HUD's Implementation of the Fair Housing Act's Disparate Impact Standard
Abstract
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing of dwellings and in other housing-related activities. Since 2013, HUD has issued three final rules for determining whether a given practice has an unjustified discriminatory effect under the Fair Housing Act, even where practices were not motivated by discriminatory intent. These rules formalized legal tests that were not explicit in statute and imposed a presumption of unlawful discrimination when any variance in outcomes exists among protected classes, even without a showing of a facially discriminatory policy or discriminatory intent. Through this rulemaking, HUD is proposing to remove its discriminatory effects regulations and leaving to courts questions related to interpretations of disparate impact liability under the Fair Housing Act.
Federal Register Source
This document is published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration. Access the full regulatory text, preamble, and docket comments below.
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Other Rules from HUD
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 2026-00590 Federal Register document?
Document 2026-00590 is a Proposed Rule published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Federal Register on January 14, 2026. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing of dwellings and in other housing-related activities. Since 2013, HUD has issued three final rules for determining whether a given practice has an unjustified discriminatory effect under the Fair Housing Act, even where practices were not motivated by discriminatory intent. These rules formalized legal tests that were not explicit in statute and imposed a presumption of unlawful discrimination when any variance in outcomes exists among protected classes, even without a showing of a facially discriminatory policy or discriminatory intent. Through this rulemaking, HUD is proposing to remove its discriminatory effects regulations and leaving to courts questions related to interpretations of disparate impact liability under the Fair Housing Act. View the original at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/14/2026-00590/huds-implementation-of-the-fair-housing-acts-disparate-impact-standard.
Is document 2026-00590 an economically significant rule?
No. Document 2026-00590 is not classified as economically significant under Executive Order 12866. Economically significant rules require OIRA review and are estimated to have impacts of $100 million or more per year.