Peoria — Ch. 17 Human Relations, Housing and Employment § 17-97
Prohibited acts
Operative Text
(a) It shall be an unfair housing practice and unlawful for any person engaged in selling or renting real property to: (1) Refuse to show, sell, lease or rent any dwelling or housing solely because of any factor specified in section 17-71 . (2) Make any distinction, discrimination or restriction against a purchaser or lessee in the showing, price, terms, conditions or privileges relating to the sale, rental, lease or occupancy of any dwelling or housing or in the furnishing of any facilities or services in connection therewith solely because of any factor specified in section 17-71 . (3) Cause to be made any written or oral inquiry or record concerning any factor specified in section 17-71 relating to a person seeking to purchase, rent or lease any dwelling or housing. (4) Publish, circulate, issue or display, or cause to be published, circulated, issued or displayed, any communication, notice, advertisement, sign, or other writing of any kind relating to the sale, rental or leasing of any housing accommodation within the city which will indicate or express any limitation or discrimination in the sale, rental or leasing of such housing accommodation, predicated upon any factor described in section 17-71 relating to any prospective buyer, lessee or renter of such property. (5) Solicit for sale, lease, or listing for sale or lease, of any housing accommodations within the city on the ground of loss of value due to the present or prospective entry into any neighborhood of any person on the basis of such person's status relative to any factor specified in section 17-71 . (6) Distribute or cause to be distributed written material or statements designed to induce any owner of any housing accommodation in the city to sell or lease his property because of any present or prospective change in the persons in the neighborhood, based on any factor specified in section 17-71 . (b) It shall be an unfair housing practice and unlawful for any lending institution, in making, agreeing to make, arranging or negotiating any loan or guarantee of funds for the purpose of financing the purchase of sale, construction, lease, rehabilitation, improvement, renovation or repair of any dwelling or housing, to offer, seek or agree to terms, condition or privileges that discriminate between persons because of any factor specified in section 17-71 . (c) It shall be an unfair housing practice and unlawful for any person engaged in renting real property to require, as a condition precedent to the rental of a housing accommodation, that the prospective tenant shall not have, at the time the application for rental is made, one or more children under the age of 18 years residing in his family; or insert in any lease or agreement for the rental of any housing accommodations a condition terminating the lease if there shall be one or more children under the age of 18 in the family of any person holding the lease and occupying the housing accommodation.
Peoria's Ch. 17 Human Relations, Housing and Employment § 17-97 prohibits a broad range of discriminatory practices in the sale, rental, and financing of housing. Sellers, landlords, and lenders may not refuse to show, rent, sell, or finance a property, nor impose different terms or conditions, based on any protected characteristic listed in § 17-71. The provision also bans blockbusting tactics—such as soliciting sales by stoking fears about neighborhood demographic change—and explicitly forbids landlords from refusing to rent to families with children under 18 or including lease clauses that would terminate tenancy if a child joins the household.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 17-97, property owners and managers operating in Peoria are generally expected to apply uniform criteria when showing, pricing, and leasing units, without regard to any characteristic protected under § 17-71. Compliant operators avoid making written or oral inquiries about protected characteristics during the application process and ensure that all advertising and listings are free of language that signals any limitation based on those characteristics. Landlords also refrain from inserting lease clauses that restrict or terminate tenancy based on the presence of children under 18 in the household.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 17-97 gives Peoria renters the right to be evaluated for housing on neutral, non-discriminatory terms, and protects families from being denied housing or having their lease threatened solely because children under 18 live in the home. If a landlord refuses to show a unit, quotes different terms, makes inquiries about protected characteristics, or includes a child-exclusion clause in a lease, that conduct may constitute an unfair housing practice under this provision. Tenants who believe their rights under § 17-97 have been violated can explore options such as filing a complaint with Peoria's human relations office, contacting a local tenant-rights organization, or consulting with a fair housing advocacy group for guidance on available remedies.
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.
Effective Timeline
References In
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