Connecticut Statutes
§ 46b-215 — (Formerly Sec. 17-320). Relatives obliged to furnish support. Attorney General and attorney for town as parties. Orders.
Connecticut § 46b-215
This text of Connecticut § 46b-215 ((Formerly Sec. 17-320). Relatives obliged to furnish support. Attorney General and attorney for town as parties. Orders.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.
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Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-215 (2026).
Text
(a)(1) The Superior Court or a family support magistrate may make and enforce orders for payment of support against any person who neglects or refuses to furnish necessary support to such person's spouse or a child under the age of eighteen or as otherwise provided in this subsection, according to such person's ability to furnish such support, notwithstanding the provisions of section 46b-37. If such child is unmarried and a full-time high school student, such support shall continue according to the parents' respective abilities, if such child is in need of support, until such child completes the twelfth grade or attains the age of nineteen, whichever occurs first.
(2)Any such support order in a IV-D support case shall include a provision for the health care coverage of the child. Such pr
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Legislative History
(1949 Rev., S. 2610; 1951, 1955, S. 1444d; September, 1957, P.A. 11, S. 20; 1959, P.A. 34; 1961, P.A. 307; 1967, P.A. 746, S. 4; 1972, P.A. 127, S. 29; P.A. 74-183, S. 216, 291; P.A. 75-103; P.A. 76-334, S. 10, 12; 76-436, S. 185, 681; P.A. 77-452, S. 9, 72; 77-594, S. 3, 7; 77-614, S. 70, 608, 610; P.A. 83-295, S. 14; P.A. 84-159, S. 4; P.A. 86-359, S. 33, 44; P.A. 87-316, S. 10; 87-589, S. 31, 87; P.A. 89-195, S. 3; P.A. 90-188, S. 5; 90-213, S. 32, 56; P.A. 91-76, S. 5, 7; 91-391, S. 6; P.A. 93-187, S. 4; 93-262, S. 72, 87; 93-396, S. 18; P.A. 95-310, S. 2, 9; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-1, S. 65, 75; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 107, 165; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-7, S. 25, 38; P.A. 99-279, S. 31, 45; P.A. 00-99, S. 95, 154; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7, S. 44; P.A. 03-258, S. 3; P.A. 04-100, S. 4; P.A. 06-149, S. 15–17; P.A. 07-217, S. 173; 07-247, S. 57, 58; P.A. 11-214, S. 18, 19; 11-219, S. 6, 14; P.A. 15-71, S. 88; P.A. 21-15, S. 134; 21-104, S. 35.) History: 1959 act provided support by relatives be joint and several, deleted provision for bringing complaint to court of common pleas, substituting proceedings by petition, added order for payment may be altered or set aside and provision for contempt; 1961 act substituted circuit for common pleas court, added last section re its jurisdictional limits, added summons and order to petition needed for proceedings and authorized welfare authority of supporting towns to undertake proceedings for support; 1967 act limited relatives responsible to parents of children under 21 and children of parents under 65; 1972 act referred to persons under 18 rather than under 21, reflecting changed age of majority; P.A. 74-183 replaced circuit court with court of common pleas and references to circuits and districts with references to geographical areas, effective December 31, 1974; P.A. 75-103 authorized selectmen or public officials charged with administration of public assistance to make petition; P.A. 76-334 rephrased provision re court's power to make and enforce orders for support, authorized child, guardian or family relations officer to make petition, added provisions defining “child” and expanding court's powers re orders to conservator, guardian, payees of benefits and re enforcement of payments, authorized service of process by officers or investigators of social services department or finance and control commissioner, authorized court to make orders of execution against property, etc., added provisions re fees and re written agreements to support as court order and added Subsecs. (b) to (d); P.A. 76-436 replaced court of common pleas with superior court and deleted provision re inapplicability of limits of common pleas court, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-452 made technical correction; P.A. 77-594 added provisions stating that upon proof of service of summons defendant's failure to appear does not prevent court from going forward with hearing and that such proof allows court to order issuance of capias mittimus, arrest of defendants and contempt hearing; P.A. 77-614 replaced commissioner of finance and control with commissioner of administrative services and, effective January 1, 1979, replaced department of social services with department of income maintenance; Sec. 17-320 transferred to Sec. 46b-215 in 1979 and reference to Sec. 46-10 revised to reflect its transfer; P.A. 83-295 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “family relations officer” with “family relations caseworker or support enforcement officer” and amended Subsec. (c) by replacing “family relations office” with “family services unit or support enforcement services unit”; P.A. 84-159 amended Subsec. (a) by removing