colebrook

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Danbury

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Durham

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

East Haddam

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

East Hampton

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

East Lyme

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Enfield

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Glastonbury

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Greenwich

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Groton

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Guilford

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Haddam

Demo Delay: Yes, 180 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Hamden

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Hartford

Demo Delay: Yes, 120 days

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Harwington

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Hebron

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Kent

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Killingly

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Killingworth

Demo Delay: Yes, 180 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Ledyard

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Litchfield

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Lyme

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Madison

Demo Delay: Yes

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Manchester

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Mansfield

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Middletown

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Milford

Demo Delay: Yes, 120 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Monroe

Demo Delay: Yes, 180 days

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

New Canaan

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

New Fairfield

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

New Hartford

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

New London

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

New Milford

Demo Delay: Yes, 60 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Newtown

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Norfolk

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

North Branford

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Norwalk

Demo Delay: Yes, 120 days

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Norwich, CT

Demo Delay: Yes, 30-60 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Old Lyme

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Orange

Demo Delay: Yes, 60 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Oxford

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Old Saybrook

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Plymouth

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Portland

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Plainville

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Ridgefield

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Redding

Demo Delay: Yes, 180 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Prospect

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Salisbury

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Roxbury

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Sherman

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Sharon

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

South Windsor

Demo Delay: Yes, 180 days

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Simsbury

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Southbury

Demo Delay: Yes, 180 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Stamford

Demo Delay: Yes, 180 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Sterling

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Stratford

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Suffield

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Tolland

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Torrington

Demo Delay: Yes, 120 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Trumbull

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Vernon

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Wallingford

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Washington

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Waterbury

Demo delay: Yes

CLG:

LHD:

Waterford

Demo Delay: Yes, 60 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Watertown

Demo Delay: Yes, 60 days

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

West Hartford

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Weston

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Westport

Demo Delay: Yes, 180 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Wethersfield

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Willington

Demo Delay: No

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Wilton

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: No

LHD: Yes

Windham

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Windsor

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Woodbridge

Demo Delay: Yes, 60 days

CLG: No

LHD: No

Woodbury

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

Woodstock

Demo Delay: No

CLG: Yes

LHD: Yes

New Haven

Demo Delay: Yes, 90 days
CLG: Yes
LHD: Yes

Our Model Ordinance

Preservation Connecticut has drafted a model Demolition Delay Ordinance, based on best practices. It includes key definitions, outlines when a permit is required, and sets forth the procedures your building officials must follow when someone applies for demolition.

As is the case with all of our model ordinances, your community can adapt this model in a way that best suits you.

A last resort: Deconstruction

If the demolition delay ordinance has not successfully saved a building, the next best thing may be to require property owners to salvage key elements for recycling. Careful deconstruction is environmentally friendly and offers the potential for reuse of historic fabric. See our model Deconstruction Ordinance for one approach.

The Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection has a very informative page on deconstruction and additional resources.

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