St. Clair Shores — Ch. 22 Art. II Fair Housing § 22-23
Coverage and exemptions
Operative Text
Nothing in this article, except for the prohibition against discriminatory advertising, shall: (1) Apply to the following situations: a. The rental, occupancy or lease of a room in an owner-occupied or single-family dwelling. b. The rental, occupancy or lease of rooms or units in dwellings containing living quarters occupied or intended to be occupied by no more than four families living independently of each other, if the owner actually maintains and occupies one of such living quarters as his residence. (2) 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 or operates for other than commercial purposes to persons of the same religion, or from giving preference to such persons, unless membership of such religion is restricted on account of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, handicap, marital status, height, weight or age. (3) Prohibit a private club not in fact open to the public, which as an incident to its primary purpose or purposes provides lodging 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. (4) 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. (5) Limit the applicability of any local, state, or federal restrictions regarding the maximum number of occupants permitted to occupy a dwelling. (6) Require the rental or sale of a unit to any person convicted of the illegal manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance. (7) With regard to discrimination based on familial status, apply with respect to housing for elderly persons as defined in section 22-21 . (8) Apply to persons engaged in the business of furnishing appraisals of real property from taking into consideration factors other than those based on unlawful discrimination or familial status in furnishing appraisals.
St. Clair Shores — Ch. 22 Art. II Fair Housing § 22-23 defines the boundaries of the city's fair housing article by carving out specific situations where most of its protections do not apply. Owner-occupied small rental properties, religious organizations renting to members of their faith, private clubs providing lodging to members, government-authorized senior or disability housing, and certain other circumstances fall outside the article's general requirements. Notably, the prohibition on discriminatory advertising remains in effect across all of these exempted situations, meaning that even exempt parties cannot advertise in a discriminatory manner.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under St. Clair Shores — Ch. 22 Art. II Fair Housing § 22-23, operators of small owner-occupied rental properties with no more than four units, as well as religious organizations and private clubs meeting the provision's criteria, generally fall outside the scope of most fair housing obligations in this article. Compliant operators in these categories still refrain from discriminatory advertising, since that prohibition applies universally regardless of exemption status. Property owners who believe their situation may qualify for an exemption typically document their ownership and occupancy status carefully and consult the full text of the article to confirm which specific protections do and do not apply to their circumstances.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
St. Clair Shores — Ch. 22 Art. II Fair Housing § 22-23 means that tenants renting from owner-occupants in small multi-family buildings or from certain religious organizations or private clubs may find that some fair housing protections under this article do not extend to their situation. However, the ban on discriminatory advertising applies even in these exempt contexts, which can be relevant if a tenant believes a housing advertisement was discriminatory. Tenants who have questions about whether an exemption applies to their housing situation may find it helpful to contact a local tenant-rights organization or review the full article to understand which protections remain 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 October 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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