La Grange — Title VII Ch. 14 Fair Housing § 7-14-10
Definitions
Operative Text
The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter, shall have the meanings ascribed to them as follows, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning: Administering Agency means the employees of the Village designated by the Corporate Authorities to investigate, conciliate, receive and initiate Complaints pertaining to violation of this chapter. Administrator means the Village Manager or their designee. Adjudicative Agency means the appropriate State or Federal court. Affirmative Marketing means attempting to attract all prospective buyers and Renters with special efforts to attract Persons of a race or National Origin least likely to apply through the normal operations of the market place. Aggrieved Party/Person means any Person who claims to have been injured by a discriminatory housing practice or believes that he or she will be injured by a discriminatory housing practice that is about to occur. ANSI A117.1-1986 means the 1986 edition of the American National Standard for Buildings and facilities providing accessibility and usability for physically disabled people or the more current applicable edition. Broker means any Person authorized to perform an action on behalf of another Person regarding any matter related to the sale or Rental of Dwellings, including Offers, Solicitations or contracts and the administration of matters regarding such Offers, Solicitations or contracts or any residential real estate related transactions. Building means a structure, facility, or portion thereof that contains or serves one or more Dwelling units. Building Entrance on an Accessible Route means an accessible Entrance to a Building that is connected by an accessible route to public transportation stops, to accessible parking and passenger loading zones, or to public streets or sidewalks, if available. Charge means an allegation contained in a Complaint. Civil Rights Violation includes and shall be limited to only those specific acts set forth in 7-14-20 through 7-14-30 . Commission means the Human Relations Commission. Common Use Areas means rooms, spaces or elements inside or outside of a Building that are made available for the use of residents of a Building or the guests thereof. The term "Common Use Areas" includes hallways, lounges, lobbies, laundry rooms, refuse rooms, mailrooms, recreational areas and passageways among and between Buildings. Complainant means a party/Person, including the Administering Agency, who files a Complaint. Complaint means the document filed by a Complainant with the Administering Agency. Community Residence means a group home or specialized residential care home serving unrelated Persons with disabilities. Conciliation means the attempted resolution of issues raised by a Complaint, or the investigation of such Charge, through informal negotiations involving the Aggrieved Party, the Respondent and the Administering Agency. Conciliation Agreement means a written agreement setting forth the resolution of the issues in Conciliation. Controlled Substance means any drug or other substance, or immediate precursor included in the definition in Section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 USC 802). Covered Multifamily Dwelling means a Building consisting of four or more units if such Buildings have one or more elevators; and ground floor units in other Buildings consisting of four or more units. Disability means, with respect to a Person, a Physical or Mental Disability which substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or being regarding as having such an impairment. Discriminate means to treat any Person differently from others because of race, color, Religion, creed, National Origin, age, Sex, sexual preference or orientation, ancestry, Marital Status, Physical or Mental Disability, Familial Status or unfavorable military discharge. Dwelling means any Building structure or portion thereof which is occupied as, or designed or intended for occupancy as, a residence by one or more families or unrelated individuals, and any vacant land which is Offered for sale or Lease for the construction or location thereon of any such Building, structure or portion thereof. Elderly Person means a Person 55 years of age or older. Entrance means any access point to a Building or portion of a Building used by residents for the purpose of entering. Exterior means all areas of the Premises outside of an individual Dwelling unit. Familial Status means one or more individuals who have not attained the age of 18 years being domiciled with: (1) A parent or a Person having legal custody of such individuals; (2) The designee of such parent or other Person having such custody, with the written permission of such parent or other Person; or (3) Persons who are pregnant or in the process of securing legal custody of any individual who has not attained the age of 18 years. Financial Institution means any bank, credit union, insurance company, mortgage banking company, savings and loan association, or other entity or organization which makes or purchases Loans or provides other financial assistance and which operates or has a place of business in the State. Hearing Agency means the agency designated by the Corporate Authorities of the Village to conduct hearings on, and adjudicate the question of, ordinance violations. Housing Accommodation includes any improved or unimproved Real Property or part thereof which is used or occupied or is intended, arranged or designed to be used or occupied as the home or residence of one or more individuals. Housing for Older Persons means: (1) All housing that is provided under State and Federal programs for Elderly Persons as defined by the specific programs, providing U.S. HUD approval has been secured; (2) Housing that is intended for, and solely occupied by Persons 62 years of age or older; (3) Communities in which at least 80 percent of all units are occupied by one Person 55 years of age or older, if the existence of significant facilities and services specifically designed to meet the physical and social needs of older Persons can be documented. Interior means the spaces, parts, components or elements of an individual Dwelling unit. Lease includes any sublease, assignment, or Rental and any contract to enter into any of the foregoing. Loan includes, but is not limited to, the providing of funds, for consideration, which are: (1) Sought for the purpose of purchasing, constructing, improving, repairing or maintaining a Housing Accommodation; (2) Sought for any commercial or industrial purposes; or (3) Secured by residential real estate. Marital Status means the legal status of being married, single, separated, divorced or widowed. Modification means any change to the public or Common Use Areas of a Building or any change to a Dwelling unit. National Origin means the place in which a Person or one of his or her ancestors was born. Offer includes every attempt by means of written or oral communications to present for acceptance or rejection, to hold out or proffer, to make a proposal to, or to exhibit real estate that may be taken or received with the intention of ultimately entering a Real Estate Transaction. Owner means any Person who holds legal or equitable title to, or owns any beneficial interest in, any real estate, or who holds legal or equitable title to shares of, or any beneficial interest