Lenox, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 68 (eCode360 ed. 2026) § 68-9
Religious organizations
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 for other than a commercial purpose to persons of same religion or from giving preference to such persons, unless membership in such religion is restricted on account of race, color, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin. Nor shall anything in this chapter prohibit a private club not in fact open to the public, which as 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 or from giving preference to its members.
Section 68-9 of Lenox, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 68 carves out two narrow exemptions from the chapter's general fair-housing requirements. First, religious organizations and religiously affiliated nonprofits that own or operate dwellings for non-commercial purposes may give preference to members of their own religion, provided that membership in that religion is not itself restricted based on race, color, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. Second, private clubs that are not open to the general public and that provide lodgings as an incidental, non-commercial function may limit occupancy or give preference to their own members.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators covered by § 68-9 — specifically religious organizations, religiously affiliated nonprofits, and qualifying private clubs — may apply membership-based preferences when renting or assigning occupancy in dwellings they own for non-commercial purposes. A religious organization maintaining this exemption should ensure that its membership criteria do not exclude people on the basis of race, color, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, as that condition would void the protection. Private clubs relying on the lodging exemption under § 68-9 generally document that the club is genuinely non-public and that lodging is incidental to the club's primary purpose.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 68-9 defines the limits of the religious-organization and private-club exemptions within Lenox's fair-housing chapter, and those limits matter to tenants who believe a preference policy has been misapplied. If a religious organization's membership criteria themselves discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, the exemption under § 68-9 does not apply and the broader protections of ch. 68 remain in force. Tenants who believe they have been improperly denied housing under a claimed exemption may consider consulting a tenant-rights organization or a fair-housing agency to understand available complaint and enforcement paths.
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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