Texas has no statewide source of income protection, and Harris County has not adopted a county-level rule covering its 30-plus cities. Houston has not adopted a citywide source of income ordinance either, so voucher holders across the Houston metro generally lack local protection from refusal.
Source of income discrimination — refusing applicants who pay rent with Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, Social Security, SSI, child support, or similar lawful sources — is not a protected class under Texas state law. Harris County has not adopted a countywide source of income ordinance and is constrained from doing so by state preemption arguments. The City of Houston has not amended its Fair Housing Ordinance Chapter 17 to add source of income protection. Suburbs such as Pasadena, Baytown, Pearland, Sugar Land, and La Porte similarly lack SOI rules. Voucher holders renting anywhere in Harris County may legally be turned away. Federal HUD fair housing rules apply but do not include source of income.
In unincorporated Harris County and across the metro, refusing voucher applicants is generally lawful absent a city ordinance. Discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability still violates federal Fair Housing Act.
Tomball, TX
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Tomball, TX
Tomball regulates noise under Chapter 18, Article IV of its Code of Ordinances. In 2024, the city adopted Ordinance 2024-17 which deleted Section 18-192 (Max...
Tomball, TX
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Tomball, TX
Tomball restricts parking and storage of recreational vehicles, boats, and trailers in residential areas. RVs and boats must be stored behind the front build...
Tomball, TX
Tomball requires vehicles to be parked on improved surfaces such as concrete or asphalt driveways. Parking on grass, dirt, or unimproved surfaces in front ya...
Tomball, TX
Tomball regulates on-street parking throughout the city. Vehicles may not be parked on public streets for more than 72 consecutive hours. Parking is prohibit...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Harris County.
See how Tomball's source-of-income discrimination rules stack up against other locations.
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