in, an equity which owns any real estate. Panic Peddling means to induce or attempt to induce a Person, for profit, to sell or Rent a Dwelling by representation regarding the entry or prospective entry into the neighborhood of a Person of a particular race, color, Religion, Sex, sexual preference or orientation, Familial Status, National Origin, or Disability. Person means one or more individuals, corporations, partnerships, associations, labor organizations, legal representatives, mutual companies, joint-stock companies, trusts, unincorporated organizations, trustees, or trustees in cases under Title 11 of the United States Code. Person in the Business of Selling or Renting Dwellings means any Person who: (1) Within the preceding 12 months has participated as principal in three or more transactions involving the sale or Rental of any Dwelling or any interest therein; (2) Within the preceding 12 months has participated as agent, other than in the sale of his or her own personal residence, in providing sales or Rental facilities or sales or Rental services in two or more transactions involving the sale or Rental of any Dwelling or interest therein; or (3) Is the Owner of any Dwelling designed or intended for occupancy by, or occupied by, five or more families. Physical or Mental Disability includes: (1) Any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological; musculoskeletal; special sense organs; respiratory, including speech organs; cardiovascular; reproductive; digestive; genito-urinary; hemic and lymphatic; skin; and endocrine; or (2) Any mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities. Premises means the Interior or Exterior spaces, parts, components or elements of a Building, including individual Dwelling units and the public and Common Use Areas of a Building. Protected Classes means all Persons legally protected against Discrimination. Public Contract means every contract to which the State, any of its political subdivisions or any municipal corporation is a party. Public Use Areas means Interior or Exterior rooms or spaces of a Building that are made available to the general public. Public use may be provided at a Building that is privately or publicly owned. Real Estate Transaction means the purchase, sale or fee or equitable title to, or beneficial interest in, or Rental or Lease of, any Real Property; or an option to do any of the foregoing, or any negotiation, listing, contract, or agreement in connection therewith. The term "Real Estate Transaction" also includes the brokering or appraising of residential Real Property and the making or purchasing of Loans or providing other financial assistance for purchasing, constructing, improving, repairing or maintaining a Dwelling or secured by residential real estate. Real Property includes Buildings, structures, real estate, lands, tenements, Lease holds, interests in real estate cooperatives, condominiums, and hereditaments, corporeal and incorporeal, or any interest therein. Religion means all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief; and all aspects of religious nonobservance, nonpractice and nonbelief. Respondent means: (1) The Person or other entity against whom a discriminatory housing practice has been alleged in a Complaint; (2) Any other Person or entity identified in the course of investigation and notified as required under 7-14-140 . Sex means the status of being male or female. Solicit or Solicitation. (1) The term "Solicit" or "Solicitation" means any communication by or on behalf of a real estate agent with the Owner or occupant of a Dwelling: a. Which is intended to induce the sale or Rental of such Dwelling; b. Which is intended to Offer or promote services in connection with the sale, Rental or listing of such Dwelling; and c. Which is carried out by means of: 1. In-person contacts at the Dwelling; 2. Written material mailed or delivered directly to the Dwelling, such as direct mail, leaflets or pamphlets; or 3. Telephone contacts with Owners or occupants of the Dwelling. (2) The term "Solicit" or "Solicitation" shall not refer to communication carried out by means of print or electronic media of general circulation, such as a newspaper, radio, television or the yellow pages. Steering means influencing or attempting to influence by words or acts the choice or location of housing of a prospective purchaser, occupant, or tenant, in connection with viewing, buying, Leasing, or occupying real estate based on race, color, Religion, Sex, sexual preference or orientation, Familial Status, National Origin, or Disability so as to limit choice or promote or maintain segregation. To Rent includes to Lease, to sublease, to let, and to otherwise grant for consideration the right to occupy Premises not owned by the occupant. Varying Terms includes, but is not limited to, the following practices: (1) Requiring a greater down payment than is usual for the particular type of a Loan involved. (2) Requiring a shorter period of amortization than is usual for the particular type of Loan involved. (3) Charging a higher interest rate than is usual for the particular type of Loan involved. (4) Under-appraising of real estate or other items of property Offered as security.
Section 7-14-10 of La Grange's Fair Housing ordinance (Title VII, Ch. 14) establishes the foundational vocabulary used throughout the chapter's anti-discrimination rules. It defines key terms — such as "Discriminate," "Disability," "Familial Status," "Dwelling," and "Protected Classes" — that determine the scope of who and what is covered by the chapter's requirements. These definitions set the boundaries for what counts as a civil rights violation, who qualifies as an aggrieved party, and which agencies handle complaints and hearings. Understanding these terms is essential for interpreting any other provision in the chapter.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers operating in La Grange should familiarize themselves with the definitions in § 7-14-10, as these terms directly shape the obligations and prohibitions found throughout the Fair Housing chapter. For example, the definitions of "Discriminate," "Protected Classes," and "Covered Multifamily Dwelling" clarify which properties and practices fall under the ordinance's reach. Compliant operators generally ensure that their leasing, marketing, and maintenance practices align with the full range of protected characteristics and property types defined in this section, including Familial Status, Disability, and National Origin.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Renters in La Grange benefit from understanding the definitions set out in § 7-14-10, because these terms define who is protected and what conduct is prohibited under the Village's Fair Housing chapter. Terms like "Aggrieved Party/Person," "Complaint," and "Conciliation" describe the framework through which housing discrimination concerns can be raised with the Administering Agency — the Village-designated employees who receive and investigate complaints. Tenants who believe they have experienced discriminatory treatment may explore filing a complaint with the Administering Agency, raising the matter with the Human Relations Commission (defined here as the "Commission"), or consulting a tenant-rights organization for guidance on available options.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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