How much is bail for disorderly conduct in Connecticut?

Often there is no money bail at all. Disorderly conduct under § 53a-182 is a class C misdemeanor, and § 54-64a(a)(2) says the court shall not impose financial conditions of release on a misdemeanor-only case unless the charge is a family violence crime, the person requests financial conditions, or the court makes a finding on the record about failure to appear, obstruction, or a threat to safety. Before court, a police officer may release the person on a written promise to appear or a bond the officer sets (§ 54-63c(a)). Ask what the bond actually is before paying anyone.

Is disorderly conduct the same as breach of the peace?

No — they are separate statutes with different penalties. Disorderly conduct (§ 53a-182) is a class C misdemeanor: up to three months and a fine up to $500 (§ 53a-36(3), § 53a-42(3)). Breach of the peace in the second degree (§ 53a-181) is a class B misdemeanor: up to six months and up to $1,000. Breach of the peace requires a public place for its fighting and threatening subdivisions, which is why an incident inside a home is usually charged as disorderly conduct. Check the section number on the arrest paperwork.

What changes if the arrest is marked as family violence?

Almost everything. Arrest is mandatory once an officer has speedy information that a family violence crime occurred, and cannot depend on the victim's consent (§ 46b-38b(a)). The misdemeanor no-money-bail rule stops applying, because a family violence crime is the first exception in § 54-64a(a)(2)(A). Police may impose non-financial conditions until the person is presented in court (§ 54-63c(b)), and the judge considers a protective order at arraignment, which becomes a condition of release (§ 46b-38c(d) and (e)(1)). Violating that order is a class D felony, or class C on the aggravating facts in § 53a-223(c).

Can a disorderly conduct charge be dismissed?

It can, most often through accelerated rehabilitation under § 54-56e — a pretrial programme for crimes not of a serious nature. The court may grant it in its discretion where the person has no previous conviction and has not used the programme before (or, for an earlier misdemeanor case, where ten or more years have passed). Supervision runs up to two years, and on satisfactory completion the court shall dismiss the charges, after which the records are erased under § 54-142a. Fees are $35 on application and $100 on entry, both waivable for inability to pay. It is unavailable to someone accused of a family violence crime who is eligible for the pretrial family violence education program (§ 54-56e(c)(3)).

Will they be held overnight?

Usually not, and the reason is statutory. Under § 54-63c(a) the police must promptly interview an arrested person about the terms and conditions of release, unless that interview is waived or refused, and then order release on a written promise to appear or on a bond the officer sets. If nothing is posted, the officer must notify a bail commissioner or an intake, assessment and referral specialist, who can set conditions under § 54-63d at no cost. If the person is still held, § 54-1g(a) requires prompt presentment to the Superior Court sitting next regularly for that geographical area.

Is there a 3% down bail bond program in Connecticut?

No. A surety bail bond agent who finances a premium must collect a minimum down payment of thirty-five per cent of the premium due and take a promissory note for the balance payable within fifteen months (§ 38a-660c(b)). A professional bondsman may charge no more than $50 on bail up to $500, 10% from $500 up to $5,000 and 7% above $5,000 (§ 29-151(a)) — so on the small bonds typical of this charge, the lawful maximum fee is often $50. Lawful payment plans exist in Connecticut; a 3% down program does not.

Disorderly Conduct Bail Bonds

The Bail Bonds associated with Disorderly Conduct in Connecticut - Understanding the Charge, the Bail Rule, and the Family Violence Advantage

CT Laws

Type of Charge

Class C misdemeanor, subject to a fine of $500 and imprisonment for as long as 3 months

Bail Set

After arraignment by the judge or bail commissioner.

Help Available

24 / 7 / 365

Liza Davis

Licensed Connecticut Bail Bond Agent · Since 2007

My expertise covers Connecticut misdemeanors since 2007. Families seeking bail often contact me about disorderly conduct, which is the charge where bondsmen are least likely to help. Therefore, I will first clarify the necessity for a bond, telling you whether the specific case is labeled as family violence and explaining what it means. The public record verifies my license. This page contains general information on Connecticut bail laws, not legal advice. Please consult a criminal defense attorney for specific cases.

