Secure.gov sites use HTTPS A lock (Lock Locked padlock) or https:// implies you've safely connected to the.gov site. Share sensitive details just on authorities, safe websites.

- About - The Attorney General

• Organizational Chart
• Budget & Performance
• History
• Privacy Program
  
  - Press Releases
• Speeches
• Videos
• Photo Galleries
• Blogs
• Podcasts
  
  - Guidance Documents
• Forms
• Publications
• Information for Victims in Large Cases
• Justice Manual
• Business and Contracts
  
  - Why Justice?
• Benefits
• DOJ Vacancies
• Legal Careers at DOJ
  
  Utilities
  
  - About About
  
  Our Work
  
  - Contact the Division Contact the Division
  
  Report an Infraction
  
  - Cases and Matters
• Press Room Press Room
  
  Videos
  
  Publications
  
  - Employment Opportunities Employment Opportunities
  
  Experienced Professionals
  
  Chief law officer ´ s Honors Program
  
  Volunteer and Paid Student Internship Programs
  
  - Civil Rights FOIA Civil Liberty FOIA
  
  Emmett Till Act/Cold Case Memoranda
  
  - En español
  
  - About - title=" About" About
• The Attorney general of the United States
• Organizational Chart
• Budget & Performance
• History
• Privacy Program
  
  - title=" News" News
• Press Releases
• Speeches
• Videos
• Photo Galleries
• Blogs
• Podcasts
  
  - title=" Guidance & Resources" Resources
• Guidance Documents
• Forms
• Publications
• Information for Victims in Large Cases
• Justice Manual
• Business and Contracts
  reference.com
  - Employment
• Why Justice?
• Benefits
• DOJ Vacancies
• Legal Careers at DOJ
  
  - Our Offices
• Find Help
• Contact Us
  
  Breadcrumb
  
  1. Justice.gov
• Civil Rights Division
• The Fair Housing Act
  
  The Fair Housing Act
  
  - Facebook
• X.
• LinkedIn.
• Email
  
  The Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq., forbids discrimination by direct service providers of housing, such as landlords and property business as well as other entities, such as towns, banks or other loan provider and house owners insurance provider whose prejudiced practices make housing not available to persons because of:
  
  race or color. religion. sex. nationwide origin. familial status, or. impairment.
  
  In cases including discrimination in mortgage loans or home improvement loans, the Department may file suit under both the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. The Department brings cases where there is evidence of a pattern or practice of discrimination or where a rejection of rights to a group of individuals raises a problem of general public value. Where force or risk of force is utilized to deny or interfere with fair housing rights, the Department of Justice may institute criminal procedures. The Fair Housing Act also offers treatments for managing specific grievances of discrimination. Individuals who believe that they have been victims of an illegal housing practice, might file a problem with the Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD] or submit their own claim in federal or state court. The Department of Justice brings suits on behalf of people based on referrals from HUD.
  
  Discrimination in Housing Based Upon Race or Color
  
  One of the main objectives of the Fair Housing Act, when Congress enacted it in 1968, was to forbid race discrimination in sales and leasings of housing. Nevertheless, more than thirty years later, race discrimination in housing continues to be an issue. The bulk of the Justice Department's pattern or practice cases include claims of race discrimination. Sometimes, housing companies attempt to camouflage their discrimination by offering false info about schedule of housing, either saying that nothing was readily available or steering homeseekers to particular locations based on race. Individuals who receive such incorrect info or misdirection might have no understanding that they have been victims of discrimination. The Department of Justice has actually brought lots of cases declaring this type of discrimination based on race or color. In addition, the Department's Fair Housing Testing Program looks for to uncover this kind of hidden discrimination and hold those responsible accountable. The majority of the mortgage lending cases brought by the Department under the Fair Housing Act and Equal Credit Opportunity Act have actually declared discrimination based on race or color. Some of the Department's cases have also declared that towns and other city government entities broke the Fair Housing Act when they rejected permits or zoning changes for housing developments, or relegated them to predominantly minority communities, since the potential residents were anticipated to be primarily African-Americans.
  
  Discrimination in Housing Based Upon Religion
  
  The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based upon faith. This prohibition covers instances of overt discrimination versus members of a particular religious beliefs too less direct actions, such as zoning ordinances designed to restrict the use of private homes as a locations of praise. The number of cases filed since 1968 alleging religious discrimination is little in comparison to a few of the other restricted bases, such as race or nationwide origin. The Act does contain a limited exception that allows non-commercial housing run by a spiritual organization to reserve such housing to individuals of the exact same religious beliefs.
  
  Discrimination in Housing Based Upon Sex, Including Unwanted Sexual Advances
  
  The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to discriminate in housing on the basis of sex. Recently, the Department's focus in this area has actually been to challenge unwanted sexual advances in housing. Women, particularly those who are bad, and with limited housing choices, typically have little recourse but to tolerate the humiliation and degradation of unwanted sexual advances or risk having their households and themselves got rid of from their homes. The Department's enforcement program is focused on property managers who produce an untenable living environment by requiring sexual favors from tenants or by creating a sexually hostile environment for them. In this manner we seek both to obtain relief for renters who have actually been treated unjustly by a owner because of sex and also prevent other potential abusers by making it clear that they can not continue their conduct without facing consequences. In addition, prices discrimination in mortgage loaning may likewise adversely impact ladies, particularly minority ladies. This type of discrimination is unlawful under both the Fair Housing Act and Equal Credit Opportunity Act.
  