the authority of the court to make and enforce orders against children for the payment of support for their parents who are under 65 years of age; P.A. 86-359 added references to family support magistrate and family support magistrate division, changed “judges of the superior court” to “chief court administrator” with respect to approval of form in Subsec. (a), changed “geographical area” to “judicial district” and amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision that Attorney General shall represent IV-D agency in non-AFDC cases if IV-D agency determines representation is required under guidelines issued by commissioner of human resources and custodial parent does not exceed income limits; P.A. 87-316 added “department of human resources or” in Subsec. (a) and revised section, adding Subsec. (e) re enforcement and modification of support orders; P.A. 87-589 made technical changes in Subsec. (e); P.A. 89-195 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting the limitation on income and assets of custodial parent; P.A. 90-188 amended Subsec. (e) by adding provision permitting modification of child support orders upon showing of substantial change of circumstances or substantial deviation from child support guidelines established under P.A. 89-203 unless inequitable or inappropriate, and prohibiting retroactive modification of order of periodic payment or permanent alimony or support, except during period of pending motion for modification; P.A. 90-213 deleted provision in Subsec. (a) relating to the family relations worker and added provision concerning the commissioner of human resources and in Subsec. (c) changed the name of the family division to the support enforcement division; P.A. 91-76 amended Subsec. (e) by adding provision re rebuttable presumption that deviation of less than 15% from child support guidelines is not substantial and any deviation of more than 15% is substantial and permitting modification of support order without regard to whether order issued before on or after May 9, 1991; P.A. 91-391 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision that determination of support due shall be based upon obligor's ability to pay during such prior periods, requiring state to disclose to court information re current and past ability to pay, and if no information is available on orders entered on or after October 1, 1991, such order shall be subject to adjustment when information becomes available to court upon motion of any party within 4 months of notification of amount of such order and right to present evidence of past ability to pay; P.A. 93-187 made technical changes to Subsec. (a) re commencement of proceedings, summons and order, service of process and wage withholding orders; P.A. 93-262 replaced references to commissioners and departments of human resources and income maintenance with commissioner and department of social services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-396 made a technical change in Subsec. (a); P.A. 95-310 amended Subsec. (a) to authorize suspension of occupational or motor vehicle operators license for failure to obey support order without good cause, effective January 1, 1996; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-1 made technical change to Subsec. (e) by replacing reference to Sec. 46b-197 with reference to Secs. 46b-213o to 46b-213q, inclusive, effective January 1, 1998; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 replaced references to “AFDC” with references to “TANF” in Subsecs. (a) and (b), effective July 1, 1997; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-7 amended Subsec. (a) to require support order in IV-D support case to include provision for health care coverage of child and to add provision re order of plan for payment of past-due support and, in IV-D cases, reorder to obligor to participate in work activities, amended Subsec. (c) to require court or magistrate to direct all payments on orders of support in IV-D cases to be made to the state acting by and through the IV-D agency and added Subsec. (f) re copy of support order to parties and state case registry, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 99-279 amended Subsec. (a) by dividing it into eleven Subdivs. and Subparas. as necessary, making technical changes and adding in Subdiv. (2) provisions re health care coverage under HUSKY Plan where coverage is unavailable at reasonable cost through a parent, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-99 replaced references in Subsec. (a)(8) to sheriff with state marshal, effective December 1, 2000; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7 amended Subsec. (a)(2) by adding provision re enforcement of employment-based order using a National Medical Support Notice; P.A. 03-258 amended Subsec. (a)(7)(B) by providing that child support due for periods prior to commencement of an action shall be “determined in accordance with the child support and arrearage guidelines established under Sec. 46b-215a”, deleting provision re child support determination being based on assistance rendered to the child, providing that where current ability to pay support is not known, court shall