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Iowa Code § 216.8

Unfair or discriminatory practices — housing

Known as the Iowa Civil Rights Act

The act spans §§ 216–216 (34 sections).

Applied in 4 court decisions — leading case Renda v. Iowa Civil Rights Commission (2010)

Most recently applied in Cheryl Albaugh v. The Reserve (June 2019)

[C71, §105A.13; C73, §601A.13; C75, 77, 79, 81, §601A.8] 2007 Acts, ch 191, §7; 2009 Acts, ch 41, §86; 2025 Acts, ch 1, §16

How often courts cite this section

20082010201910
citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

1. It shall be an unfair or discriminatory practice for any person, owner, or person acting for an owner, of rights to housing or real property, with or without compensation, including but not limited to persons licensed as real estate brokers or salespersons, attorneys, auctioneers, agents or representatives by power of attorney or appointment, or any person acting under court order, deed of trust, or will:

a. To refuse to sell, rent, lease, assign, sublease, refuse to negotiate, or to otherwise make unavailable, or deny any real property or housing accommodation or part, portion, or interest therein, to any person because of the race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, or familial status of such person.

b. To discriminate against any person because of the person’s race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, or familial status, in the terms, conditions, or privileges of the sale, rental, lease assignment, or sublease of any real property or housing accommodation or any part, portion, or interest in the real property or housing accommodation or in the provision of services or facilities in connection with the real property or housing accommodation.

c. To directly or indirectly advertise, or in any other manner indicate or publicize that the purchase, rental, lease, assignment, or sublease of any real property or housing accommodation or any part, portion, or interest therein, by persons of any particular race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, or familial status is unwelcome, objectionable, not acceptable, or not solicited.

d. To discriminate against the lessee or purchaser of any real property or housing accommodation or part, portion, or interest of the real property or housing accommodation, or against any prospective lessee or purchaser of the property or accommodation, because of the race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, or national origin of persons who may from time to time be present in or on the lessee’s or owner’s premises for lawful purposes at the invitation of the lessee or owner as friends, guests, visitors, relatives, or in any similar capacity.

2. For purposes of this section, “person” means one or more individuals, corporations, partnerships, associations, labor organizations, legal representatives, mutual companies, joint stock companies, trusts, unincorporated organizations, trustees, trustees in cases under Tit. 11 of the United States Code, receivers, and fiduciaries.

89 Acts, ch 205, §2; 92 Acts, ch 1129, §4

C93, §216.8

Subsection 1, paragraphs a, b, c, and d amended

Official source: Iowa Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Iowa statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.