Chicago Heights — Ch. 23 Human Relations § 23-36
Construction
Operative Text
This article shall be construed according to the fair import of its terms, and shall be liberally construed to further the purposes and policy stated and the special purposes of the particular provisions involved.
Chicago Heights Ch. 23 Human Relations § 23-36 establishes a rule of interpretation for the entire Human Relations article: courts and officials reading the article should give its words their fair, natural meaning and should interpret any ambiguous provisions broadly in favor of the article's stated anti-discrimination purposes. This means that narrow or technical readings that would undermine the article's goals are disfavored. The provision is a guiding principle for how every other section of the article is to be understood and applied.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Chicago Heights Ch. 23 § 23-36, the Human Relations article is designed to be read expansively, so property owners and managers should not assume that technical gaps or ambiguous language in other provisions will be resolved in a way that limits tenant protections. Operators who stay well within the clear boundaries of the article's anti-discrimination requirements are generally better positioned when questions of interpretation arise. Familiarity with the stated purposes of the article can help operators understand how individual provisions are likely to be applied.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Chicago Heights Ch. 23 § 23-36 means that if there is any ambiguity in how a provision of the Human Relations article applies to a situation, the article is meant to be read in a way that advances its protective purposes rather than narrowing them. Tenants who believe a provision has been applied too restrictively may be able to raise this interpretive principle when contesting a decision before a relevant local body or in a legal proceeding. Tenant-rights organizations familiar with Chicago Heights ordinances can help explain how this construction rule has been applied in practice.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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