Harwood Heights — Title 19 Fair Housing § 19.12.010
Exemptions
Operative Text
Nothing in this title shall: A. Apply to the rental, lease, or occupancy of a room in an owner-occupied single-family dwelling; B. Prohibit a religious organization, association, or society, or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised, or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization or society from limiting the sale, rental or occupancy of dwellings which it owns and operates for other than commercial purposes to persons of the same religion, or from giving preference to such person, unless memberships in such religion is restricted on account of race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, marital status, or mental or physical handicap, military discharge status, source of income or housing status; C. Prohibit a private club not in fact open to the public, which as an incident to its primary purpose or purposes provides lodgings which it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose, from limiting the rental or occupancy of such lodgings to its members and their guests or from giving preference to its members; D. Prohibit the rental or sale of a dwelling on the basis of age or handicap when such dwelling is authorized, approved, financed, or subsidized in whole or in part by a unit of state, local, or federal government.
Harwood Heights Title 19 Fair Housing § 19.12.010 carves out four categories of housing situations from the broader fair housing requirements of Title 19. These exemptions cover rooms rented in owner-occupied single-family homes, dwellings owned and operated by religious organizations for non-commercial purposes, lodgings provided by private clubs to their own members, and government-authorized housing that restricts occupancy based on age or disability. The exemptions are narrow and conditional — for example, a religious organization's preference cannot be based on a religion that itself discriminates by race, color, national origin, or other protected characteristics listed in the provision.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers operating under one of the four categories described in § 19.12.010 should carefully confirm that their situation squarely fits the stated conditions before relying on an exemption. For instance, an owner-occupied single-family dwelling landlord renting a room, or a religious organization limiting occupancy to co-religionists for non-commercial purposes, would generally document the non-commercial nature of the arrangement and the owner-occupancy status. Operators of government-subsidized age- or disability-restricted housing typically maintain records of the relevant government authorization, approval, or financing that qualifies the property under this section.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under § 19.12.010, tenants should be aware that not all housing in Harwood Heights is covered by Title 19's fair housing protections — certain owner-occupied homes, religious-organization dwellings, private club lodgings, and government-authorized age- or disability-restricted housing may be exempt. If a landlord claims an exemption that a tenant believes does not apply — for example, asserting a religious exemption while the religion itself restricts membership on a protected basis — that tenant may have grounds to challenge the exemption under this section. Tenants who believe an exemption is being improperly invoked can explore options such as contacting a local tenant-rights organization or a fair housing agency for general information about how § 19.12.010's conditions are interpreted.
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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