Understanding Connecticut's Disorderly Conduct Charge

According to, a person is guilty of disorderly conduct in case they intend or are reckless enough to cause inconvenience, annoyance, and alarm , it can mean a fighting or violent action in public, annoying or interfering with another person, making unreasonable noise, and even annoying a crowd of people.

The law defines the charge as a misdemeanor which means that people arrested under it will be taken to court; however, despite the charges being minor according to the law, it is important to remember that it has the highest fine and longest imprisonment possible for any charge in that category.

If you or someone you love has been arrested under disorderly conduct, please call us now.

Call and we will tell you whether a bond is actually needed - and what the paperwork says about a family violence designation.

(860) 818-7078 - We provide 24/7 support.

Disorderly Conduct and Breach of the Peace: Statutory Differences

People use these terms as interchangeable. In Connecticut, the difference is more serious than just a different name.

Disorderly conduct under involves a class C misdemeanour with a possible maximum prison time of 3 months and a maximum fine of $500.
Breach of the peace under involves class B misdemeanours with a possible maximum prison time of 6 months and a maximum fine of $1,000.

The notions are similar, but not identical. Breach of the peace includes fighting or threatening behaviour in a public place, assaulting or beating another person, threatening to commit a crime against another or their property or showing obscene, abusive or insulting information concerning another person. The laws define a "public place" as any area of public use regardless of whether it belongs to private or public owners. Hence, the same occurrence inside the residence is mostly charged under rather than. Check the arrest documentation for the section number before you assume anything about the charge.

Family violence designation changes everything.

Disorderly conduct is the most prevailed charge in Connecticut's family violence cases, and the same applies after the designation.

Arrest is not optional. Under, when the officer has reasonable cause to conclude that a family violence crime took place, he has to make an arrest. The victim's wishes are of secondary importance. When both parties accuse each other, obliges the officer to arrest the dominant aggressor.
Misdemeanor bail rule stops applying. Family violence crime is the first exception provided under. The Class C misdemeanor that should be given a notice instead now requires money bail as well.
Conditions apply before appearing in court. Following, the police can put non-financial conditions in case the person is suspected of the crime - no contact with the complainant, restrictions regarding residence, traveling or meeting friends and no weapons, drugs, etc.
Protective order is processed at arraignment - after a report of a local family violence unit. This order becomes the condition of bail or release from custody. Violation of the order is considered a class D misdemeanour, while the class C felony covers the cases that involve violence.
Accelerated rehabilitation may not be the option. The law states that AR is not applicable for the person charged with family violence who satisfies requirements for the family violence course.

If the arrest paperwork includes a reference to family violence charge, check our family violence bond page it explains all this in detail.

Accelerated Rehabilitation: The story of the first arrest - dismissal

For people without any prior convictions this is usually the information that is more important than the bail amount. The law about AR establishes the pretrial program for people charged with crimes classified as "not serious".

The process:

The file becomes sealed.
It is optional for the court. The judge can apply this rule to people he thinks will not commit any violations in the future.
The victim is notified.
An application fee of $35 and a $100 entry charge is imposed by the court, although these charges may be waived in cases in which the inability to pay has been confirmed either by the submission of an affidavit of inability to pay or two judgments of inability to pay, either of which allows for the appointment of a public defender.
The supervision spans more than two years and is intended to assist convicted individuals over this period. The court establishes the terms and gives authority to the Court Support Services Division to supervise the person thus discharged.
Completion is understood as the process of discharging from the court with further erasure of records. After satisfactory completion, the defendant may apply to the court for erasure of charges filed against him or herself. The court may undertake such erasure of its own (facilitated through the appropriate motion), and hence, the records are erased in accordance with.
In addition to that, erasure of any previous charges can be done only two times in total. Another important aspect is that it is not possible to erase the records concerning class A and class B felonies or other serious crimes.

The key point here is that the defendant gets scattered information about his/her bail requirements and arranges for posting bail in the court, not through a bail bondsman. It is essential, as families who have a clear understanding of this factor make better financial decisions in the first twentyfour hours after any legal difficulties arise.

What are the bail bond costs in Connecticut - and what are they legally unable to do?

It is crucial to remember that in cases when a bail is needed, the prices are defined by law rather than through negotiations, hence, there are no legal 3% bond in Connecticut.

