Ogdensburg, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 117 § 117-10
Sales and rentals by nonprofit organizations
Operative Text
Nothing in this Part 1 shall prohibit a religious organization, association or society or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association or society from limiting the sale, rental or occupancy of dwellings which it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose to persons of the same religion or from giving preference to such persons, unless membership in such religion is restricted on account of race, color, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin. Nor shall anything in this Part 1 prohibit a private club not in fact open to the public, which as an incident to its primary purpose or purposes provides lodgings which it owns such lodgings to its members or from giving preference to its members.
Ogdensburg, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 117 § 117-10 carves out two narrow exemptions from the fair housing rules established in Part 1. First, religious organizations and religiously affiliated nonprofits may limit or give preference in the sale, rental, or occupancy of dwellings they own or operate for non-commercial purposes to members of their religion, provided that membership in that religion is not itself restricted based on race, color, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. Second, private clubs that are genuinely not open to the public may restrict or give preference in lodging they own to their own members, so long as providing lodging is incidental to the club's primary purpose.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners or managers operating under § 117-10 who wish to rely on either exemption should ensure their organization clearly qualifies — either as a religious organization or affiliated nonprofit operating for non-commercial purposes, or as a genuinely private club whose lodging function is incidental to its main purpose. Compliant operators document that any religious membership preference does not exclude people on the basis of race, color, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. Operators who do not clearly fall within one of these two categories defined in ch. 117 § 117-10 remain subject to the full fair housing requirements of Part 1.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under ch. 117 § 117-10, tenants and prospective renters should be aware that these exemptions are narrow and conditional — a religious organization cannot use this provision to discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, even when limiting housing to members of a particular faith. If a person believes a housing provider is improperly invoking this exemption to engage in unlawful discrimination, that concern can generally be raised as a defense in a housing proceeding or reported to a local or state fair housing authority. Tenant-rights organizations familiar with New York fair housing law can help individuals understand whether a claimed exemption under § 117-10 appears to be applied lawfully.
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 7, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation