Sec. 7-148b. Creation of fair rent commission. Powers.
               	 		
      Sec. 7-148b. Creation of fair rent commission. Powers. (a) Except as provided 
in subsection (c) of this section, any town, city or borough may, through its legislative 
body, create a fair rent commission to make studies and investigations, conduct hearings 
and receive complaints relative to rental charges on housing accommodations, except 
those accommodations rented on a seasonal basis, within its jurisdiction, which term 
shall include mobile manufactured homes and mobile manufactured home park lots, in 
order to control and eliminate excessive rental charges on such accommodations, and 
to carry out the provisions of sections 7-148b to 7-148f, inclusive, section 47a-20 and 
subsection (b) of section 47a-23c. The commission, for such purposes, may compel the 
attendance of persons at hearings, issue subpoenas and administer oaths, issue orders 
and continue, review, amend, terminate or suspend any of its orders and decisions. The 
commission may be empowered to retain legal counsel to advise it.
      (b) For purposes of subsection (a) of this section, "seasonal basis" means housing 
accommodations rented for a period or periods aggregating not more than one hundred 
twenty days in any one calendar year.
      (c) Any town, city or borough in which the number of renter-occupied dwelling 
units is greater than five thousand, as determined by the most recent decennial census, 
and which does not have a fair rent commission on October 1, 1989, shall, on or before 
June 1, 1990, conduct a public hearing or public hearings and decide by majority vote 
of its legislative body whether to create a fair rent commission as provided in subsection 
(a) of this section. Any such town, city or borough which fails to act pursuant to the 
requirements of this subsection shall, not later than June 1, 1991, create such fair rent 
commission.
      (d) Any two or more towns, cities or boroughs not subject to the requirements of 
subsection (c) of this section may, through their legislative bodies, create a joint fair 
rent commission.
      (1969, P.A. 274, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 478, S. 1; 1972, P.A. 160, S. 1; P.A. 81-472, S. 101, 159; P.A. 82-356, S. 8, 14; June 
Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-3, S. 1; P.A. 89-289; P.A. 05-288, S. 40.)
      History: 1971 act specified applicability to housing accommodations rather than "property", including mobile homes 
and lots and excluding seasonal accommodations which were defined in new Subsec. (b); 1972 act added power to carry 
out provisions of Secs. 7-148b to 7-148e, to issue, amend, terminate, etc. orders and to retain legal counsel; P.A. 81-472 
substituted reference to Sec. 47a-20 for reference to Sec. 19-375a, reflecting section's transfer; P.A. 82-356 amended 
Subsec. (a) to authorize a fair rent commission to carry out the provisions of Sec. 47a-23c(b); June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-3 
changed terms "mobile home" and "mobile manufactured homes" to "mobile manufactured home" and "mobile manufactured homes"; P.A. 89-289 added Subsec. (c) re creation of fair rent commissions in municipalities having more than 5,000 
renter-occupied dwelling units and added Subsec. (d) re creation of joint fair rent commissions; P.A. 05-288 made a 
technical change in Subsecs. (a), (b) and (d), effective July 13, 2005.