A.
It is hereby declared to be the policy of the City of Onalaska, pursuant
to the United States and Wisconsin Constitutions, and also its power
to protect the public health, safety and general welfare, that all
persons, regardless of sex, race, color, disability, as defined in
§ 106.50(1m)(g),
Wis. Stats., sexual orientation, as defined in § 111.32(13m),
Wis. Stats., religion, national origin, marital status, family status,
as defined in § 106.50(1m)(k), Wis. Stats., status as a
victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking, as defined
in § 106.50(1m)(u), Wis. Stats., lawful source of income,
age, or ancestry are assured equal opportunity to live in adequate
housing facilities and, to that end, to prohibit discrimination in
housing by any persons.
A.
In connection with any of the transactions set forth in this section
which affect any housing accommodation on the open market, or in connection
with any public sale, purchase, rental or lease of any accommodation,
it shall be unlawful within the City for a person, owner, financial
institution, real estate broker or real estate salesman, or any representative
of the above, to:
1.
Refuse to sell, purchase, rent or lease, or deny to or withhold any
housing accommodation from a person because of their race, color,
religion, family status, ancestry, national origin, handicap, marital
status, sexual orientation or preference, sex, age, or place of birth;
2.
To discriminate against a person in the terms, conditions or privileges
of the sale, purchase, rental or lease of any housing accommodation,
or in the furnishing of facilities or services in connection therewith;
3.
To refuse to receive or transmit a bona fide offer to sell, purchase,
rent or lease any housing accommodation from or to a person because
of their race, color, religion, family status, ancestry, national
origin, handicap, marital status, sexual orientation or preference,
sex, age, or place of birth;
4.
To refuse to negotiate for the sale, purchase, rental or lease of
any housing accommodation to a person because of their race, color,
religion, family status, ancestry, national origin, handicap, marital
status, sexual orientation or preference, sex, age, or place of birth;
5.
To represent to a person that any housing accommodation is not available
for inspection, sale, purchase, rental or lease when in fact it is
so available, or to refuse to permit a person to inspect any housing
accommodation, because of their race, color, religion, family status,
ancestry, national origin, handicap, marital status, sexual orientation
or preference, sex, age, or place of birth;
6.
To make, publish, print, circulate, post or mail, or cause to be
made, published, printed, circulated, posted, or mailed, any notice,
statement or advertisement, or to announce a policy or to sign or
to use a form of application for the sale, purchase; rental, lease
or financing of any housing accommodation, which indicates and discrimination
or any intent to make discrimination;
7.
To offer, solicit, accept or use a list of any homing accommodation
for sale, purchase, rental or lease with the understanding that a
person may be subjected to discrimination in connection with such
sale, purchase, rental or lease, or in the furnishing of facilities
or services in connection therewith;
8.
To induce directly or indirectly, or attempt to induce directly or
indirectly, the sale, purchase, rental or lease, or the listing for
any of the above, of any housing accommodation by representing that
the presence or anticipated presence of persons of any particular
race, color, religion, family status, ancestry, national origin, handicap,
marital status, sexual orientation or preference, sex, age, or place
of birth in the area to be affected by such sale, purchase, rental
or lease will or may result in either:
9.
To make any misrepresentations concerning the listing for sale, purchase,
rental or lease, or the anticipated listing of any of the above, or
the sale, purchase, rental or lease of any homing accommodation in
any area in the City for the purpose of inducing or attempting to
induce any such listing or any of the above transactions;
10.
To engage in or hire to be done, or to conspire with others
to commit acts or activities of any nature, the purpose of which is
to coerce, cause panic, incite unrest or create or play upon fear,
with the purpose of either discouraging or inducing, or attempting
to induce, the sale, purchase, rental or lease, or the listing for
any of the above, of any housing accommodation;
11.
To retaliate or discriminate in any manner against a person
because he has opposed a practice declared unlawful by this chapter,
or because he has filed a complaint, testified, assisted or participated
in any manner in any investigation, proceeding, hearing or conference
under this chapter;
12.
To aid, abet, incite, compel or coerce any person to engage
in any of the practices prohibited by this chapter; or to obstruct
or prevent any person from complying with the provisions of this chapter;
or any orders issued thereunder;
13.
