Borough (Connecticut)


In the U.S. state of Connecticut, a borough is an incorporated section of a town. Borough governments are not autonomous and are subordinate to the government of the town to which they belong. For example, Fenwick is a borough in Old Saybrook. A borough is a clearly defined municipality and provides some municipal services, such as police and fire services, garbage collection, street lighting and maintenance, management of cemeteries, and building code enforcement. Other municipal services not provided by the borough are provided by the parent town. Connecticut boroughs are administratively similar to villages in New York. Borough elections are held biennially in odd years on the first Monday in May.

Historical background

was the state's first borough, formed in 1800 or 1801 as a subdivision of the town of Stratford. Numerous additional boroughs were established thereafter, mostly during the 19th century, to serve a variety of local governmental purposes. There were 18 boroughs in the state as of 1850 and a total of 26 as of 1910. Most Connecticut boroughs have subsequently disincorporated or have become cities. An example of a former borough is Willimantic located in the Town of Windham. It was originally incorporated as a borough in 1833, re-incorporated as a city in 1893 and in 1983 was dis-incorporated becoming a special service district within the town of Windham under the town's governmental control.

List of boroughs

As of 2016, there are nine boroughs in Connecticut, four of which share the name of the town in which they are located. Of the current boroughs, one is consolidated with its town. Litchfield is the only town to have two incorporated boroughs located within its limits. Below is a list of boroughs that have existed ordered by date of incorporation. Currently existing boroughs are indicated in boldface.
BoroughParent townDate incorporatedCurrent status
BridgeportStratford1800Consolidated city-town separate from original parent town since 1889
StoningtonStonington1801Borough
GuilfordGuilford1815Disincorporated 1941
EssexDeep River 1820Disincorporated 1854 when Town of Essex was incorporated
Killingworth Killingworth1820Disincorporated 1838 when Town of Clinton was incorporated
DanburyDanbury1822Consolidated city-town since 1965
NewtownNewtown1824Borough
ColchesterColchester1824/1846Disincorporated 1990
WaterburyWaterbury1825Consolidated city-town since 1902
StamfordStamford1830Consolidated city-town since 1949
SouthportFairfield1831Disincorporated 1854
WillimanticWindham1833Disincorporated 1893 when City of Willimantic was incorporated
CliftonWinchester1833Disincorporated 1858
WorthingtonBerlin1834Disincorporated ?
NorwalkNorwalk1836Consolidated city-town since 1913
HumphreysvilleDerby1836Disincorporated 1850 when Town of Seymour was incorporated
BethelDanbury1847Town of Bethel separated from Danbury in 1855; Borough disincorporated
New BritainNew Britain1850Consolidated city-town since 1906
BirminghamDerby1851Consolidated city-town since 1893
WallingfordWallingford1853Disincorporated 1958
SharonSharon1853Disincorporated ?
DanielsonKillingly1854Borough
GreenwichGreenwich1854Disincorporated 1932
WinstedWinchester1858Consolidated with Winchester 1915; chartered as city in 1917, although the US Census Bureau rescinded recognition sometime between 1970 and 1980.
AnsoniaDerby1864Consolidated city-town in 1893, separated from original parent town in 1889 when town of Ansonia was incorporated
BranfordBranford1867Disincorporated 1970s
Fair Haven EastEast Haven
1872Disincorporated 1897
West StratfordStratford1873Disincorporated 1889
West HavenOrange1873Consolidated city-town separate from original parent town since 1961
Stafford SpringsStafford1873Disincorporated 1991
LitchfieldLitchfield1879Borough
SheltonShelton 1882Consolidated city-town since 1915
TorringtonTorrington1887Consolidated city-town since 1923
New CanaanNew Canaan1889Disincorporated 1935
SouthingtonSouthington1889Disincorporated 1948
NaugatuckNaugatuck1893Consolidated borough-town since 1895
BristolBristol1893Consolidated city-town since 1911
Jewett CityGriswold1895Borough
FenwickOld Saybrook1899Borough
FarmingtonFarmington1901Disincorporated 1947
RidgefieldRidgefield1901Disincorporated 1921
GrotonGroton1903Chartered as non-coextensive city in 1964
WoodmontMilford1903Borough
BantamLitchfield1915Borough
UnionvilleFarmington1921Disincorporated 1947