Fair Housing: North Carolina

This page is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute, and should not be construed as, legal advice. This page is not intended to provide a mandatory standard of care for the industry. Please consult with local counsel before taking any action based off of the information provided. 

On these pages, you will find information about 1) the protected classes in each state’s fair housing law, 2) protected classes in the cities and counties in the state’s three largest city or metropolitan areas, and 3) protected class information in additional jurisdictions of interest to NAA members. We highlight source of income protections, where applicable, that could substantially impact industry operations. Please see the footnotes. NAA also has resources on the federal fair housing protections that apply nationwide.

We are currently in the process of optimizing NAA’s Fair Housing Protected Class Resources. If you do not see a jurisdiction of interest, please reach out to the NAA Government Affairs Team at [email protected].

Information on this page is current as of September 2022.

North Carolina Protected Classes

(State of North Carolina General Statutes § 41A-4)

  • Race
  • Color
  • National Origin
  • Religion
  • Sex
  • Familial Status
  • Disability

This section includes relevant county and city information. Note there could be differences or overlap in the laws’ housing provider obligations.

(Alamance County Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal and state protected classes

Mebane Protected Classes

(Mebane Municipal Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

This section includes relevant county and city information. Note there could be differences or overlap in the laws’ housing provider obligations.

(Cabarrus County Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal and state protected classes

Concord Protected Classes

(Concord Municipal Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

This section includes relevant county and city information. Note there could be differences or overlap in the laws’ housing provider obligations.

(Gaston County Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal and state protected classes

(Iredell County Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal and state protected classes

Mooresville Protected Classes

(Mooresville Municipal Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

This section includes relevant county and city information. Note there could be differences or overlap in the laws’ housing provider obligations.

(Mecklenburg County Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal and state protected classes

City of Charlotte Protected Classes

(City of Charlotte Municipal Code §§12-106 et seq.)

In addition to enforcement of federal and state protected classes, this jurisdiction also includes the following protected classes:

  • Source of Income1

Huntersville Protected Classes

(Huntersville Municipal Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

Matthews Protected Classes

(Matthews Municipal Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

1Only in relation to properties that receiving funding from and/or are owned by the City of Charlotte. The City of Charlotte recently moved to make source of income a protected class, though the decision won't go into effect until late in 2022.

This section includes relevant county and city information. Note there could be differences or overlap in the laws’ housing provider obligations.

(Union County Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal and state protected classes

Indian Trail Protected Classes

(Indian Trail Municipal Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal and state protected classes

This section includes relevant county and city information. Note there could be differences or overlap in the laws’ housing provider obligations.

(Guilford County Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal and state protected classes.

City of Greensboro Protected Classes

(City of Greensboro Municipal Code §§12-133 et seq.)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes.

This section includes relevant county and city information. Note there could be differences or overlap in the laws’ housing provider obligations.

(Pitt County Municipal Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal and state protected classes

Greenville Protected Classes

(Greenville Municipal Code)

In addition to enforcement of federal and state protected classes, this jurisdiction also includes the following protected classes:

  • Age1
  • Ancestry1
  • Marital Status1
  • Sexual Orientation1
  • Source of Income1

 

1These classes re listed as protected in the Greenville Fair Housing Plan, but not in codified law. Applies to housing receiving city funding

 

This section includes relevant county and city information. Note there could be differences or overlap in the laws’ housing provider obligations.

(Durham County Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes.

City of Durham Protected Classes

(City of Durham Municipal Code §§ 34-47 - 34-53)

In addition to enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes, this jurisdiction also includes the following protected classes:

  • Military Status
  • Sexual Orientation
  • Gender Identity
  • Protected Hairstyle2

2Protected hairstyle means any hairstyle, hair type, or hair texture historically associated with race such as, but not limited to, braids, locks, twists, tight coils or curls, cornrows, Bantu knots, and afros.

This section includes relevant county and city information. Note there could be differences or overlap in the laws’ housing provider obligations.

(Orange County Code §§ 12-9; 12-50 et seq.)

In addition to enforcement of federal and state protected classes, this jurisdiction also includes the following protected classes:

  • Age
  • Creed
  • Ethnicity
  • Gender Expression
  • Gender Identity
  • Marital Status
  • Political Affiliation
  • Protected Hairstyle
  • Sexual Orientation
  • Source of Income (not given a specific definition within the code)
  • Veteran Status

Carrboro Protected Classes

(Carrboro Town Code §§ 5-1 et seq.)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

Chapel Hill Protected Classes

(Chapel Hill Municipal Code §§ 10-35 et seq.)

In addition to enforcement of federal and state protected classes, this jurisdiction also includes the following protected classes:

  • Ancestry

Hillsborough Protected Classes

(Hillsborough Municipal Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

This section includes relevant county and city information. Note there could be differences or overlap in the laws’ housing provider obligations.

(Wake County Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal and state protected classes.

Cary Protected Classes

(Cary Municipal Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

City of Raleigh Protected Classes

(City of Raleigh Municipal Code Part 4 Chapter 2 §4-2004)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

Fuquay-Varina Protected Classes

(Fuquay-Varina Municipal Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

Garner Protected Classes

(Garner Municipal Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

Morrisville Protected Classes

(Morrisville Municipal Code)1

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

Raleigh Protected Classes

(Raleigh Code of Ordinances §§4-2004; 4-2012)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

Wake Forest Protected Classes

(Wake Forest Municipal Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

 

1The Morrisville Municipal Code was last updated in 2017

This section includes relevant county and city information. Note there could be differences or overlap in the laws’ housing provider obligations.

(New Hanover Municipal Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal and state protected classes

Wilmington Protected Classes

(Wilmington Municipal Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal, state, and county protected classes

This section includes relevant county and city information. Note there could be differences or overlap in the laws’ housing provider obligations.

(Forsyth County Code)

This jurisdiction emphasizes enforcement of federal and state protected classes

Winston-Salem Protected Classes

(Winston-Salem Municipal Code §§ 38-107 to 38-109)

In addition to enforcement of federal and state protected classes, this jurisdiction also includes the following protected classes:

  • Gender Identity
  • Sexual Orientation