Latest Civil Penalty Amounts for Fair Housing Violations

Q I suspect that civil penalties for Fair Housing Act violations have gone up again this year. What are the new amounts and where I can find them?

A Yes, earlier this year, HUD published inflation-adjusted civil penalty amounts for individuals or entities that were found to have violated a variety of different housing-related laws, including the federal Fair Housing Act. The penalty amounts did increase and the updated numbers can be found in the Federal Register at www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-02-15/pdf/2023-03142.pdf.

Under the revised amounts, a violator can be assessed a maximum civil penalty of $23,011 for a first violation of the Fair Housing Act. If the violator had violated the Fair Housing Act in the previous five years and is again in violation, he can be fined a maximum of $57,527, and those who have violated the law two or more times in the previous seven years can be fined a maximum of $115,054 upon another violation.

It’s important to note that these civil penalty amounts are in addition to actual damages and attorney’s fees and costs that may be awarded to someone who has experienced housing discrimination. Prior to this adjustment, the 2022 penalties were $21,663 for a first violation, $54,157 for a second violation, and $108,315 for a third violation.