(a) No person shall engage in the business of conducting a drivers' school without being licensed by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. An application for a license shall be in writing and shall contain such information as the commissioner requires. Each applicant for a license shall be fingerprinted before such application is approved. The commissioner shall subject each applicant for a license to state and national criminal history records checks conducted in accordance with section 29-17a, and a check of the state child abuse and neglect registry established pursuant to section 17a-101k. If any such applicant has a criminal record or is listed on the state child abuse and neglect registry, the commissioner shall make a determination of whether to issue a license to conduct a drivers' school in accordance with the standards and procedures set forth in section 14-44 and the regulations adopted pursuant to said section. If the application is approved, the applicant shall be granted a license upon the payment of a fee of seven hundred dollars and a deposit with the commissioner of cash or a bond of a surety company authorized to do business in this state, conditioned on the faithful performance by the applicant of any contract to furnish instruction, in either case in such amount as the commissioner may require, such cash or bond to be held by the commissioner to satisfy any execution issued against such school in a cause arising out of failure of such school to perform such contract. For each additional place of business of such school, the commissioner shall charge a fee of one hundred seventy-six dollars, except if the licensee opens an additional place of business with one year or less remaining on the term of its license, the commissioner shall charge a fee of eighty-eight dollars for each such additional place of business for the year or any part thereof remaining on the term of such license. No license shall be required in the case of any board of education, or any public, private or parochial school, which conducts a course in driver education established in accordance with sections 14-36e and 14-36f. A license so issued shall be valid for two years. The commissioner shall issue a license certificate or certificates to each licensee, one of which shall be displayed in each place of business of the licensee. In case of the loss, mutilation or destruction of a certificate, the commissioner shall issue a duplicate upon proof of the facts and the payment of a fee of twenty dollars.

(b) The biennial fee for the renewal of a license shall be seven hundred dollars and the biennial renewal fee for each additional place of business shall be one hundred seventy-six dollars, except if the licensee opens an additional place of business with one year or less remaining on the term of its license, the commissioner shall charge a fee of eighty-eight dollars for each such additional place of business for the year or any part thereof remaining on the term of such license. If the commissioner has not received a complete renewal application and all applicable renewal fees on or before the expiration date of an applicant's license, the commissioner shall charge such applicant, in addition to such renewal fees, a late fee of seven hundred dollars.

(c) Any person who engages in the business of conducting a drivers' school without being licensed in accordance with this section shall be guilty of a class B misdemeanor.

(1957, P.A. 507, S. 2; 1967, P.A. 406; 531, S. 2; 778; 1971, P.A. 95; P.A. 84-254, S. 45, 62; P.A. 03-265, S. 10; P.A. 04-143, S. 21; 04-182, S. 9; P.A. 10-110, S. 38; P.A. 11-213, S. 24; P.A. 12-81, S. 46; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-2, S. 125; P.A. 13-271, S. 27.)

History: 1967 acts provided for charge of $25 for each additional place of business, excluded from license requirements persons or schools providing instruction in operation of vehicles other than passenger vehicles and under the jurisdiction of the state board of education pursuant to Sec. 10-8, and added provision re cash or bond security; 1971 act raised cost of duplicate certificate from $1 to $2; P.A. 84-254 increased the fees, scheduling the increases to take effect as of July first of 1985, 1989, 1991 and 1993; P.A. 03-265 deleted provisions re fees applicable before July 1, 1993, and replaced provisions re waiver of license for board of education or school conducting driver education course approved by the State Board of Education or person or school under jurisdiction of said board with provisions re waiver of license for board of education or school conducting driver education course “established in accordance with sections 14-36e and 14-36f”; P.A. 04-143 provided that fee for license to conduct a drivers' school is $350 and fee for replacement license is $7, effective May 21, 2004; P.A. 04-182 increased fee for duplicate certificate to $20, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 10-110 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and amended same to require criminal history records checks and check of state child abuse and neglect registry for drivers' school license or license renewal applicant, delete provision re annual renewal fee and deposit of security and make technical changes, and added Subsec. (b) establishing annual renewal fee for license and for each additional place of business and late fee, effective July 1, 2010; P.A. 11-213 deleted provisions re renewal of license in Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (c) re penalty for conduct of school without license, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 12-81 amended Subsec. (b) to change license renewal fee from $350 annually to $700 biennially, change renewal fee for each additional place of business from $88 annually to $176 biennially and increase late fee from $350 to $700; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-2 amended Subsec. (a) to change license fee from $350 to $700, change fee for each additional place of business from $88 to $176 and change term of license from 1 year to 2 years; P.A. 13-271 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to add provisions re fee of $88 for additional place of business opened by licensee with one year or less remaining on the term of license, effective July 1, 2013.

See Secs. 14-36e and 14-36f re driver education programs in secondary schools.

See Sec. 14-292 re identifying markers for vehicles operated by student drivers.