Sauk Village — Ch. 38 Human Relations and Social Services § 38-22
Prohibited acts; exceptions
Operative Text
(a) Prohibited acts. It shall be unlawful: ..... (1) To refuse to sell or rent, or to refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, a dwelling to any person for discriminatory reasons. ..... (2) To discriminate in connection with the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling, or in the provisions of services or facilities in connection therewith. ..... (3) To make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed or published, any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of the dwelling that indicates that the sale or rental of the dwelling will involve any discrimination, or preference or limitation based on discriminatory reasons, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. ..... (4) To represent to any person for discriminatory reasons that any dwelling is not available for inspection, sale or rental when such dwelling is in fact so available. ..... (5) For profit, to induce or attempt to induce any person to sell or rent any dwelling by representations regarding the entry or prospective entry into the neighborhood or the community of a person or persons of a particular race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, physical or mental handicap, or national origin. ..... (6) For any bank, savings and loan association, insurance company, or other organization or person whose business consists in whole or in part of lending money, guaranteeing loans, accepting mortgages or otherwise providing financial assistance for real estate transactions or the construction, improvement, repair or maintenance of a dwelling, to discriminate by denying or delaying the processing of an application for such financial assistance, or to discriminate in the fixing of the amount, interest rate, duration, or other terms and conditions of such financial assistance. ..... (7) To discriminate in appraising the value of real estate or in the sale of insurance in connection with a real estate transaction. ..... (8) To enter into any agreement which requires or contemplates discrimination prohibited by this article. ..... (9) For any real estate agent, to influence or attempt to influence any person by any words or acts, in connection with the viewing, buying or leasing of a dwelling, so as to promote, or tend to promote, the continuance or maintenance of segregated housing, or so as to retard, obstruct or discourage integrated housing on or in any street, block or neighborhood of the municipality. ..... (10) To perform any act of discrimination with the intention or effect of restricting or limiting the housing choice of any person. ..... (11) To aid, or abet, acts performed in violation of this article. ..... (12) To coerce, intimidate, threaten or interfere with any person in the exercise of enjoyment of, or on account of his having exercised or enjoyed, or on account of his having aided or encouraged any other person in the exercise or enjoyment of, any right granted or protected by this article or by any state or federal law concerning fair housing; provided that nothing in this article shall be construed to prohibit special outreach efforts to ensure that persons of minority groups are fully informed of available dwelling opportunities in areas of present or prospective majority group concentration, or to ensure that persons of the majority group are fully informed of available dwelling opportunities in areas of present or prospective minority group concentration. ..... (b) Exceptions. ..... (1) Nothing in this article shall 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, association or society, from limiting the sale, rental or occupancy of a dwelling which it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose to persons of the same religion, or from giving preference to such person, unless membership in such religion is restricted on account of race, color, national origin, age, sex, marital status or physical or mental handicap. ..... (2) Nothing in this article shall 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 occupancy of such lodgings to its members or from giving preference to members and their guests. ..... (3) Nothing in this article shall prohibit restricting the sale or rental of dwelling units to senior citizens. ..... (4) Nothing in this article shall require a homeowner to offer real estate for sale or lease to the public at large. ..... (5) Nothing in this article shall prohibit any person from maintaining records in furtherance of the purposes of this article. ..... State Law reference-- Authority for municipal fair housing ordinances, 65 ILCS 5/11-11.1-1.
Sauk Village Code § 38-22 establishes a broad set of fair housing prohibitions covering the full lifecycle of a residential real estate transaction. It bars discriminatory refusals to sell or rent, discriminatory terms and conditions, steering, blockbusting, discriminatory lending or appraisal practices, and any coercion or intimidation of people exercising their fair housing rights. The provision also carves out limited exceptions for religious organizations, private clubs, senior housing communities, and individual homeowners who choose not to list their property publicly.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers operating in Sauk Village should be aware that § 38-22 covers far more than the initial decision to rent or sell — it extends to advertising language, application processing, lease terms, and the services and facilities provided to residents. Compliant operators generally apply consistent written criteria across all applicants, avoid any advertising language that signals a preference or limitation based on protected characteristics, and refrain from making representations about a unit's availability that differ based on who is asking. Operators who qualify under one of the article's narrow exceptions — such as senior housing — should document the basis for that exception carefully.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under Sauk Village Code § 38-22, residents and prospective tenants are protected against a wide range of discriminatory conduct, including being told a unit is unavailable when it is not, being offered different lease terms than other applicants, and being subjected to steering or intimidation for exercising fair housing rights. Tenants who believe a violation has occurred may raise the provision as a defense in eviction or other housing proceedings, file a complaint with a relevant state or federal fair housing agency, or contact a local tenant-rights or fair housing organization for guidance on available enforcement paths. Illinois residents may also have parallel remedies under state law, as § 38-22 itself references the municipal authority granted under 65 ILCS 5/11-11.1-1.
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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