Thus, the surety and bail bond agents who help you finance the bail premium must require the payment of no less than 35% of the total amount of premium defined by law, as for the rest of the sum, it can be paid through a promissory note issued for more than 15 months after the bonding was executed.
Professional bail bondsmen are supposed to set rates no higher than $50 for bail amounts of $500, 10% for bail amounts in the range of $500 to $5,000, and 7% for amounts exceeding $5,000, as well as they are obliged to provide an annual report concerning the bonds issued and their rates; besides, they are subject to random audits - every year the commissioner selects three bail bondsmen for audit purposes.

It is also worth noting that the figures provided in are worth checking for a second time, as they allow you to find out the maximum fee of $50 for bail of $500. Our payment terms are on the bail bonds payment plans page.

Which court tries your case and where?

A case of disorderly conduct is tried in a geographical area (GA) court that serves the town where the person has been arrested. Connecticut has a total of 17 GA courthouses numbered from 1 to 23 with some unnumbered in-between (the word "GA" is used in connection with the court) thus a GA court list is GA-1 through GA-21 (except, of course, GA-22 Milford and GA-23 New Haven). The full breakdown is on our Connecticut bail bonds services hub.

Due to the release provisions provided by, most arrested individuals are released from the municipal police headquarters where they were taken into custody. In case of entering the state custody, it becomes necessary to mention that the Uncasville facility which in some outdated sources is referred to as Corrigan-Radgowski is now identified as Corrigan Correctional Center, 986 Norwich-New London Turnpike, the most recent source cites it as a Level 3/4 facility for pre-trial as well as sentenced citizens.

York Correctional Institution located in Niantic serves as the only women-only correctional facility in the state. If you are experiencing issues with disorderly conduct in Connecticut, our DOC office will assist you.

We can help anyone in Connecticut including Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury, Stamford, Danbury, New Britain, Meriden, Middletown, Derby, New London, and Norwich.

FAQs - Disorderly Conduct Bail Bonds in Connecticut

What happens when someone is charged with disorderly conduct?

It might be the case that there is no bail charge at all. Our charge comes under the Class C misdemeanor category of the disorderly conduct statute. Once again, it may happen, though, that someone will have to be released with bail established by court depending on the case. So make sure to inquire about the bond amount beforehand.

Do disorderly conduct and breach of peace refer to the same crime?

No, the two crimes are different crimes under the law. Breach of peace is considered a Class B misdemeanor under the law and includes the punishment for a total of six months in prison. The result is that an arrest inside a house is usually classified as disorderly conduct even though the breach of peace also implies a violent encounter.

Does anything change when the disturbance is categorized as a domestic disturbance?

Yes, all too often, the arrest is not conditional on any consent of the victim for law enforcement to be able to make an arrest. The no-money-bail statute is inapplicable, since the crime of domestic violence is the first exception outlined in. The police can set release conditions that do not involve bail before the accused appears in court, with a judge determining the question of a protective order at the moment of arraignment, which will in turn become one of the conditions of release. The breach of this order amounts to class D or the class C felony if there are aggravating circumstances in.

Can a charge of disorderly conduct be dropped?

Yes, it can be done, often by means of the accelerated rehabilitation program under, which is a pretrial system for less severe offenses. The court can decide to give its consent if the individual does not have any prior conviction and has never used this program before. In the case of an old misdemeanor conviction, it is enough for ten years to have passed. The supervision lasts for a period of two years, and after successful completion of the program (the charges are dismissed and records are expunged under) the court is going to collect $35 for the application and $100 for its entrance in the program, which may be waived if the accused is unable to pay. The program is not applicable for individuals charged with the domestic violence crime who have a right to take the pretrial family violence education course.

Will they be kept in custody for the night?

Usually not, since it is required by the law. According to, the police must invariably question the arrested individual about his conditions of release unless such questioning is not done or refused, so he would have to either be released on the promise to show up in court or through the bail he has previously set by the officer. If the accused is still being held up, states that he should be taken to the Superior Court within a short period of time, which usually takes place once a week in each particular region.

Is there a down 3% bail bond scheme in Connecticut?

No. The agent must obtain a deposit of at least thirty-five percent. A professional bondsman may charge no more than $50 on bail up to $500, 10% from $500 up to $5,000 and 7% above $5,000 - so on the small bonds typical of this charge, the lawful maximum fee is often $50. Lawful payment plans exist in Connecticut; a 3% down program does not.