Fair housing.
Springfield, Ill., City Code § 93.11
in effect§ 93.11. - Fair housing.
(a) Definitions.
(1) The following definitions are applicable strictly in the context of this section:
a. Real property includes buildings, structures, real estate, lands, tenements, leaseholds, interests in real estate cooperatives, condominiums, and hereditaments, corporeal and incorporeal, or any interest therein.
b. Real estate transaction includes the sale, exchange, rental or lease of real property. "Real estate transaction" also includes the brokering or appraising of residential real property and the making or purchasing of loans or providing other financial assistance:
1. For purchasing, constructing, improving, repairing or maintaining a dwelling; or
2. Secured by residential real estate.
c. Housing accommodation includes any improved or unimproved real property, or part thereof, which is used or occupied, or is intended, arranged or designed to be used or occupied, as the home or residence of one or more individuals.
d. Real estate broker or salesman means a person, whether licensed or not, who, for or with the expectation of receiving a consideration, lists, sells, purchases, exchanges, rents, or leases real property, or who negotiates or attempts to negotiate any of these activities, or who holds himself or herself out as engaged in these.
e. Familial status means one or more individuals (who have not attained the age of 18 years) being domiciled with: parent or person having legal custody of such individual or individuals; or
1. The designee of such parent or other person having such custody, with the written permission of such parent or other person.
2. The protections afforded by this section against discrimination on the basis of familial status apply to any person who is pregnant or is in the process of securing legal custody of any individual who has not attained the age of 18 years.
f. Covered multifamily dwellings means:
1. Buildings consisting of four or more units if such buildings have one or more elevators; and
2. Ground floor units in other buildings consisting of four or more units.
(b) Civil rights violations; (real estate transactions). It is a civil rights violation for an owner or any other person engaging in a real estate transaction, or for a real estate broker or salesman, because of unlawful discrimination or familial status, to:
(1) Transaction. Refuse to engage in a real estate transaction or otherwise make unavailable or deny a dwelling to a person including the making of loans or the provision of other financial assistance for purchasing, constructing, improving, repairing, or maintaining a dwelling; or the making of loans or the provision of other financial assistance secured by residential real estate;
(2) Terms. Alter the terms, conditions or privileges of a real estate transaction or in the furnishing of facilities or services in connection therewith;
(3) Offer. Refuse to receive or to fail to transmit a bona fide offer to engage in a real estate transaction from a person;
(4) Negotiation. Refuse to negotiate for a real estate transaction with a person;
(5) Representations. Represent to a person that real property is not available for inspection, sale, rental, or lease when in fact it is so available, or to fail to bring a property listing to his or her attention, or to refuse to permit him or her to inspect real property;
(6) Publication of intent. Print, circulate, post, mail, publish or cause to be so published a written or oral statement, advertisement or sign, or to use a form of application for a real estate transaction, or to make a record or inquiry in connection with a prospective real estate transaction, which expresses any limitation or preference founded upon, or indicated, directly or indirectly, with an intent to engage in unlawful discrimination or discrimination based on familial status;
(7) Listings. Offer, solicit, accept, use or retain a listing of real property with knowledge that unlawful discrimination or discrimination on the basis of familial status in a real estate transaction is intended.
(8) Services and organizations. Deny a person access to, membership, or participation in the multiple listing service, real estate brokers organization or other service.
(c) Disability.
(1) It is a civil rights violation to refuse to sell or rent or to otherwise make unavailable or deny a dwelling to any buyer or renter because of a disability of that buyer or renter, or disability of a person residing or intending to reside in that dwelling after it is sold, rented or made available or a disability of any person associated with the buyer or renter.
(2) It is a civil rights violation to alter the terms, conditions or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling or the provision of services or facilities in connection with such dwelling because of a person's disability or a disability of any person residing or intending to reside in that dwelling after it is sold, rented or made available, or a disability of any person associated with that person.
(3) It is a civil rights violation:
a. To refuse to permit, at the expense of the person with a disability, reasonable modifications of existing premises occupied or to be occupied by such person if such modifications may be necessary to afford such person full enjoyment of the premises; except that, in the case of a rental, the landlord may, where it is reasonable to do so, condition permission for a modification on the renter agreeing to restore the interior of the premises to the condition that existed before modifications, reasonable wear and tear excepted. The landlord may not increase for persons with disabilities any customarily required security deposit. However, where it is necessary in order to ensure with reasonable certainty that funds will be available to pay for the restorations at the end of the tenancy, the landlord may negotiate as part of such a restoration agreement a provision requiring that the tenant pay reasonable amount of money not to exceed the cost of the restorations. The interest in any such account shall accrue to the benefit of the tenant. A landlord may condition permission for a modification on the renter providing a reasonable description of the proposed modifications as well as reasonable assurances that the work will be done in a workmanlike manner and that any required building permits will be obtained;
b. To refuse to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services, when such accommodations may be necessary to afford a person with a disability equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling; or
c. In connection with the design and construction of covered multifamily those dwellings in such a manner that:
1. The dwellings have at least one building entrance on an accessible route, unless it is impractical to do so because of the terrain or unusual characteristics of the site;
2. With respect to dwellings with a building entrance on an accessible route:
(a) The public use and common use portion of such dwellings are readily accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities;
(b) All the doors designed to allow passage into and within all premises within such dwellings are sufficiently wide to allow passage by persons utilizing wheelchairs; and
(c) All premises within such dwellings contain:
An accessible route into and through the dwelling;
Light switches, electrical outlets, thermostats, and other environmental controls in accessible locations;
Reinforcements in bathroom walls to allow later installations of grab bars; and
Usable kitchens and bathrooms such that an individual utilizing a wheelchair can maneuver about the space.
