Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceThis rule lets a defendant (or a plaintiff facing a counterclaim) move a small claims case out of small claims and onto the regular Superior Court docket by filing a timely motion, backed by a large counterclaim, a sworn defense, or a jury claim, along with the required fees.
(a)A case duly entered on the small claims docket of a small claims area or housing session court location shall be transferred to the regular docket of the Superior Court or to the regular housing docket, respectively, if the following conditions are met:
(1)The defendant, or the plaintiff if the defendant has filed a counterclaim, shall file a motion to transfer the case to the regular docket. This motion must be filed on or before the answer date with certification of service pursuant to Section 10-12 et seq. If a motion to open claiming lack of actual notice is granted, the motion to transfer with accompanying documents and fees must be filed within fifteen days after the notice granting the motion to open was sent.
(2)The motion to transfer must be accompanied by (A) a counterclaim in an amount greater than the jurisdiction of the small claims court; or (B) an affidavit stating that a good defense exists to the claim and setting forth with specificity the nature of the defense, or stating that the case has been properly claimed for trial by jury.
(3)The moving party shall pay all necessary statutory fees at the time the motion to transfer is filed, including any jury fees if a claim for trial by jury is filed.
(b)When a defendant or plaintiff on a counterclaim has satisfied one of the conditions of subsection (a) (2) herein, the motion to transfer to the regular docket shall be granted by the judicial authority, without the need for a hearing.
(c)A case which has been properly transferred shall be transferred to the docket of the judicial district which corresponds to the venue of the small claims matter, except that a housing case properly transferred shall remain in or be transferred to the housing session and be placed upon the regular housing docket. A case may be consolidated with a case pending in any other clerk’s office of the Superior Court.
(d)When a case is transferred from the small claims docket to the regular docket of the Superior Court or to the regular housing docket, the appearance entered in the small claims case of an attorney at law and of a self-represented party as an individual shall be entered on the appropriate docket of the Superior Court. Unless otherwise ordered, when a case is transferred from the small claims docket to the regular docket of the Superior Court or to the regular housing docket, the appearance of any representative that was recognized in the small claims case, other than an attorney at law or a self-represented party as an individual, shall be entered on the appropriate docket of the Superior Court for notice purposes only and not as a representative of any party in the case.
Amendment History
(P.B. 1978-1997, Sec. 572.) (Amended June 29, 1998, to take effect Jan. 1, 1999; amended June 26, 2000, to take effect Jan. 1, 2001; amended June 21, 2010, to take effect Jan. 1, 2011; amended June 24, 2016, to take effect Jan. 1, 2017.)
Plain-English Summary
Small claims moves fast and informally, but either side can pull a case out of that track and into the regular civil docket. The defendant — or the plaintiff, if the defendant has filed a counterclaim — must file a motion to transfer on or before the answer date, with proof of service on the other side. If a party only learned about the case late and got a motion to open granted for lack of actual notice, the transfer motion is due within fifteen days after that ruling goes out.
The motion has to be backed by something concrete: a counterclaim worth more than small claims can handle, a sworn affidavit describing an actual defense to the claim, or a statement that the case has been properly claimed for a jury trial. The moving party also has to pay all the required fees, including jury fees if a jury is being claimed. Once one of those conditions is met, the court grants the transfer without holding a hearing. The case then lands on the docket of the judicial district that matches the small claims venue (or stays in a housing session, if that's where it started), and it can even be consolidated with another pending case. Lawyers and self-represented individuals keep their appearance on the new docket; other types of representatives are carried over for notice purposes only, not as an authorized representative going forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I move a small claims case in Connecticut to the regular docket?
File a motion to transfer on or before the answer date, along with either a counterclaim exceeding the small claims jurisdictional limit, a sworn affidavit describing a good defense, or a jury claim, and pay the required fees.
Do I get a hearing on a motion to transfer out of small claims?
No. Once the motion is properly supported and the fees are paid, the judicial authority grants the transfer without a hearing.
What happens to my case after it transfers out of small claims?
It moves to the regular docket of the judicial district matching the small claims venue, or stays with the housing session if the case involves a housing matter, and it may be consolidated with another pending case.
Does my lawyer stay on the case after a transfer to the regular docket?
Yes, an attorney's or a self-represented party's appearance carries over automatically; other representatives are carried over for notice purposes only, not as ongoing representatives.
Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 24-21). 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:transfer small claims to regular docket Connecticutmoving small claims case to Superior Courtmotion to transfer small claims CTsmall claims counterclaim transfersmall claims jury trial transferCT small claims to regular civil docket