Iowa City's 2014 Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice
The Civil Rights Act of 1968, Title VIII, states that it is the policy of the United States to provide fair housing throughout the country; this federal law prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of federally defined protected classes. Nationally, fair housing is monitored by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). HUD mandates fair housing planning through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME) requirements.
In Iowa, the Iowa Civil Rights Act prohibits housing discrimination against protected classes (which are defined slightly more broadly than on the federal level).
The City of Iowa City Code contains clear and explicit guidelines banning discriminatory housing. The code also defines protected classes more broadly and inclusively than state and federal definitions to further curb housing discrimination. In 2014 in Iowa City, housing discrimination on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, gender identity, marital status, familial status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and presence or absence of dependents was illegal, as was retaliation for opposing discriminatory acts; housing discrimination on the basis of public assistance source of income also became illegal in 2016.