Canton Village, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 156 (eCode360 ed. 2026) § 156-6
Exemptions
Operative Text
Nothing in this chapter 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 dwellings which it owns or operates within the Village of Canton for other than a commercial purpose to persons of the same religion, or from giving preference to such persons, unless membership in such religion is restricted on account of race, color or national origin. Nor shall anything in this chapter 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 within the Village of Canton for other than a commercial purpose, from limiting the rental or occupancy of such lodgings to its members or from giving preference to its members.
Canton Village, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 156 § 156-6 carves out two narrow exemptions from the village's fair-housing chapter. First, religious organizations may give preference to members of their own faith when renting or selling dwellings they own for non-commercial purposes, provided that membership in the religion is not itself restricted by race, color, or national origin. Second, private clubs that are genuinely not open to the public may limit occupancy of lodgings they own for non-commercial purposes to their own members. These exemptions do not override the general anti-discrimination protections that apply to ordinary residential rentals and sales.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers operating under the general rental market in Canton Village should note that § 156-6 does not apply to them — its exemptions are strictly limited to qualifying religious organizations and bona fide private clubs acting in a non-commercial capacity. A compliant operator in the broader rental market continues to follow all fair-housing obligations set out elsewhere in ch. 156. Religious or nonprofit housing providers who believe they may qualify under this section typically document their non-commercial purpose and confirm that any religious membership criteria do not exclude people on the basis of race, color, or national origin.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under § 156-6, tenants should be aware that certain religious organizations and private clubs are permitted to give preference to their own members or co-religionists in limited, non-commercial housing contexts. However, this exemption is narrow: it does not apply if the religion's membership criteria discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin, and it does not extend to ordinary commercial landlords. Tenants who believe a housing provider is improperly invoking this exemption to justify discriminatory treatment may wish to review the broader protections in ch. 156, consult a tenant-rights organization, or contact a fair-housing agency for general information about available complaint processes.
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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