(a) The commissioner or any person aggrieved by any regulation, order, decision or action made pursuant to sections 22a-36 to 22a-45, inclusive, by the commissioner, a district or municipality or any person owning or occupying land which abuts any portion of land within, or is within a radius of ninety feet of, the wetland or watercourse involved in any regulation, order, decision or action made pursuant to said sections may, within the time specified in subsection (b) of section 8-8, from the publication of such regulation, order, decision or action, appeal to the superior court for the judicial district where the land affected is located, and if located in more than one judicial district to the court in any such judicial district. Such appeal shall be made returnable to the court in the same manner as that prescribed for civil actions brought to the court, except that the record shall be transmitted to the court within the time specified in subsection (i) of section 8-8. If the inland wetlands agency or its agent does not provide a transcript of the stenographic or the sound recording of a meeting where the inland wetlands agency or its agent deliberates or makes a decision on a permit for which a public hearing was held, a certified, true and accurate transcript of a stenographic or sound recording of the meeting prepared by or on behalf of the applicant or any other party shall be admissible as part of the record. Notice of such appeal shall be served upon the inland wetlands agency and the commissioner, provided, for any such appeal taken on or after October 1, 2004, service of process for purposes of such notice to the inland wetlands agency shall be made in accordance with subdivision (5) of subsection (b) of section 52-57. The commissioner may appear as a party to any action brought by any other person within thirty days from the date such appeal is returned to the court. The appeal shall state the reasons upon which it is predicated and shall not stay proceedings on the regulation, order, decision or action, but the court may on application and after notice grant a restraining order. Such appeal shall have precedence in the order of trial.

(b) The court, upon the motion of the person who applied for such order, decision or action, shall make such person a party defendant in the appeal. Such defendant may, at any time after the return date of such appeal, make a motion to dismiss the appeal. At the hearing on such motion to dismiss, each appellant shall have the burden of proving such appellant’s standing to bring the appeal. The court may, upon the record, grant or deny the motion. The court’s order on such motion may be appealed in the manner provided in subsection (p) of section 8-8.

(c) The proceedings of the court in the appeal may be stayed by agreement of the parties when a mediation conducted pursuant to section 8-8a commences. Any such stay shall terminate upon conclusion of the mediation.

(d) No appeal taken under subsection (a) of this section shall be withdrawn and no settlement between the parties to any such appeal shall be effective unless and until a hearing has been held before the Superior Court and the court has approved such proposed withdrawal or settlement.

(e) There shall be no right to further review except to the Appellate Court by certification for review in accordance with the provisions of subsection (o) of section 8-8.

(1972, P.A. 155, S. 8; P.A. 73-571, S. 5, 9; P.A. 76-436, S. 461, 681; P.A. 77-603, S. 13, 125; P.A. 78-280, S. 1, 127; P.A. 84-227, S. 3; P.A. 87-338, S. 8, 11; P.A. 89-356, S. 9; P.A. 91-136; P.A. 95-151, S. 1; P.A. 96-180, S. 76, 166; P.A. 00-108, S. 1; P.A. 01-47, S. 3; 01-195, S. 173, 181; P.A. 02-132, S. 66; P.A. 04-78, S. 2; P.A. 17-48, S. 19.)

History: P.A. 73-571 provided that appeals be made within 15 days after publication of regulation, order, etc. rather than in accordance with Secs. 4-166 to 4-184 of the 1971 supplement to statutes, added provisions clarifying nature and effect of appeal and deleted Subsecs. (b) and (c) re assessment of damages and allotment of court costs and re power of commissioner, district or municipality to purchase land and contract with landowners; P.A. 76-436 replaced court of common pleas with superior court and added reference to judicial districts, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-603 amended appeal provisions to specify that in contested cases appeals shall conform to Sec. 4-183 and to clarify venue; P.A. 78-280 deleted references to counties; P.A. 84-227 added Subsec. (b) re a hearing on a motion to dismiss the appeal made by the person who applied for the order, decision or action where each appellant has the burden of proving his standing to bring the appeal, and added Subsec. (c) re a prohibition on withdrawal or settlement without court approval; P.A. 87-338 amended Subsec. (a) to authorize appeals by the commissioner or persons owning or occupying abutting land and to authorize the commissioner to appear as a party to actions brought by other persons; P.A. 89-356 amended Subsec. (a) to replace provision that aggrieved person or abutter “may, within fifteen days after publication of such regulation, order, decision or action appeal to the superior court for the judicial district where the land affected is located, and if located in more than one judicial district, to said court in any such judicial district, except if such appeal is from a contested case, as defined in section 4-166, such appeal shall be in accordance with the provisions of section 4-183” with “may appeal to the superior court in accordance with the provisions of section 4-183”; P.A. 91-136 deleted language that appeal to superior court be in accordance with Sec. 4-183 and substituted language that appeal be taken within the time specified in Subdiv. (b) of such regulation, order, decision or action; P.A. 95-151 amended Subsec. (b) and added Subsec. (d) to provide for appeal of Superior Court’s decision in manner provided for appeal of court decisions re zoning appeals; P.A. 96-180 amended Subsec. (d) to change “right of further review” to “right to further review”, effective June 3, 1996; P.A. 00-108 amended Subsec. (a) to make a technical change and add provision re transcripts of meetings; P.A. 01-47 amended Subsecs. (a), (b) and (d) by making technical changes, including changes for purposes of gender neutrality; P.A. 01-195 amended Subsec. (a) to substitute “portion of land within” for “portion of land” and make technical changes, effective July 11, 2001; P.A. 02-132 added new Subsec. (c) re stay of appeal upon commencement of mediation pursuant to Sec. 8-8a, redesignated existing Subsecs. (c) and (d) as Subsecs. (d) and (e) and made technical changes in Subsec. (a) and redesignated Subsec. (d); P.A. 04-78 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re requirements for service for purposes of notice to inland wetlands agency applicable to appeals taken on or after October 1, 2004; P.A. 17-48 amended Subsec. (e) to replace reference to Sec. 8-8(p) with reference to Sec. 8-8(o).