Raleigh and North Carolina have not classified source of income as a protected class. Landlords may legally refuse Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, SSI, or other lawful income sources without violating fair housing law, unless the refusal masks a protected-class motive.
The NC Fair Housing Act mirrors federal protections and does not include source-of-income or voucher status. Bills to add the class have failed repeatedly in the General Assembly. Raleigh, as a non-charter-rule jurisdiction in this area, lacks authority to create new protected classes beyond the state list. Some Raleigh affordable-housing developers commit to voucher acceptance through bond-financing or city land conveyance terms, but this is contractual rather than universal. Refusals that disproportionately exclude protected-class tenants may still trigger HUD disparate-impact complaints under the federal FHA.
Direct voucher refusal alone is lawful. Disparate-impact violations face HUD investigation and potential injunctive relief plus damages under federal Fair Housing Act §3604.
Raleigh, NC
Raleigh Housing Authority (RHA) administers approximately 4,200 Housing Choice Vouchers serving Wake County. Landlord participation is voluntary under NC law...
Raleigh, NC
Raleigh does not have a just-cause eviction ordinance. North Carolina follows standard landlord-tenant law under Chapter 42 of the NC General Statutes. Landl...
See how Raleigh's source-of-income discrimination rules stack up against other locations.
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