For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ADMINISTRATIVE CLOSURES. Complaint closures other than on the merits, such as failure to locate, failure to cooperate and withdrawals.
APPEAL PANEL. A panel of not less than three Commissioners appointed by the Chair of the Human Relations Commission - Enforcement to hear appeals from decisions of the Hearing Officer.
ARREST HISTORY. A record from any jurisdiction that does not result in a conviction and includes information indicating that a person has been questioned, apprehended, taken into custody or detained, or held for investigation by a law enforcement, police, or prosecutorial agency or charged with, indicted, or tried and acquitted for a felony, misdemeanor, or other criminal offense.
CANVASSING. Includes door to door solicitation by the use of circular advertisements or any other means where the canvasser or his employer has not been requested by the owner to obtain a listing of any housing accommodation or to confer with the owner regarding a transaction involving a housing accommodation.
COMMISSION. The Louisville/Jefferson County Human Relations Commission as authorized by appointments, resolutions and ordinances of the Mayor and Metro Council.
COMMISSIONER. A member of the Louisville/Jefferson County Human Relations Commission.
CONVICTION HISTORY. Information regarding one or more convictions or unresolved arrests, transmitted orally or in writing or by any other means, and obtained from any source, including but not limited to the individual to whom the information pertains or a background check report, or a record from any jurisdiction that includes information indicating that person has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, provided that the conviction is one for which the person has been placed on probation, fined, imprisoned, and/or paroled.
DISABILITY. A physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such impairment, or a condition which is regarded as causing such impairment. Current illegal use of drugs or chemicals shall not be considered a disability hereunder. Life activities shall be considered to include, but not necessarily limited to, communication, ambulation, socialization, self- care, education, vocational training, employment, transportation and adapting to housing.
DISCRIMINATION. Any direct or indirect act or practice of exclusion, restriction, segregation, limitation, refusal, denial, or any other act or practice of differentiation or preference in the treatment of a person or persons, or the aiding, abetting, inciting, coercing, or compelling thereof made unlawful under this chapter. DISCRIMINATION also includes the unwanted touching of a person or persons, including the touching of hair.
EMPLOYEE. Any individual employed by an employer, but not including an individual employed by his or her parents, spouse or child, or an individual employed to render services as a nurse, domestic or personal companion in the home of the employer.
EMPLOYER. Any person who has two or more employees in each of four or more calendar weeks in the current or preceding calendar year, and any agent of such person.
EMPLOYMENT AGENCY. Any person regularly undertaking, either with or without compensation, to procure employees for an employer or to procure for employees opportunities to work for an employer and includes any agent of such a person.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
The Executive Director of the Human Relations Commission - Enforcement.
FAMILIAL STATUS. One or more individuals who have not attained the age of 18 years and are being domiciled with a parent or another person having legal custody of such individual or individuals; or the designee of such parent or other person having such custody, with the written permission of such parent or other person. The protection afforded against discrimination on the basis of familial status shall 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.
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS. Any person engaged in the business of lending money or guaranteeing losses.
GENDER IDENTITY. Manifesting an identity not traditionally associated with one’s biological maleness or femaleness.
HEARING OFFICER. The Hearing Officer employed by the Human Relations Commission - Enforcement to hear complaints under applicable anti-discrimination laws.
HOMELESS STATUS. An individual whose life position is without a regular, fixed, permanent place of nighttime residence.
HOUSING ACCOMMODATION.
(1) Any parcel or parcels of real property or lands, or any interest therein, whether contiguous or noncontiguous located in Jefferson County, used for the building of one or more housing or rooming units or for mobile homes or mobile home parks owned by or otherwise subject to the control of one or more persons; or
(2) Any real property, including vacant land intended for sale or lease, or any interest therein, located in Jefferson County; or
(3) Any single-family dwelling or multi- family dwelling, or any portion thereof, including a housing unit or a rooming unit, or any interest therein, located in Jefferson County, which is used or occupied, or intended, arranged, assigned, or designated to be used or occupied, as the home, homesite, residence, or sleeping place of one or more persons.
HOUSING UNIT. A single room, suite of rooms, or apartment, containing cooking and kitchen facilities, occupied or intended for occupancy as living quarters, by a person, a family, or a group of persons living together.
LABOR ORGANIZATION. Any labor organization and an agent of such an organization, including an organization of any kind, an agency or employee representation committee, group, association, or plan so engaged in which employees participate and which exists for the purpose, in whole or in part, of dealing with employers concerning grievances, labor disputes, wages, rates of pay, hours, or other terms or conditions of employment, and a conference, general committee, joint or system board, or joint council so engaged, which is subordinate to a national or international labor organization.
