Brownfield Liability Relief Programs

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Department of Economic and Community Development's Office of Brownfield Remediation and Redevelopment work together to provide liability relief for cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields in Connecticut. DEEP's page, last modified March 12, 2026, describes three programs.

In a Phase I ESA

ASTM E1527-21 does not name these programs among its standard record sources. DEEP's Brownfields Inventory page says the inventory includes sites accepted into one of the liability relief programs administered by the Department of Economic and Community Development or DEEP. Which program a site entered matters, because DEEP describes different eligibility and duties for each. The rules below are DEEP's description of eligibility and terms, not findings about any property.

• Abandoned Brownfield Cleanup (ABC) Program. DEEP says it is for a bona fide prospective purchaser who is not responsible for the pollution and not affiliated with a responsible party. It says the purchaser must apply and be accepted before acquiring the property, the property must have been unused or significantly underutilized for 5 years before enrollment as determined by the Department of Economic and Community Development, and the redevelopment must provide regional or municipal benefit. It lists liability relief from the State and third parties, no obligation to investigate and remediate off-site but a duty to eliminate off-site migration of pollution, and eligibility for a free Covenant Not to Sue.
• Brownfield Remediation and Revitalization Program. DEEP says it is open to a bona fide prospective purchaser, innocent property owner or contiguous landowner that is not responsible for the pollution and not affiliated with a responsible party. It requires investigation and remediation of pollution within site boundaries. DEEP says the fee is 5% of the assessed land value based on the most recent grand list, paid in two equal installments through its REACT portal, and that there is no fee for a municipality but a new owner pays when acquiring from one.
• Municipal Brownfield Liability Relief Program. DEEP says it provides State and third party liability relief, with no fee to apply. DEEP says a participant is not required to fully investigate or clean up the site but must be a good steward of the land and comply with the Significant Environmental Hazard Program as applicable, make good faith efforts to minimize risk to public health and the environment, and submit a plan and schedule for investigation, remediation and redevelopment.

DEEP says all three are exempt from the reporting and scheduling requirements of the Release-Based Cleanup Program but are subject to Significant Environmental Hazard reporting and abatement requirements. See Significant Environmental Hazards. It also says the ABC Program requires the property to enroll and remain in DEEP's Voluntary Remediation Program under section 22a-133x, which carries a $3,250 fee. See Voluntary Remediation Programs.

Where to look a site up

• DEEP's Brownfields Inventory is the list its pages point to. DEEP's page does not give a separate list of sites accepted into each program.
• DEEP's page links the application routes on the Department of Economic and Community Development's site, which was not read for this page.
• For brownfields inquiries and applications, DEEP gives DEEP.Brownfields@ct.gov.

Getting the file

The pages read do not say where the application and acceptance records for each program are kept, so ask DEEP at the address above. See the overview for the portals and the Records Center.

Sources

Department of Energy and Environmental Protection pages, read October 8, 2026:

• Connecticut Brownfield Remediation Liability Relief Programs, last modified March 12, 2026.
• Brownfields Site Inventory, last modified February 25, 2026.
• Remediation Division Contacts, last modified March 23, 2026.