  Discrimination in Housing Based Upon National Origin
  
  The Fair Housing Act forbids discrimination based upon nationwide origin. Such discrimination can be based either upon the country of a person's birth or where his/her forefathers originated. Census information suggest that the Hispanic population is the fastest growing segment of our country's population. The Justice Department has taken enforcement action against community federal governments that have attempted to minimize or restrict the number of Hispanic households that may reside in their communities. We have actually sued lending institutions under both the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act when they have actually imposed more strict underwriting standards on mortgage or made loans on less favorable terms for Hispanic debtors. The Department has likewise sued loan providers for discrimination versus Native Americans. Other locations of the country have actually experienced an increasing diversity of nationwide origin groups within their populations. This consists of new immigrants from Southeastern Asia, such as the Hmong, the previous Soviet Union, and other portions of Eastern Europe. We have actually acted versus personal property managers who have actually discriminated versus such people.
  
  Discrimination in Housing Based Upon Familial Status
  
  The Fair Housing Act, with some exceptions, restricts discrimination in housing versus households with children under 18. In addition to forbiding a straight-out denial of housing to households with children, the Act likewise prevents housing providers from imposing any special requirements or conditions on renters with custody of children. For instance, landlords may not locate families with kids in any single part of a complex, position an unreasonable limitation on the overall number of persons who might live in a house, or limit their access to recreational services provided to other tenants. In the majority of circumstances, the changed Fair Housing Act prohibits a housing service provider from refusing to lease or sell to households with children. However, some facilities may be designated as Housing for Older Persons (55 years of age). This kind of housing, which meets the requirements set forth in the Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995, might operate as "senior" housing. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has released regulations and additional assistance detailing these statutory requirements.
  
  Discrimination in Housing Based Upon Disability
  
  The Fair Housing Act restricts discrimination on the basis of special needs in all kinds of housing deals. The Act specifies individuals with a special needs to indicate those people with mental or physical impairments that considerably limit several significant life activities. The term psychological or physical disability might include conditions such as loss of sight, hearing disability, mobility problems, HIV infection, mental retardation, alcoholism, drug addiction, persistent fatigue, learning special needs, head injury, and mental disorder. The term major life activity may include seeing, hearing, walking, breathing, performing manual jobs, looking after one's self, learning, speaking, or working. The Fair Housing Act likewise safeguards persons who have a record of such an impairment, or are concerned as having such a disability. Current users of unlawful illegal drugs, persons convicted for illegal manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance, sex offenders, and juvenile wrongdoers are not thought about handicapped under the Fair Housing Act, by virtue of that status. The Fair Housing Act affords no defenses to individuals with or without impairments who provide a direct threat to the individuals or residential or commercial property of others. Determining whether somebody poses such a direct threat must be made on a personalized basis, however, and can not be based on basic presumptions or speculation about the nature of a disability. The Division's enforcement of the Fair Housing Act's protections for persons with specials needs has actually focused on 2 major locations. One is insuring that zoning and other policies worrying land use are not utilized to prevent the property choices of these people, consisting of unnecessarily restricting communal, or gather, domestic plans, such as group homes. The 2nd location is insuring that newly constructed multifamily housing is integrated in accordance with the Fair Housing Act's accessibility requirements so that it is accessible to and usable by people with impairments, and, in specific, those who utilize wheelchairs. There are other federal statutes that prohibit discrimination against individuals with specials needs, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is implemented by the Disability Rights Section of the Civil Rights Division.
  
  Discrimination in Housing Based Upon Disability Group Homes
  
  Some people with disabilities may cohabit in congregate living plans, often described as "group homes." The Fair Housing Act forbids towns and other local government entities from making zoning or land use decisions or executing land usage policies that leave out or otherwise victimize individuals with specials needs. The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal--
  
  - To use land usage policies or actions that treat groups of persons with disabilities less positively than groups of non-disabled individuals. An example would be an ordinance forbiding housing for individuals with specials needs or a specific kind of disability, such as mental disorder, from locating in a specific area, while enabling other groups of unassociated people to live together because area.
• To take action against, or deny an authorization, for a home due to the fact that of the impairment of people who live or would live there. An example would be denying a structure license for a home due to the fact that it was intended to offer housing for persons with mental retardation.
• To refuse to clear up accommodations in land usage and zoning policies and procedures where such lodgings may be needed to afford persons or groups of individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to use and take pleasure in housing. What constitutes an affordable lodging is a case-by-case determination. Not all requested modifications of guidelines or policies are sensible. If a requested modification enforces an excessive financial or administrative problem on a city government, or if an adjustment creates a fundamental modification in a regional government's land usage and zoning plan, it is not a "sensible" accommodation.
  
  Discrimination in Housing Based Upon Disability-- Accessibility Features for New Construction
  
  The Fair Housing Act specifies discrimination in housing versus persons with disabilities to consist of a failure "to develop and construct" specific brand-new multi-family homes so that they are accessible to and functional by persons with specials needs, and especially individuals who use wheelchairs. The Act needs all recently constructed multi-family houses of 4 or more systems intended for first occupancy after March 13, 1991, to have certain features: an accessible entryway on an accessible route, available typical and public usage locations, doors adequately wide to accommodate wheelchairs, available paths into and through each home, light switches, electric outlets, and thermostats in available location, reinforcements in bathroom walls to accommodate grab bar installations, and usable bathroom and kitchens configured so that a wheelchair can navigate about the area.
  
  Developers, contractors, owners, and designers responsible for the style or building and construction of new multi-family housing may be held responsible under the Fair Housing Act if their structures stop working to satisfy these style requirements. The Department of Justice has actually brought numerous enforcement actions versus those who failed to do so. The majority of the cases have actually been fixed by consent decrees offering a range of kinds of relief, consisting of: retrofitting to bring inaccessible features into compliance where possible and where it is not-- options (monetary funds or other building and construction requirements) that will attend to making other housing units accessible