When the judicial authority is of the opinion that a viewing by the jury of the place or thing involved in the case will be helpful to the jury in determining any material factual issue, it may in its discretion, at any time before the closing arguments, order that the jury be conducted to such place or location of such thing. During the viewing, the jury must be kept together under the supervision of a proper officer appointed by the judicial authority. The judicial authority and an official court reporter or court recording monitor must be present, and, with the judicial authority’s permission, any other person may be present. Counsel and self-represented parties may as a matter of right be present, but the right may be waived. The purpose of viewing shall be solely to permit visual observation by the jury of the place or thing in question and to permit a brief description of the site or thing being viewed by the judicial authority or by any witness or witnesses as allowed by the judicial authority. Any proceedings at the location, including examination of witnesses, shall be at the discretion of the judicial authority. Neither the parties nor counsel nor the jurors while viewing the place or thing may engage in discussion of the significance or the implications of anything under observation or of any issue in the case. (See Sec. 844, P.B. 1978-1997.)
Section 16-12.View by Jury of Place or Thing Involved in Case
Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceThis rule lets a judge send the jury to view the actual place or object at the center of a dispute when seeing it firsthand would help resolve a factual issue, under strict rules against any discussion of the case at the scene.
Full Text of Section 16-12
Amendment History
(P.B.1998.) (Amended June 26, 2020, to take effect Jan. 1, 2021.)
Plain-English Summary
Sometimes a photograph or a witness’s description isn’t enough. Section 16-12 lets the judicial authority order the jury to visit the actual location or thing at issue in the case — a property line, an intersection, a piece of equipment — if a firsthand look would help the jury decide a factual question. The judge can order this any time before closing arguments, and the decision is discretionary.
The rule tightly controls what happens during the viewing. The jury stays together under the watch of a court officer, and the judge and an official court reporter or recording monitor must attend. Counsel and self-represented parties have a right to be present, though they can waive it, and the judge may allow others to attend as well. The purpose is narrow: the jury may look at the place or thing and hear a brief description from the judge or an allowed witness. Any other proceedings, including witness examination, happen only if the judge allows them. Most importantly, no one — not the parties, not counsel, not the jurors themselves — may discuss the significance of what they’re observing or any issue in the case while the viewing is underway.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can jurors talk about the case during a jury view in Connecticut?
No. Section 16-12 bars the parties, counsel, and the jurors themselves from discussing the significance or implications of anything observed, or any issue in the case, while the viewing takes place.
Who decides whether the jury gets to view the scene?
The judicial authority decides, in its discretion, and may order a viewing any time before closing arguments if it believes seeing the place or thing will help the jury resolve a material factual issue.
Do the attorneys get to be at the jury view?
Yes. Counsel and self-represented parties may attend as a matter of right, though that right can be waived, and the judge and a court reporter or recording monitor must also be present.
Can witnesses be examined during a jury viewing?
Only if the judicial authority allows it. The viewing’s core purpose is visual observation and a brief description of the site or thing, and any additional proceedings, including witness examination, are left to the judge’s discretion.
Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 16-12). Prescribed by the Judges of the Superior Court of Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 51-14). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 9, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: jury view of accident scene Connecticutjury visits the scenesite visit during trialview by the jury rulejury inspection of property in a lawsuit