About the NJ Law Against Discrimination (LAD)

The NJ Law Against Discrimination (N.J.S.A. 10:5-1 et seq.) (LAD) makes it unlawful to subject people to discrimination or harassment based on race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, sex, pregnancy, breastfeeding, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, familial status, marital status, domestic partnership/civil union status, liability for military service, and in some cases atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, genetic information, and age. The LAD prohibits unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, places of public accommodation, credit and business contracts. Not all of the foregoing prohibited bases for discrimination are protected in all of these areas of activity. For example, familial status is only protected with respect to housing.

The LAD also prohibits discrimination in housing based on source of lawful income to be used for rental payments, including, but not limited to subsidies or vouchers provided by federal, state, or local rental-assistance programs like Section 8, CVERAP (COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program), SRAP (State Rental Assistance Programs), and TRA (temporary rental assistance). The law also prohibits housing listings that express directly, or indirectly, any such limitation or discrimination.

For more information, visit the NJ Division on Civil Rights website.

View this flowchart to learn "What You Need to Know"

 Flyers and Handouts for Download or View:

  pdf Racial Steering (1.10 MB)

  pdf SH Housing (332 KB)

  pdf LGBTQI Housing (765 KB)

  pdf Housing General (332 KB)

  pdf Service Animals (875 KB)

  pdf Source of Lawful Income (839 KB)

 Learn about a 3 year investigation on Fair Housing that took place on Long Island: https://projects.newsday.com/long-island/real-estate-agents-investigation/