Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at an 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

Office of Adjudications - Requesting a Hearing

The Office of Adjudications will accept electronically-filed petitions for hearing in addition to those submitted by mail or hand-delivered.  Petitions with required signatures may be sent to deep.adjudications@ct.gov; those mailed or delivered should go to the DEEP Office of Adjudications, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106. If the signed original petition is only in an electronic format, the petition must be submitted with a statement signed by the petitioner that the petition exists only in that form. Original petitions that were filed electronically must also be mailed or delivered to the Office of Adjudications within 30 days of electronic submittal.

Permit Applications

When the DEEP makes its initial decision concerning a permit application, it will publish a Notice of Tentative Determination in a local newspaper and on the DEEP website at www.ct.gov/deep/publicnotices.  This Notice will indicate how and when a petition requesting a hearing may be filed with the DEEP.

Generally, to compel a hearing, a petition must be signed by at least 25 persons and should identify the application that is the subject of the request (see Notice of Tentative Determination). A petition may also designate a person authorized to engage in discussions regarding an application and, if resolution is reached, withdraw the petition.  Sample Hearing Petition

In order to make communication more effective between the DEEP and the petitioners, the petition or cover letter forwarding the petition should identify a contact person for those signing the petition and include that person’s mailing and email addresses. In order to have a request processed, all names and signatures on the petition must be clear and readable; each person signing the petition should also print his or her name and address.

The person or organization requesting a hearing is called the Petitioner.  A Petitioner is not considered a party in a proceeding, but may receive notices of and may attend public meetings and hearings. A Petitioner may also become a party by intervening in a proceeding.  Intervening in the Hearing Process

Original signed petitions may be scanned and sent electronically to deep.adjudications@ct.gov or may be mailed or delivered to:

DEEP Office of Adjudications
79 Elm Street, 5th floor
Hartford, CT 06106-5127

All petitions must be received within the timeframe specified in the Notice of Tentative Determination. If submitted electronically, original signed petitions must also be mailed or delivered to the address above within ten days of electronic submittal.

For more information, see the Rules of Practice, RCSA §22a-3a-6(i).

Order Enforcement Cases 

When the DEEP issues an order to enforce a violation of an environmental statute or regulation, the recipient of that order, called the Respondent, may request a hearing to contest that order.  Section 22a-6(e) of the Connecticut General Statutes provides that a request for hearing must be filed within 30 days from the date the order is mailed by the DEEP, unless the law concerning that violation provides a different deadline. 

This request for a hearing, which may be in letter form, must be filed with the Office of Adjudications and specify the findings in the order that are being challenged and any other grounds for contesting the order.  A copy of the order must be included with the request for hearing.   See Rules of Practice, RCSA §22a-3a-6(i)(1).