determine past ability to pay support based on obligor's work history, or if not known, on state's minimum wage in effect during periods and that only actual earnings may be used to determine support for past periods during which obligor was a full-time high school student, incarcerated, institutionalized or incapacitated, and making technical changes, and amended Subsec. (a)(7)(C) by providing that support findings made for periods of time prior to an action where obligor failed to appear are subject to adjustment, providing that in IV-D cases, state shall make motion for adjustment if it obtains information that would have substantially affected court's determination of past ability to pay, changing time parameters for making motion for adjustment from within four to not later than 12 months from date of receipt of notification, providing that support orders subject to adjustment shall state in plain language the court's basis for making determination of past support, the right to request an adjustment and present information re past ability to pay, and consequences of failure to request adjustment, and making technical changes; P.A. 04-100 amended Subsec. (a)(1) and (2) by adding provision re continuation of support for unmarried, full-time high school student residing with custodial parent and making conforming changes; P.A. 06-149 amended Subsec. (a)(1) to make technical changes and delete “and residing with the custodial parent”, amended Subsec. (a)(2) to substitute exemption from required insurance payments for low-income obligors for prior exemption if payments would reduce amount of support required under child support guidelines, amended Subsec. (a)(7) to make technical changes and provide in Subpara. (A) that in the case of a child born out of wedlock whose parents have not intermarried, the father's liability shall be limited to 3 years next preceding the filing of petition, and amended Subsec. (c) to add provisions re redirection of payments and notice thereof and requiring payments to be distributed as required by Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, effective June 6, 2006; P.A. 07-217 made a technical change in Subsec. (a)(7)(C), effective July 12, 2007; P.A. 07-247 substantially revised Subsec. (a)(2) by inserting Subpara. designators (A) to (F), specifying that court or family support magistrate may order either or both parents to provide health care coverage for child, specifying that either parent may be ordered to name child as beneficiary of any medical or dental insurance plan carried by or available to such parent at a reasonable cost, describing reasonable cost re maintaining health care coverage, deleting language that required applying for coverage under HUSKY Plan, Part B only if noncustodial parent had sufficient ability to pay appropriate premium, providing that court or family support magistrate may order either parent to provide for coverage under HUSKY Plan, Part B, or alternatively enter order for cash medical support as long as any such order was reasonable, defining “cash medical support” and requirements related to entry of cash medical support order and making technical changes, and amended Subsec. (a)(3) by deleting “in a form prescribed by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator”, replacing “TANF” with “IV-D”, and replacing reference to Subdiv. (14) with reference to Subdiv. (13) of Sec. 46b-231(b); P.A. 11-214 amended Subsec. (b) to substitute “non-TFA” for “non-TANF” and make technical changes, and amended Subsec. (e) to add “Except as provided in sections 46b-212 to 46b-213w”, substitute reference to Sec. 46b-213r for reference to Sec. 46b-213q and make technical changes; P.A. 11-219 amended Subsec. (a)(7)(A) to add “for periods” re prior to action, substitute “a parent's” for “the father's” re liability for support and add provision re support limitation for 3 years next preceding filing of written agreement to support, and amended Subsec. (a)(8)(C) to permit capias mittimus to be directed to a judicial marshal to extent authorized in Sec. 46b-225 and make technical changes; P.A. 15-71 amended Subsec. (e) by replacing references to Secs. 46b-212 to 46b-213w with references to Secs. 46b-301 to 46b-425 and replacing references to Secs. 46b-213o to 46b-213r with references to Secs. 46b-384 to 46b-387, effective July 1, 2015; P.A. 21-15 amended Subsec. (a)(4) by replacing “born out of wedlock whose father” with “born to parents not married to each other whose alleged genetic parent”, “paternity” with “parentage” and “father” with “parent”, effective January 1, 2022; P.A. 21-104 added Subsec. (a)(2)(E)(ii)(II) re affidavits and made a conforming change, and amended Subsec. (e) to add provision re finding on the record “at a hearing, or in a written judgment, order or memorandum of decision of the court”, effective June 28, 2021. Annotations to former section 17-320: Relatives by affinity not liable. K. 155; 1 R. 250; 3 C. 553. Relatives not liable for past expenses. 3 C. 553; 7 C. 57; 32 C. 142. Action at common law does not lie against relatives. 1 R. 60; 3 C. 507. Not responsible to a town in which the pauper has no settlement. 