Austin enacted a source-of-income antidiscrimination ordinance in 2014, but Texas HB 1510 (2015), codified at Local Government Code Section 250.007, expressly preempted it. Private Austin landlords may legally refuse Section 8 vouchers today.
Austin City Council passed Ordinance 20141211-050 in December 2014, amending City Code Chapter 5-2 to bar landlord refusal of Housing Choice Vouchers and other lawful income sources. The Texas Apartment Association sued, and the 2015 Texas Legislature passed HB 1510, codified at Local Government Code Section 250.007, prohibiting any Texas municipality from requiring landlords to accept federal housing vouchers. The Austin ordinance was effectively nullified for vouchers. Austin Code Chapter 5-2 still bars discrimination on race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, familial status, and disability, broader than federal law, but cannot reach voucher-only refusals. HUD disparate-impact theories remain available where voucher rejection masks protected-class bias.
No enforceable Austin SOI rule covers voucher refusal after HB 1510. Voucher rejections become actionable only as pretext for race, disability, familial status, or national origin discrimination under federal Fair Housing Act and Austin Code Chapter 5-2.
Austin, TX
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Austin, TX
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See how Austin's source-of-income discrimination rules stack up against other locations.
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