(4) Compliance with the appropriate standard of the Illinois Accessibility Code for adaptable dwelling units (71 Illinois Administrative Code Section 400.350 (e)1-6) suffices to satisfy the requirements set forth in subsection (c)(3), compliance with its law shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of that subsection.
(5) The City of Springfield may review and adopt procedures for the approval of newly constructed covered multifamily dwellings for the purpose of making determinations as to whether the design and construction requirements of subsection (c)(3) are met.
(6) The commission shall provide technical assistance to the city and other persons to implement the requirements of subsection (c)(3).
(7) Nothing in this act shall be construed to require the commission or the city to review or approve the plans, designs or construction of all covered multifamily dwellings to determine whether the design and construction of such dwellings are consistent with the requirements of subsection (c)(3).
(8) Nothing in the section requires that a dwelling be made available to an individual whose tenancy would constitute a direct threat to the health or safety of others or would result in substantial physical damage to the property of others.
(d) Blockbusting. It is a civil rights violation for any person to:
(1) Solicitation. Solicit for sale, lease, listing or purchase any residential real estate within this city, on the grounds of loss of value due to the present or prospective entry into the vicinity of the property involved of any person or persons of any particular race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, familial status or disability.
(2) Statements. Distribute or cause to be distributed, written material or statements designed to induce any owner of residential real estate in this city to sell or lease his or her property because of any present or prospective changes in the race, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, familial status or disability of residents in the vicinity of the property involved.
(3) Creating alarm. Intentionally create alarm, among residents of any community, by transmitting communications in any manner, including a telephone call whether or not conversation thereby ensues, with a design to induce any owner of residential real estate in this city to sell or lease his or her property because of any present or prospective entry into the vicinity of the property involved of any person or persons of any particular race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, familial status or disability.
(e) Exemptions. Nothing contained in section 93.11 shall prohibit:
(1) Private sales of single-family homes. Any sale of a single-family home by its owner so long as the following criteria are met:
a. The owner does not own or have a beneficial interest in more than three single-family homes at the time of the sale;
b. The owner was the last current resident of the home;
c. The home is sold without the use in any manner of the sales or rental facilities or services of any real estate broker or salesman, or of any employee or agent of any real estate broker or salesman;
d. The home is sold without the publication, posting or mailing, after notice, of any advertisement or written notice in violation of subsection (b)(7) of section 93.11.
(2) Apartments and private rooms. Rental of housing accommodation in a building which contains housing accommodation for not more than four families living independently of each other, if the lessor resides in one of the housing accommodations.
(3) Reasonable local, state, or federal restrictions regarding the maximum number of occupants permitted to occupy a dwelling.
(4) Religious organizations. A religious organization, association, or society, or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association, or society, from limiting the sale, rental or occupancy of a dwelling which it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose to persons of the same religion, or from giving preference to such persons, unless membership in such religion is restricted on account of race, color, or national origin.
(5) Sex. Restricting the rental of rooms in a housing accommodation to persons of one gender where compelling privacy reasons exist.
(6) Persons convicted of drug-related offenses. Conduct against a person because such person has been convicted by any court of competent jurisdiction of the illegal manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance as defined in Section 102 of the Federal Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802).
(7) Person engaged in the business of furnishing appraisals of real property from taking into consideration factors other than those based on unlawful discrimination or familial status in furnishing appraisals.
(8) Housing for older persons. No provision in this section regarding familial status shall apply with respect to housing for older persons.
a. As used in this section, "housing for older persons" means housing:
1. Provided under any state or federal program that the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development has determined to be specifically designed and operated to assist elderly persons (as defined in the state or federal program); or
2. Intended for, and solely occupied by, persons 62 years of age or older; or
3. Intended and operated for occupancy by at least one person 55 years of age or older per unit. In determining whether housing qualifies as housing for older persons under this subsection, the commission shall develop regulations which require at least the following:
(a) The existence of significant facilities and services specifically designed to meet the physical or social needs of older persons, or if the provision of such facilities and services is not practicable, that such housing is necessary to provide important housing opportunities for older person; and
(b) That at least 80% of the units are occupied by at least one person 55 years of age or older per unit; and
(c) The publication of, and adherence to, policies and procedures which demonstrate an intent by the owner or manager to provide housing for persons 55 years of age or older.
(Ord. No. 168-03-07, § 1(Exh. A), 3-20-07)
Source: City of Springfield, Illinois, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/il/springfield/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIXGERE_CH93OFCORE_S93.11FAHOFetched: 11/8/2026