Chicago, Ill., Mun. Code ch. 6-10 § 6-10-050
Religious beliefs and practices (Chicago Human Rights Ordinance (HRO))
Operative Text
No employer shall refuse to make all reasonable efforts to accommodate the religious beliefs, observances and practices of employees or prospective employees unless the employer demonstrates that he is unable to reasonably accommodate an employee's or prospective employee's religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the employer's business. Reasonable efforts to accommodate include, but are not limited to allowing an employee: (i) to take a day of paid leave or vacation, where applicable under the employee's employment agreement; or (ii) to be excused from work without pay and without discipline or other penalty; or (iii) to elect to take the day off with pay in order to practice the employee's religious beliefs, and to make up the lost work time at a time and date consistent with the operational need of the employer's business. Any employee who elects such deferred work shall be compensated at the employee's regular rate of pay, regardless of the time and date at which the work is made up. The employer may require that any employee who plans to exercise option (iii) of this subsection provide the employer with notice of the employee's intention to do so, no less than five days prior to the date of absence. (Prior code § 199-5; Added Coun. J. 12-21-88, p. 23526; Amend Coun. J. 4-27-22, p. 46382, § 11)
Under Chicago, Ill., Mun. Code ch. 6-10 § 6-10-050, employers in Chicago are required to make reasonable efforts to accommodate employees' or prospective employees' religious beliefs, observances, and practices. Accommodation options can include paid leave, unpaid excused absence without penalty, or a deferred work arrangement where the employee makes up missed time at their regular rate of pay. An employer is only relieved of this obligation if it can demonstrate that any accommodation would impose an undue hardship on its business operations.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Although Chicago, Ill., Mun. Code ch. 6-10 § 6-10-050 is an employment provision rather than a landlord-tenant rule, property management companies that employ staff in Chicago are subject to its requirements. Compliant employers generally document their accommodation processes, consider each of the enumerated options—paid leave, unpaid excused absence, or deferred make-up work—and apply a consistent policy for evaluating undue hardship claims. Employers who offer the deferred work option under subsection (iii) may require at least five days' advance notice from the employee intending to use it.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Chicago, Ill., Mun. Code ch. 6-10 § 6-10-050 establishes rights for employees—including those who work for housing providers or property management companies—to have their religious practices accommodated in the workplace. Employees who believe their employer has failed to offer reasonable accommodation, such as the paid-leave, unpaid-absence, or deferred-work options described in the provision, may have grounds to raise that failure through a workplace complaint or with a relevant civil rights body. Consulting a tenant-rights or worker-rights organization familiar with Chicago's municipal code can help individuals understand what options may be available to them.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 18, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.