Indifferent Person Authority to Serve Subpoenas in Connecticut
One of the most important advantages for Connecticut litigators is that you do NOT need a State Marshal to serve a subpoena in Connecticut. Both Connecticut General Statutes § 52-143(a) (governing trial and court hearing subpoenas) and § 52-148e(b) (governing deposition and discovery subpoenas) explicitly authorize service by 'an indifferent person'—any impartial private process server aged 18 or older who is not a party to the action.
Using Connecticut Process Service LLC's Indifferent Person couriers allows attorneys to dispatch urgent trial, deposition, corporate, and hospital medical records subpoenas immediately across all 8 Connecticut counties without marshal backlogs.
The 18-Hour Statutory Deadline & Deposition Notice Rules
Connecticut enforces distinct timing rules depending on whether a subpoena commands appearance at a court hearing/trial or at a pretrial deposition:
• Trial & Hearing Subpoenas (C.G.S. § 52-143(a)): A subpoena commanding a witness to appear and testify in court must be served not less than 18 hours prior to the time designated for the person to appear, unless the court orders otherwise.
• Deposition Subpoenas & Subpoenas Duces Tecum (C.G.S. § 52-148e & Practice Book § 13-27): Under Practice Book § 13-27(a), reasonable written notice of a deposition must be given to every other party to the action. Under C.G.S. § 52-148e(c), if a deposition subpoena commands the production of books, papers, documents, or tangible things (a subpoena duces tecum), the person to whom the subpoena is directed has 15 days after the service thereof (or on or before the time specified in the subpoena for compliance if such time is less than 15 days after service) to serve written objections.
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Calculating Connecticut Witness Fees & Mileage Under C.G.S. § 52-260
To compel a witness's attendance under C.G.S. § 52-143(a) (and obtain a capias warrant if the witness fails to appear), the statutory witness fee and travel mileage under C.G.S. § 52-260 must be tendered to the witness:
• Standard Fact Witness Fee (§ 52-260(a)): The statutory daily attendance fee in Connecticut is $0.50 (fifty cents) per day, PLUS mileage for travel to and from the place of trial or deposition calculated at the standard mileage rate allowed for state employees by the Department of Administrative Services (which tracks the federal IRS/GSA standard mileage rate).
• Police Officers & Firefighters (§ 52-260(c)): When any regular or supernumerary police officer or regular/substitute firefighter is summoned to testify in a civil action in their official capacity (and is not compensated by their municipality for that time), the statutory witness fee is $100.00 per day plus state-employee mileage.
• Healthcare Practitioners & Real Estate Appraisers (§ 52-260(f)–(g)): Physicians, dentists, chiropractors, psychologists, advanced practice registered nurses, and real estate appraisers summoned to give expert opinion testimony are entitled to a reasonable fee determined by the court.
Mandatory Fact-Witness Language on Connecticut Subpoenas (§ 52-143(e))
Under C.G.S. § 52-143(e), every civil subpoena served in Connecticut MUST contain the following statutory notice in bold/conspicuous type (included on Judicial Branch Form JD-CL-43):
1. Notice that any arrangements to place the witness 'on call' are only valid if agreed to by the person summoned and the party or attorney issuing the subpoena; and
2. Notice that if the witness is not paid their statutory attendance and travel fees, or if the subpoena is served less than 18 hours before the scheduled appearance without court order, the witness may not be penalized for failing to appear.