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State Fair Housing Laws


What are the Fair Housing laws in my area?

The "protected categories" protected under Fair Housing laws may differ depending on where you reside.

Federal law prohibits discrimination based on the following protected categories:

The following is a very brief summary of the Fair Housing laws that exist on the state level which protect more categories than federal laws. For a more in depth review of local Fair Housing laws, please consult the links to the actual laws or contact your local Fair Housing center. Please note that not all states have additional Fair Housing laws and that laws can change, so this page may not have the most up-to-date information.

AK - AR - CA - CT - DE - DC - FL - GA - HI - ID - IL - IN - IA - KS - KY - ME - MD - MA - MI - MN - MO - MT - NE - NV - NH - NJ - NM - NY - NC - ND - OH - OR - PA - RI - SC - SD - TN - VT - VA - WV - WI

Alaska - Civil rights includes the opportunity to obtain employment, credit and financing, public accommodations, housing accommodations, and other property without discrimination because of sex, physical or mental disability, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, race, religion, color, or national origin. (AK ST § 18.80.210)

Arkansas - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, physical or mental disability, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, race, religion, color, or national origin. (AR ST § 16-123-201)

California - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income, disability, or genetic information (CA GOVT § 12955).

Connecticut - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income or familial status (C.G.S. §46a-64c).

Delaware - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, sex, marital status, familial status, age or handicap (6 Del. C. 1953, § 4603).

District of Columbia - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, familial status, family responsibilities, disability, matriculation, political affiliation, source of income, or place of residence or business of any individual (DC ST § 2-1402.21).

Florida - Same protected categories as the federal law (Fla. Stat. §§ 760.20-760.60).

Georgia - Same protected categories as the federal law (O.C.G.A. §8-3-200, et. seq. (1996)).

Hawaii - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, marital status, familial status, ancestry, disability, age, or HIV infection (HRS § 515-3).

Idaho - Same protected categories as the federal law (ID ST § 67-5909(7)).

Illinois - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, familial status, marital status, physical or mental handicap, military status, sexual orientation, or unfavorable discharge from military service (775 ILCS 5).

Indiana - Same protected categories as the federal law (I.C. § 22-9.5).

Iowa - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, creed, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, familial status, or gender identity. (I.C.A § 216).

Kansas - Same protected categories as the federal law (K.S.A. § 44-1017).

Kentucky - Same protected categories as the federal law (KY Rev. Stat. Ann. § 344.360, §§ 344.600-344.680).

Maine - Same protected categories as the federal law ( ME Rev. Stat. Title 5, Part 12, Ch. 337 §4582).

Maryland - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability (MD. Code Ann. 49B §§19-39).

Massachusetts - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, children, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, membership in the armed forces, blindness, hearing impairment (or because such a person possesses a trained dog guide as a blindness or hearing impairment), other disability, participation  in a housing subsidy program (e.g.. Section 8), or against families with children under the age of six to avoid a landlord's obligations to de-lead under the Massachusetts Lead Paint Laws. (Mass. Gen. Law Chapter 151B).

Michigan - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, familial status, or marital status (MCL § 37.2502).

Minnesota - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, disability, sexual orientation, or familial status (M.S.A. § 363A.09).

Missouri - Same protected categories as the federal law (RSMo § 213.040).

Montana - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race or color, national origin, religion, sex (gender), familial status, handicap, creed, marital status, or age (Mont. Code Anno., § 49-2-305).

Nebraska - Same protected categories as the federal law (Neb Rev St § 20-318).

Nevada - Same protected categories as the federal law (NRS § 118.100).

New Hampshire - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, sex, race, color, marital status, familial status, physical or mental disability, religion or national origin (NH RSA Section 354-A:10 ).

New Jersey - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, marital status, familial status, affectional or sexual orientation, sex, mental and physical disability, including AIDS and HIV-related illness, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, or source of lawful income used for rental or mortgage payments (P.L. 1945, c. 169 (C. 10:5-1 et seq.)).

New York - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, marital status, creed, sex, age, disability, familial status, sexual orientation, military status, and source of income. (NY Human Rights Law).

North Carolina - Same protected categories as the federal law (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 41A).

North Dakota - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, familial status, national origin, or status with respect to marriage or public assistance (ND Cent. Code, § 14-02.5).

Ohio - In addition to the categories protected under federal law, Ohio prohibits discrimination on the basis of ancestry and military status (OH Rev § 4112).

Oregon - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, marital status, source of income, familial status, religion or national origin (OR ST § 659A.421).

Pennsylvania - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, handicap or disability, guide dogs, support animals, age (40 and above), pregnancy, familial status (families with children under age 18), use of a guide or support animal due to blindness, deafness or physical disability or because the user is a handler or trainer of such animals (PHRAct Section 5(h)).

Rhode Island - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, country of ancestral origin, disability, age, familial status, or regardless of the fact that a tenant or applicant, or a member of the household, is or has been, or is threatened with being, the victim of domestic abuse, or that the tenant or applicant has obtained, or sought, or is seeking, relief from any court in the form of a restraining order for protection from domestic abuse (RI Gen. Law § 34-37-2 ).

South Carolina - Same protected categories as the federal law (S.C. Code Ann. §§ 31-21-10, et. seq.).

South Dakota - Same protected categories as the federal law (SD ST § 20-13-20).

Tennessee - Same protected categories as the federal law (Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 4-21-601 – 4-21-607).

Vermont - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, religious creed, color, national origin or handicap of a person, or because a person intends to occupy a dwelling with one or more minor children, or because a person is a recipient of public assistance (9 V.S.A. § 4503).

Virginia - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status, or handicap (VA. Code Ann. §§ 36-96.1, et. seq. ).

Washington - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, marital status, race, creed, color, national origin, families with children status, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a disabled person (WA ST § 49.60.222).

West Virginia - Same protected categories as the federal law (W. Va. Code §§ 5-11A-1, et. seq.).

Wisconsin - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, sexual orientation, disability, religion, national origin, marital status, family status, lawful source of income, age or ancestry (W.S.A § 106.50).

Please refer to the actual laws or your local Fair Housing center for more information of local laws.

If you have any questions about any of the information on this page, or if you believe any of the information is incorrect or out of date, please give us feedback on our fair housing forum.

craigslist would like to thank the folks at Project Sentinel Fair Housing for their invaluable assistance in creating this page.