Federal Fair Housing Act

The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing because of:

• Race
• Color
• National origin
• Religion
• Sex
• Familial status
• Disability

Additional federal civil rights laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, prohibit discrimination in housing and community development programs and activities, particularly those that are assisted with HUD funding.

Minnesota Human Rights Act

The Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) is a state law prohibiting discrimination in Minnesota. The MHRA includes all of the protected classes of the federal Fair Housing Act as well as these additional protected classes:

• Creed
• Marital status
• Public assistance status
• Sexual orientation

Learn more about the Minnesota Human Rights Act State Statute.

Federal nondiscrimination laws provide housing protections for individuals with disabilities. These protections apply in most private housing, state and local government housing, public housing and any other federally-assisted housing programs and activities.

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing and housing-related transactions because of disability. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in all programs, services, and activities of public entities and by private entities that own, operate or lease places of public accommodation.

Disability rights and resources

• Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan
• Fair housing for seniors with disabilities (LawHelpMN.org)
• HUD disability rights in housing
• Reasonable accommodations in housing (LawHelpMN.org)

You can report discrimination by filing a complaint with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development or the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

When you are filing a complaint, make sure to have the following information available for each complaint:

• Your name and address
• The name and address of the person your complaint is against
• The address of the housing involved
• The date(s) of the alleged violation
• A short description of the violation

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

The HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity's website provides information on fair housing and federal housing discrimination.

File a federal housing complaint through HUD using the federal housing complaint form.

Minnesota Department of Human Rights

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights is Minnesota’s civil rights enforcement agency. Their website has information on housing and other forms of discrimination. You can contact the department’s discrimination helpline by calling 1.833.454.0148.

File a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights using the State of Minnesota housing complaint form.

The following agencies are available to help victims of fair housing violations.

• HousingLink
• HOME Line Tenant Hotline
• Mid-MN Legal Aid
• Volunteer Lawyers Network
• Law Help MN

The St. Louis Park City Council adopted the St. Louis Park Fair Housing Policy Nov. 4, 2019 in order to advance its commitment to racial equity and inclusion and to further the goal of creating a thriving, safe, and healthy community for all residents.

The policy’s purpose is to outline St. Louis Park’s dedication and response to fair housing issues, which includes designating a fair housing officer to provide referrals to residents and direct them to appropriate agencies to file a fair housing complaint and track the complaint and resources given. The city will not be investigating fair housing complaints, nor does the city’s policy create any new fair housing requirements not already addressed by federal or state law.

The staff liaison to the St. Louis Park Human Rights Commission has been designated as the St. Louis Park Fair Housing Officer.