A proposal has been submitted to the New Britain City Council to increase a number of city fines, and is to be presented at an upcoming Council committee public hearing and meeting in April
The proposal seeks to revise six key sections of the New Britain Code of Ordinances to provide “increased penalties” for a variety things, ranging from blight and housing violations to animal control issues.
The “catch-all” fine (Sec 1-15) for any ordinance violation where no specific penalty is listed would rise from $99 to $150. Each day a violation continues would still constitute a separate offense.
The fine for failing to remove dog feces from public areas, sidewalks or another person’s private property before leaving the premises (Sec 6-19) would increase from $99 to $150 per occurrence.
The provision for fines for individual conditions under the anti-blight ordinance (Sec 7-44) would increase from $100 to $150.
The weekly fine for property owners who refuse to allow authorized anti-graffiti organizations to remove graffiti from their buildings free of charge (Sec 7-62) would increase to $150 from the current $99-per-week fine.
The proposal would increase from $99 to $150 the fine under the ordinance (Sec 11-6) concerning the placement of trash and recycling bins.
Violations of the city’s Housing Code (Sec 13-260) would carry the new $150 maximum penalty, up from $99.
The proposal will be the subject of a public hearing before the Common Council’s Committee on Administration, Finance and Law and Public Services on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at 6:30 pm.
The public hearing and subsequent committee meeting will be held in the Common Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of City Hall, 27 West Main Street.
Members of the public who cannot attend in person may join the hearing remotely by calling 1 (339) 209-6176 or by viewing the livestream on the city’s website or official YouTube channel.
In addition to the fine increases, the committee is scheduled to discuss a separate proposal to initiate a study on establishing a Municipal Identification Card program for New Britain residents. This study would evaluate the feasibility, costs and privacy protections of a local ID system intended to assist residents in accessing municipal services.
