Milwaukee cannot prohibit landlords from refusing housing vouchers as a source of income. Wisconsin Act 317 (2017) preempts cities from extending fair-housing protections beyond the categories listed in state law, leaving voucher holders without local protection.
Before 2017, Milwaukee considered ordinances that would make lawful source of income, including federal Housing Choice Vouchers, a protected class under the city's fair-housing law. Wisconsin Act 317 closed that door by limiting local fair-housing ordinances to the protected classes recognized in Wis. Stat. §106.50. As a result, refusing a tenant solely because they pay rent with a Section 8 voucher is not unlawful under city or state law. Milwaukee continues to enforce protections for race, sex, family status, disability, and other state-recognized classes through its Equal Rights Commission.
Discrimination based on a state-recognized protected class can lead to Equal Rights Commission complaints, fines, and HUD referrals, but voucher-only refusals are generally not actionable under Milwaukee or Wisconsin law.
Milwaukee, WI
The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee administers federal Housing Choice Vouchers, but Wisconsin Act 317 (2017) blocks the city from forcing landlor...
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee has a Tenant Bill of Rights that summarizes protections, but Wisconsin Act 76 (2018) sharply limits the city's ability to create stand-alone anti-h...
See how Milwaukee's source-of-income discrimination rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.