About the Fairfield County Clerk's Office
There is no operating Fairfield County clerk for Connecticut Superior Court case files. Fairfield residents usually deal with two different clerk systems: the Superior Court chief clerk or clerk's office for court files, and the Fairfield Town Clerk for municipal records. The Superior Court clerk of the court of record is the authority for certified civil, family, criminal, motor vehicle, housing, and small claims copies. The Town Clerk is the municipal registrar and records custodian for land records, vital statistics, marriage licenses, notary filings, trade names, election records, and town records.
The most common criminal and motor vehicle clerk contact for Fairfield is GA 2 at Bridgeport. Civil, family, major criminal, housing, small claims, and administrative matters may instead involve the Bridgeport/Fairfield Judicial District or another specific court location shown in the Judicial Branch lookup. Always match the request to the docket's court location before asking for certification.
GA 2 at Bridgeport Chief Clerk's Office
172 Golden Hill Street
Bridgeport, CT 06604
203-579-6568
Fax: 203-382-8408
Doors open 8:30 a.m.; court hours 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Fairfield Town Clerk
Town Clerk: Betsy P. Browne, MMC, MCTC
Old Town Hall
611 Old Post Road
Fairfield, CT 06824
203-256-3090
bbrowne@fairfieldct.org
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; last land recording 4:00 p.m.
The Town Clerk's official page is useful for municipal record routing. The source image below comes from the Fairfield Town Clerk page.
Use that office for town-held records, but use the Superior Court clerk of record for certified court case materials.
What the Clerk Does in Fairfield County
The Superior Court clerk function is tied to the case file. A court clerk can verify docket location, provide instructions for certified copies, explain paper-file access, and direct requests for older or restricted court files. Online case lookups are informational, so certified records still depend on the clerk of the court where the case was filed.
- Maintain and certify Superior Court case records for the relevant court location.
- Help verify docket numbers, court locations, and filing status for civil, family, criminal, motor vehicle, housing, and small claims matters.
- Receive paper filings when required or when an online payment or eFiling process is unavailable.
- Direct restricted, sealed, juvenile, youthful offender, erased, or confidential record questions through the proper court process.
The Fairfield Town Clerk has a different statutory role. The office preserves and protects town records, serves as Registrar of Vital Statistics, records land documents, collects conveyance-related taxes for Fairfield property transfers, records notary certificates and trade names, handles marriage licenses by appointment, supports absentee-ballot and election administration with the Registrars of Voters, and serves as Clerk of the Representative Town Meeting.
The town publishes staff contacts for municipal records. The source image below comes from the Fairfield Town Clerk staff directory.
The directory helps with town records, while court-certified copies still require the Judicial Branch clerk connected to the docket.
How to Request a Certified Copy
Certified court copies are needed when a record must prove what was filed or ordered in a Superior Court case. Examples include a certified divorce decree, judgment, disposition, criminal docket entry, civil judgment, or order. The Fairfield Town Clerk cannot certify a Superior Court file, and the court clerk cannot issue a Fairfield birth certificate or land-record copy.
- Identify the record type first: court case, probate case, land record, vital record, marriage license, or town FOIA record.
- For a Superior Court case, search the Judicial Branch case lookup or use a known docket number to confirm the court location, such as GA 2 at Bridgeport or the Bridgeport/Fairfield Judicial District.
- Call or visit the clerk of the court of record and ask what copy request details, payment, identification, or mailing process apply to the specific file.
- Specify whether the copy must be certified, exemplified, plain, full-file, or limited to a particular document or order.
- Confirm delivery method and timing. Older files, sealed files, family records, erased matters, and juvenile-related records may require review before release.
Records Request Form Fields
A strong request reduces delays because Connecticut uses separate systems for court, probate, town, DOC, DMV, and federal records. If a formal court copy form is not available for the exact request, include the same details in a written request or ask the clerk what format the court prefers.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case or docket number | Strongly recommended | Use the Judicial Branch lookup first when possible. |
| Party names | Yes | Include full names and role if known, such as plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, or defendant. |
| Court location | Yes | Examples include Bridgeport GA 2, Bridgeport Judicial District, or Bridgeport Housing. |
| Document type | Yes | Examples include judgment, decree, disposition, order, motion, complaint, or full docket. |
| Copy type | Yes | State whether the copy must be certified or plain. |
| Requester contact | Yes | Provide phone, mailing address, and email for fee or pickup instructions. |
| Access basis | Sometimes | Needed when the record may be restricted, sealed, confidential, or family-related. |
Fairfield County Clerk Fees
The research file captured detailed municipal fees from the Fairfield Town Clerk pages, while court copy costs should be verified with the Superior Court clerk because the exact charge can vary by document, certification, and delivery method. Do not use Town Clerk vital-record fees as a court-copy price.
| Item | Amount or note |
|---|---|
| Superior Court certified copy | Verify with the clerk of the court of record before ordering. |
| Superior Court plain copy | Verify with the clerk of the court of record, especially for older or paper files. |
| Birth certificate copy | $20 through the Fairfield Town Clerk; cash or check only. |
| Death certificate copy | $20 through the Fairfield Town Clerk; cash or check only. |
| Marriage license | $50 through the Fairfield Town Clerk; appointment required. |
| Marriage certificate copy | $20 after the ceremony; request form required. |
| Notary certificate filing | $20 through the Fairfield Town Clerk. |
| Assessor property record card copy | $1 through the Assessor channel, not the court clerk. |
Common Clerk Forms
Fairfield municipal forms are published through the Town Clerk document center, while Judicial Branch case filing and copy procedures are handled through court-specific channels. The source image below comes from the Fairfield Town Clerk forms and documents page.
The form center is appropriate for town records such as vital-record requests and local clerk documents, not for certifying a Superior Court judgment.
- Vital statistics requests - birth, death, and marriage certificate copy rules, including Fairfield's access limits.
- Land records - municipal land-index access and recording information.
- Town FOIA requests - existing Fairfield municipal records subject to FOIA limits.
Fairfield land records are a Town Clerk function. The source image below comes from the Fairfield land records page.
The land-record index reaches back to 1929 online, but the Town Clerk does not search land records for requesters, so users should be prepared to search names and documents directly or use a title professional.
Mail and Online Filings
Connecticut court searching is statewide and court-type specific. Civil, family, housing, and small claims matters use the civil inquiry portal, while criminal and motor vehicle matters use the criminal/motor vehicle lookup. Attorneys and eligible self-represented parties may use Judicial Branch e-filing where available. If online payment or eFiling is unavailable, the Judicial Branch notice observed in the research directed filers to use a different browser, pay by check, or file paper with the Court Clerk when a fee was required.
Town FOIA is a separate municipal path. Fairfield states that the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act applies to existing public records within legal limits. The town does not have to perform analytical work, investigations, calculations, program reviews, or create custom materials. The source image below comes from the Fairfield FOIA request process page.
Use FOIA for town-held records, not as a workaround for sealed court files, erased criminal records, or certified Superior Court copies.
Probate statutes are separate from both Superior Court and municipal clerk duties. The source image below comes from the Connecticut Probate Court statutes.
That statutory separation is why a Fairfield estate or guardianship file belongs with Fairfield Probate Court, while civil or criminal case certification belongs with the Superior Court clerk of record.