Michigan does not include source of income as a protected class in the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, but Detroit, Hamtramck, and Ann Arbor passed local ordinances banning landlord refusals to accept Section 8 vouchers and other lawful income sources.
The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (MCL 37.2101 et seq.) covers race, religion, age, sex, marital status, and several other categories, but lawful source of income is not on the statewide list. Detroit's source-of-income ordinance, adopted in 2019 and updated since, prohibits landlords with five or more units from rejecting applicants solely because they pay with a Housing Choice Voucher. Hamtramck adopted similar protections, while many other Wayne County suburbs have not. Wayne County itself does not extend coverage to unincorporated areas, leaving voucher holders to navigate a patchwork that varies block by block.
Refusing to rent solely because an applicant uses a Section 8 voucher in covered Wayne County cities can trigger civil rights complaints, monetary penalties, and orders to lease the unit or pay damages.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Westland, MI
Westland enforces quiet hours from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM under the city noise ordinance, prohibiting loud sounds that disturb neighbors. Michigan MCL 750.474 a...
Westland, MI
Outdoor music at private residences in Westland must end by 10:00 PM and stay at volumes that do not disturb neighbors. Commercial outdoor music venues requi...
Westland, MI
Westland uses a plainly-audible and disturbance standard for most noise enforcement rather than strict decibel readings, though industrial and commercial zon...
Westland, MI
Westland prohibits dogs from barking continuously or repeatedly in a manner that disturbs neighbors under the city animal noise ordinance. Complaints are han...
Westland, MI
Westland follows MCL 257.252 for abandoned vehicles. Vehicles left on public property 48 hours or on private property without permission may be tagged and to...
Westland, MI
Westland permits residential Level 2 EV chargers with an electrical permit. Commercial installations follow Michigan Electrical Code and may require site pla...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Wayne County.
See how Westland's source-of-income discrimination rules stack up against other locations.
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