Dallas amended its Anti-Discrimination Ordinance Chapter 46 in 2020 to ban housing discrimination based on lawful source of income, including Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. Dallas became the first major Texas city to extend this protection citywide for rental housing.
In 2020 the Dallas City Council amended Chapter 46 of the Dallas City Code to add source of income, including federal Section 8 vouchers, veterans' housing assistance, Social Security, SSI, and child support, as a protected class in housing. Landlords with covered rental properties cannot refuse to rent, charge different terms, advertise preferences, or otherwise discriminate against an applicant solely because the applicant intends to use a Housing Choice Voucher administered by the Dallas Housing Authority. The Office of Equity and Inclusion's Fair Housing Office investigates complaints. Texas does not preempt this protection. Federal HUD fair housing rules also apply but do not include source of income.
Refusing to accept Section 8 vouchers, posting 'no Section 8' ads, requiring higher deposits or income ratios for voucher holders, or steering voucher tenants to certain units violates Dallas Code Chapter 46 and triggers civil penalties and HUD-style remedies.
Dallas, TX
The Dallas Housing Authority administers the federal Housing Choice Voucher program for Dallas. Since Dallas City Code Chapter 46 was amended in 2020, landlo...
Dallas, TX
Dallas does not have a comprehensive tenant anti-harassment ordinance like Los Angeles or Seattle. Tenants rely on Texas Property Code Section 92.331 retalia...
Dallas, TX
Dallas does not have a just-cause eviction ordinance. Texas is a landlord-friendly state with minimal tenant protections against no-cause evictions at lease ...
See how Dallas's source-of-income discrimination rules stack up against other locations.
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