In searching for a new home, either through lease or purchase, people have the right to consider almost any property that interests them. Laws on the books, some for more than 130 years, guarantee that right.
Federal law prohibits many forms of discrimination.
The federal Civil Rights Act of 1866 prohibits discrimination in the rental or purchase of privately owned real estate on the basis of race. Over 100 years later, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 extends that protection to include skin color, religion, sex, family status, national origin or handicap. Most states, including Mississippi, have fair housing acts that expand the federal laws, and some communities have local ordinances. The city attorney or city clerk's office can provide information on local laws. A 1962 federal Executive Order also prohibits such discrimination as described above at all federally owned, operated, or assisted housing.