The Fair Housing Act (the "Act"), as amended by Congress in 1988, prohibits a broad range of practices that discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability. The Act does not preempt local zoning laws, but prohibits municipalities and other local government entities from making or implementing zoning or land use decisions that exclude or otherwise discriminate against protected persons, including individuals with disabilities.

The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to:

• Use land use policies or actions that treat groups of persons with disabilities less favorably than groups of non-disabled persons. An example would be an ordinance prohibiting housing for persons with disabilities or a specific type of disability, such as mental illness, from locating in a particular area, while allowing other groups of unrelated individuals to live together in that area.
• Take action against or deny a permit for a home because of the disability of individuals who live or would live there. An example would be denying a building permit for a home because it was intended to provide housing for persons with mental retardation.
• Refuse to make reasonable accommodations in land use and zoning policies and procedures that may be necessary to afford persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to use and enjoy housing. Reasonable accommodation is determined on a case-by-case basis. Not all requested modifications of rules or policies are reasonable. If a requested modification imposes an undue financial or administrative burden on a local government, or if a modification creates a fundamental alteration in a local government's land use and zoning scheme, it is not a reasonable accommodation.

The disability discrimination provisions of the Fair Housing Act do not extend to persons who claim to be disabled solely on the basis of having been adjudicated a juvenile delinquent, having a criminal record, or being a sex offender. Furthermore, the Act does not protect persons who currently use illegal drugs, persons who have been convicted of the manufacture or sale of illegal drugs, or persons with or without disabilities who present a direct threat to the persons or property of others.

HUD and the Department of Justice encourage parties to group home disputes to explore all reasonable dispute resolution procedures, like mediation, as alternatives to litigation.

Have you experienced fair housing discrimination? Click here to learn how to file a complaint.