3 C. 553. If supplies are furnished parent at request of children, they are liable in assumpsit. 32 C. 142. Not necessary for town to exhaust the remedies provided by this statute before taking a parent or pauper into custody under Sec. 17-276. 35 C. 538. A wife whose husband neglects to support her may bring an action against him for contribution towards her maintenance. 72 C. 157. Nature of remedy; costs. 73 C. 607. “Neglect to provide” is condition precedent to action. 78 C. 650; 124 C. 522. Place of support. 73 C. 607; 82 C. 611. Measure of support. 78 C. 650; 82 C. 611; 103 C. 6; 124 C. 524; 127 C. 506. When state should be a party plaintiff. 103 C. 6. A minor may properly be made a defendant and judgment rendered against him. Id., 3. A proceeding under statute is entirely different from a criminal prosecution for nonsupport. 91 C. 10. Application to question of dependency of mother on minor son under workmen's compensation act. 105 C. 420. Although statute may have no extraterritorial effect when neither party is resident of state, equitable relief allowed where property of defendant was subject to the jurisdiction. 111 C. 124. Held not necessary to meet precise terms of statute in equitable action for support, nor was husband's duty limited by his income or to the amount public authorities required by statute to provide. 114 C. 575; 127 C. 503. Medical payment under workmen's compensation act. 117 C. 282. Statute applies only to those whom it would be duty of town to support if not furnished by relatives. 123 C. 338. “Neglect to provide” imports more than a mere omission; it imports an omission accompanied by some kind of culpability. 124 C. 518; 128 C. 192. Mere ownership of property by relatives does not necessarily mean they are “able to provide” support. Id., 193. If working at gainful occupation might shorten life span, one is not precluded from seeking support. 134 C. 58. Mere failure on husband's part to provide wife with support is not controlling on question of his liability; the test being the legal justification of his refusal. 144 C. 21. Action against father of supervising relative for needs of such relative. 145 C. 458. Imposition of obligation to support adult does not empower person so obligated to determine place where support shall be furnished. 152 C. 55. State policy has long been when a person is unable to support himself, support be provided for him by members of his family and is now expressed in this statute and Sec. 17-324. 156 C. 199. Once a child reaches 18, parents no longer have a legal duty to support the child. 168 C. 144. Cited. 175 C. 527. Demurrer in support action on ground that cause not brought where plaintiff resides, overruled where no indication that plaintiff wife relied on statute. 6 CS 87. The purpose of statute is to protect the public purse; and therefore, since no township is concerned with the support of a nonresident, the right of a nonresident to sue his relatives disappears. 7 CS 60. Married woman, living apart from her husband, may voluntarily for sufficient consideration relinquish her right to maintain an action for support. 14 CS 64; Id., 123. Essentially an equitable proceeding; plaintiff not entitled to jury trial. Id., 482. One who has a pecuniary interest which may be injuriously affected by the decree is an aggrieved person within statute. 15 CS 177. Existence of other remedies not ground for denying relief in an equitable action for support. 16 CS 68. In an action for support, obligation of defendant husband is limited to what he can afford to pay. Id., 465. Restrictions in will against widow of testator providing for support of their son void as against public policy. 19 CS 93. Cited. 31 CS 271. Wife may sue for husband's medical expenses for which she is liable. 32 CS 156. Cited. 33 CS 44; 34 CS 284. Cited. 6 Conn. Cir. Ct. 688. Annotations to present section: Cited. 191 C. 468; 196 C. 403; 216 C. 85; 219 C. 28; 222 C. 699; 231 C. 1; 234 C. 194; 236 C. 582. Cited. 2 CA 251; Id., 270; 9 CA 327; 25 CA 563; 26 CA 174; Id., 737; 31 CA 214. A condition precedent to granting an order for payment of support under statute is the neglect or refusal to furnish necessary support to the minor child by the parents. 39 CS 35. Cited. 40 CS 6; Id., 349. Subsec. (a): Cited. 235 C. 82, 88. Calculation of retroactive child support order is based on obligor's ability to pay during that period, not actual cost of support. 309 C. 390. Cited. 31 CA 761. Subdiv. (4) does not explicitly or implicitly require that the written acknowledgment of paternity be submitted as evidence in order for a magistrate to proceed on a support petition. 175 CA 632. Court has continuing power to enforce premajority support orders when child has reached age of majority. 45 CS 169.
Nearby Sections
15
§ 46b-115a
Definitions.§ 46b-115b
Proceedings governed by other law.§ 46b-115bb
Service of petition and order.§ 46b-115c
Application to Indian tribes.§ 46b-115cc
Hearing and order.§ 46b-115d
International application of chapter.§ 46b-115dd
Order to take physical custody of child.§ 46b-115e
Effect of child custody determination.§ 46b-115ee
Costs, fees and expenses.§ 46b-115f
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