By canvassing, to commit any unlawful practices prohibited by
this chapter;
14.
Otherwise to deny to or withhold any housing accommodation from
a person because of their race, color, religion, family status, ancestry,
national origin, handicap, marital status, sexual orientation or preference,
sex, age, or place of birth;
15.
For any bank, building and loan association, insurance company
or other corporation, association, firm or enterprise whose business
consists, in whole or in part, in the making of commercial real estate
loans to deny a loan or other financial assistance to a person applying
therefor for the purpose of purchasing, constructing, improving, repairing
or maintaining a dwelling, or to discriminate against him in the fixing
of the amount, interest rate, duration, or other terms or conditions
of such loans or other financial assistance because of the race, color,
religion, family status, ancestry, national origin, handicap, marital
status, sexual orientation or preference, sex, age, or place of birth
of such person or of any person associated with them in connection
with such loan or other financial assistance or the purposes of such
loan or other financial assistance which is to be made or given; or
16.
To deny any qualified person access to or membership or participation
in any multiple-listing service, real estate brokers organization,
or other service, organization or facility relating to the business
of selling or renting dwellings, or to discriminate against him in
their terms or conditions of such access, membership, or participation,
on account of race, color, religion, family status, ancestry, national
origin, handicap, marital status, sexual orientation or preference,
sex, age, or place of birth.
A.
This chapter shall not apply to the following:
1.
A religious organization, association, or society or any nonprofit
institution or organization operation supervised or controlled by
or in conjunction with a religious organization, association, or society
which limits the sale, rental, or occupancy of dwellings which it
owns or operates for other than commercial purpose to persons of the
same religion, or which gives preference to such persons, unless membership
in such religion is restricted on account of race, color, religion,
family status, ancestry, national origin, handicap, marital status,
sexual orientation or preference, sex, age, or place of birth.
2.
A private club not open to the public which, as an incident to its
primary purpose or purposes, provides lodgings which it owns or operates
for other than a commercial purposes and which limits the rental or
occupancy of such lodgings to its members or gives preference to its
members.
3.
Any single-family house sold or rented by an owner, provided that
such private individual owner does not own more than three such single-family
houses at any one time; provided, further, that in the case of the
sale of any such single-family house by a private individual not residing
in such house at the time of such sale or who was not the most recent
resident of such house prior to such sale the exemption shall apply
only with respect to one such sale within any twenty-four-month period;
provided, further, that such bona fide private individual owner does
not own any interest in, nor is there owned or served on their behalf,
under any express or voluntary agreement, title to or any right to
all or a portion of the proceeds from the sale or rental of more than
three such single-family houses at one time; provided, further, the
sale or rental of any such single-family house shall be exempted from
the application of this chapter only if such house is sold or rented:
a.
Without the use of any money of the sales or rental facilities
or the sales or rental services of any real estate broker, agent,
or salesman or of such facilities or services of any person in the
business of selling or renting dwellings, or of any employee or agent
of any such broker, agent, salesman, or person; and
b.
Without the publication, posting or mailing after notice, of
any advertisement or written notice in violation of the provisions
of 42 U.S.C. § 3604; and
4.
Rooms or units in dwellings containing living quarters occupied or
intended to be occupied by no more than four families living independently
of each other, if the owner actually maintains and occupies one of
such living quarters as their residence.
A.
Any person aggrieved by any unlawful practice prohibited by this
chapter may file a complaint with the Board of Zoning Appeals within
30 days after the aggrieved person becomes aware of the alleged unlawful
practice and in no event more than 60 days after the alleged unlawful
practice has occurred. The Board of Zoning Appeals shall receive each
complaint and attempt to resolve each complaint. Failure to achieve
a resolution acceptable to both parties and compliance with this chapter
shall cause the Board of Zoning Appeals to forward the complaint and
findings to appropriate state and federal agencies. Nothing in this
chapter shall be deemed to prohibit an owner or agent from requiring
that a person who seeks to buy, rent or lease housing supply information
concerning family, marital, financial and business status but not
concerning race, color, physical condition, disability as defined
in § 106.50(1m)(g), Wis. Stats., or creed.
