The City of San Antonio believes that every resident deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and provided fair access to opportunities. If you think you have experienced discrimination, you will want to read more about the Non-Discrimination Ordinance (NDO) and the Source of Income Protections (SOIP) for Veterans Ordinance to see if they apply to your situation.

The NDO and the SOIP only apply to incidents that happen within the San Antonio city limits, so if your incident happened elsewhere, check the ordinance for that area.

Complaints about housing discrimination, including SOIP complaints, must be filed within 30 days after the alleged discrimination.

Non-Discrimination Ordinance

The NDO provides protection from discrimination in the areas:

• City employment
• City contracts and subcontracts
• Appointments to Boards and Commissions
• Housing
• Public accommodation

Within these areas, people are protected from being discriminated against on the basis of their:

• Race
• Color
• Religion
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
• Gender identity
• Veteran status
• Disability
• Familial status
• National origin
• Age

The NDO provides employment discrimination protection for individuals employed with and/or seeking employment with businesses who have a contract with the City, and it applies to allegations of employment discrimination by private businesses. However, complaints involving private businesses with 15 or more employees are investigated by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

This NDO only applies to incidents that happen within the San Antonio city limits, so if your incident happened elsewhere, please check the ordinance for that area.

Read the full NDO (PDF).

SOIP for Veterans Ordinance

The SOIP for Veterans Ordinance ensures veterans with federal housing support are not discriminated against for using their lawful source of income to pay rent. Landlords cannot deny an applicant or end their tenancy solely because the veteran uses a housing voucher to pay rent. A veteran may be denied a lease if they do not meet other eligibility requirements that apply to all renters such as criminal backgrounds, poor rental history, etc.

Read the SOIP for Veterans Ordinance (PDF).

If you are not a veteran and have been denied a lease solely because you use a housing voucher (Housing Choice or Section 8) to pay rent you may also be able to file a complaint for housing discrimination using the methods below. Renters who use housing vouchers to pay rent who are not veterans may submit a complaint for housing discrimination if they attempted to rent from a property that receives city financial support or other incentives. City staff will review each claim to determine if the complaint can proceed.

Requirements

• Make sure your complaint qualifies as a discrimination complaint as defined by the NDO or SOIP for Veterans Ordinance.
• Gather the information necessary to submit the form:
  • The name of the person or people who discriminated against you.
  • The address where the discrimination occurred.
  • A short summary of what happened.
  • A case number if you filed a report with the San Antonio Police Department.

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