LAWFUL SOURCE OF INCOME. Shall include, but not be limited to, child support, alimony, foster care subsidies, income derived from social security, grants, pension, or any form of state or local public assistance or housing assistance, and any other forms of lawful income, except for federal housing assistance.
NATIONAL ORIGIN. The country where a person was born or, more broadly, the country from which his or her ancestors came. NATIONAL ORIGIN includes natural texture and color of hair, hair styles and protective hair styles, including, but not limited to, braids, locks, twists and coverings, related to a person’s place of birth or ancestry. (Note: This subchapter is designed to prevent discrimination against people based upon ethnic distinctions commonly recognized at the time of discrimination. NATIONAL ORIGIN does not include the concept of United States regionalism.)
OWNER. Includes a lessee, sublessee, co-tenant, assignee, managing agent, or other person having the right of ownership or possession, or the right to sell, rent, or lease any housing accommodation.
PERSON. Includes an individual and any group of one or more natural persons, such as, but not limited to, labor unions, joint apprenticeship committees, partnerships, associations, corporations, unincorporated organizations, mutual companies, joint-stock companies, trusts, legal representatives, trustees in bankruptcy, receivers, or any individuals acting in a financial or representative capacity, either appointed by a court of otherwise, the Metro Government or any of its agencies, and any other legal, governmental or commercial entity as well as a natural person or persons. PERSONS, when applied to any of the foregoing, includes members, representatives, officers and directors.
PLACE OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION, RESORT OR AMUSEMENT. Any place, store or other establishment, either licensed or unlicensed, which supplies goods or services to the general public or which solicits or accepts the patronage or trade of the general public or which is supported directly or indirectly by government funds; except that a private club is not a place of public accommodation, resort or amusement if its policies are determined by its members and its facilities or services are available only to its members and their bona fide guests; and PLACE OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION, RESORT OR AMUSEMENT does not include a rooming or boarding house containing not more than one room for rent or hire and which is within a building occupied by the proprietor as his or her residence.
PRIOR MILITARY SERVICE. The performance of military duty on a voluntary or involuntary basis in a uniformed service under competent authority and includes: active duty, active duty for training, initial active duty for training, inactive duty training, and full-time National Guard duty.
PURCHASER. Includes any occupant, prospective tenant, assignee, prospective assignee, buyer, or any other person seeking the right of ownership or possession, or any agent of any of these.
REAL ESTATE BROKER or REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON. An individual, whether licensed or not, who for a fee, commission, salary, or other valuable consideration or who with the intention or expectation of receiving or collecting consideration, lists, sells, purchases, exchanges, rents, or leases any housing accommodation, including options thereupon, or who negotiates rents or leases any housing accommodation, including options thereupon, or who negotiates or attempts to negotiate such activities; or who advertises or holds oneself out as engaged in such activities; or who negotiates or attempts to negotiate a loan secured by a mortgage or other encumbrance on transfer of any housing accommodation or who is engaged in the business of charging an advance fee or contracting for collection of a fee in connection with a contract whereby a person undertakes to promote the sale, purchase, exchange, rental, or lease of any housing accommodation through its listing in a publication issued primarily for such purpose; or an individual employed by or acting on behalf of any of these.
REAL PROPERTY. Includes buildings, structures, real estate, lands, tenements, leaseholds, cooperatives, condominiums, and herediments, corporeal and incorporeal.
ROOMING UNIT. Any room or group of
rooms forming a single, habitable unit used for living or sleeping, but which does not contain cooking and kitchen facilities.
SEXUAL ORIENTATION. An individual’s actual or imputed heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality.
(1994 Jeff. Code, § 92.02) (Jeff. Ord. 36-1999, adopted and effective 10-12-1999) (1999 Lou. Code, § 98.02) (Lou. Ord. No. 0088-2001, § 2, approved 8-16-2001; Lou. Metro Am. Ord. No. 129-2003, approved 7-18-2003; Lou. Metro Am. Ord. No. 193-2004, approved 12-10-2004; Lou. Metro Am. Ord. No. 146-2020, approved 12-9-2020; Lou. Metro Am. Ord. No. 84-2021, approved 7-15-2021; Lou. Metro Am. Ord. No. 88-2024, approved 6-11-2024)
Editor’s note:
Louisville Metro Ord. No. 146-2020 takes effect December 9, 2020, except with regard to the references to “lawful source of income” which shall become effective on March 1, 2021.