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Fair Housing and Related Laws

Fair housing and related statutes, regulations, and executive orders

Statutes

Fair Housing Act

42 U.S.C. §§ 3601-19
Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), as amended, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), familial status, national origin, and disability. It also requires that all federal programs relating to housing and urban development be administered in a manner that affirmatively furthers fair housing.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

42 U.S.C. § 2000d-1
Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

29 U.S.C. § 794
Section 504 prohibits discrimination based on disability in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

29 U.S.C. § 794d

Section 508 requires federal agencies to ensure that the electronic and information technology they develop, procure, or use allows individuals with disabilities to have ready access to and use of the information and data that is comparable to that of individuals without disabilities.

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

42 U.S.C. §§ 12131 – 12165
Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability in programs and activities provided or made available by public entities. HUD enforces Title II with respect to housing-related programs and activities of public entities, including public housing, housing assistance and housing referrals.

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

42 U.S.C. § 12181 – 12189
Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability in the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of places of public accommodations owned, leased, or operated by private entities. The Department of Justice enforces Title III of the ADA, but certain HUD recipients and private entities operating housing and community development programs are covered by Title III of the ADA.

Architectural Barriers Act of 1968
42 U.S.C. § 4151 et seq.

The Architectural Barriers Act requires that buildings and facilities designed, constructed, altered, or leased with certain federal funds after September 1969 must be accessible to and useable by persons with disabilities.

Section 109 of Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974
42 U.S.C. § 5309

Section 109 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), and religion in any program or activity funded in whole or in part under Title I of the Community Development Act of 1974, which includes Community Development Block Grants.

Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972

20 U.S.C. §§ 1681-83, 1685-88
Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation) in any education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. HUD enforces Title IX when it relates to housing affiliated with an educational institution.

Violence Against Women Act

42 U.S.C. § 14043e–11

VAWA provide housing protections for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in many of HUD’s housing programs. VAWA also requires the establishment of emergency transfer plans for facilitating the emergency relocation of certain tenants who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

Age Discrimination Act
42 U.S.C. §§ 6101 – 6107

The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.

Executive Orders

Executive Order 11063

Equal Opportunity in Housing
Executive Order 11063, issued on November 20, 1962, prohibits discrimination in the sale, leasing, rental, or other disposition of properties and facilities owned or operated by the federal government or provided with federal funds.

Executive Order 12892  |  text version

Leadership and Coordination of Fair Housing in Federal Programs: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
Executive Order 12892, issued on January 17, 1994, requires federal agencies to affirmatively further fair housing in their programs and activities, and provides that the Secretary of HUD will be responsible for coordinating the effort.

Executive Order 12898  |  text version
Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations

Executive Order 12898, issued on February 11, 1994, requires that each federal agency conduct its program, policies, and activities that substantially affect human health or the environment in a manner that does not exclude or otherwise subject persons to discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.

Executive Order 13166

Improving Access to Services for Persons With Limited English Proficiency
Executive Order 13166, issued on August 11, 2000, requires each federal agency to take steps to ensure that eligible persons with limited English proficiency are provided meaningful access to all federally-assisted and federally-conducted programs and activities.

Executive Order 13217

Community Based Alternatives for Individuals With Disabilities
Executive Order 13217, issued on June 18, 2001, requires federal agencies to evaluate their policies and programs to determine if any can be revised or modified to improve the availability of community-based living arrangements for persons with disabilities.

Executive Order 13988

Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation

Executive Order 13988, issued on January 20, 2021, requires HUD to administer and fully enforce the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity.

 


Regulations

Accessibility Standards for Design, Construction, and Alteration of Publicly Owned Residential Structures

24 C.F.R. part 40

Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing

24 C.F.R. part 108

24 C.F.R. part 110

24 C.F.R. part 200, subpart M

24 C.F.R. § 203.12(b)(3)

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing

24 C.F.R. §§ 5.150 – 5.168

Certification and Funding of State and Local Fair Housing Enforcement Agencies

24 C.F.R. part 115

Collection of Data

24 C.F.R. part 121

Discriminatory Conduct Under the Fair Housing Act

24 C.F.R. part 100

Equal Access Rule

24 C.F.R. § 5.105

24 C.F.R. § 5.106

Fair Housing Act Complaint Processing

24 C.F.R. part 103

Fair Housing Poster

24 C.F.R. part 110

Fair Housing Initiatives Program

24 C.F.R. part 125

Information and Communication Technology Standards and Guidelines

36 C.F.R. part 1194

Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity in Housing Under Executive Order 11063

24 C.F.R. part 107

Nondiscrimination Based on Handicap in Federally-Assisted Programs and Activities of the Department of Housing and Urban Development

24 C.F.R. part 8

Nondiscrimination in Federally-Assisted Programs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development – Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

24 C.F.R. part 1

Nondiscrimination in Programs and Activities Receiving Assistance under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974

24 C.F.R. part 6

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in HUD Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance

24 C.F.R. part 146

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services

28 C.F.R. part 35

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance

24 C.F.R. part 3

Protection for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, or Stalking

24 C.F.R. §§ 5.2001 – 5.2011


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