New York’s CROWN Act makes it illegal to discriminate against someone because of their natural hair texture or a protective hairstyle like braids, locs, or twists. Signed on July 12, 2019, the law amended the state’s Human Rights Law and Education Law so that “race” now includes traits historically associated with race, including hair. That one change pulled hair-based discrimination into every corner of New York law that already banned racial discrimination: the workplace, schools, housing, and businesses open to the public.
What Hair the Law Protects
The statute specifically names braids, locs, and twists as protective hairstyles, and it is written broadly enough to cover other styles tied to racial identity, such as Bantu knots and afros.1New York State Senate. New York Code EXC 292 – Definitions Natural hair texture is covered on its own terms.
Before the amendment, people sometimes lost discrimination cases because courts drew a line between race as an immutable trait and hairstyle as a personal choice. That distinction no longer holds in New York. If a rule or decision targets your hair in a way connected to your racial identity, the law treats it as racial discrimination.
Where the Protections Apply
At Work
Executive Law § 296 makes it illegal for an employer to refuse to hire, fire, or otherwise discriminate against someone because of race, and that now reaches hair.2New York State Senate. New York Code EXC 296 – Unlawful Discriminatory Practices It applies at every stage: job postings, interviews, hiring, promotions, daily treatment, and termination.
A grooming policy that requires “professional” or “neat” hair and then gets enforced against employees with locs, twists, or afros is a problem under this law. So is a policy that bans specific styles outright. If you manage people or write handbooks, this is a good moment to read your grooming standards with fresh eyes.
Retaliation is a separate violation. If you report hair-based discrimination and your employer responds by cutting your hours, reassigning you, or making your working life miserable, that response is itself unlawful under Section 296.2New York State Senate. New York Code EXC 296 – Unlawful Discriminatory Practices
At School
Education Law § 11 was amended to match, feeding the updated definition of race into the Dignity for All Students Act.3New York State Senate. New York Education Law 11 – Definitions Under the implementing regulation at 8 NYCRR § 100.2, students cannot be punished, humiliated, excluded from a school function or athletic team, or kept out of a yearbook because of their hair texture or protective hairstyle. Making a student change their hair as a condition of participation is also prohibited.4New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Implementation of the Crown Act
High school athletics has been a particular flashpoint. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association placed a moratorium on prohibitions of hair adornments and updated its jewelry rule to allow adornments like beads as long as they are secured and don’t create a safety hazard.5New York State Public High School Athletic Association. NYSPHSAA Places Moratorium on Prohibition of Hair Adornments
In Housing and Public Places
Because the amendment changed the definition of race inside the Human Rights Law itself, every context where that law bans racial discrimination now reaches hair. The Division of Human Rights confirms that protection extends to the workplace, housing, education, and places open to the public such as stores and restaurants.6Division of Human Rights. Protected Characteristics
A hotel that turns away a guest, a salon that refuses service, or a restaurant that denies entry because of someone’s natural hairstyle is committing an unlawful discriminatory practice. A landlord who rejects a rental application in a way connected to hair texture or style is also violating the law.
When Hair Rules Can Still Be Enforced
Legitimate health and safety requirements can still justify certain hair-related rules, but they have to be race-neutral and tied to an actual safety concern. A restaurant can require food handlers to wear hairnets. A factory can require workers near heavy machinery to secure loose hair. Those rules are fine as long as they apply to everyone and don’t single out specific styles.
The giveaway that a rule crosses the line: an employer who requires a worker with locs to wear a hair covering but ignores a coworker with equally long unsecured hair. The test is whether the rule serves a real safety purpose and whether it’s applied without regard to the hairstyle itself.
What You Can Recover
When the Division of Human Rights finds that discrimination occurred, the Commissioner can order reinstatement to a job, back pay with interest and benefits, changes to the offending policies, attorney’s fees, and compensation for emotional pain and suffering.7Division of Human Rights. Public Hearings
The state can also impose civil fines payable to itself: up to $50,000 against a respondent found to have committed an unlawful discriminatory act, or up to $100,000 if the conduct is found to be willful, wanton, or malicious.8New York State Senate. New York Code EXC 297 – Procedure Those fines go to the state rather than to you, but they add real financial pressure on the respondent. In private employment cases, punitive damages may also be awarded directly to the person who was harmed.
How to File a Complaint
The New York State Division of Human Rights handles these complaints. Before you file, gather as much detail as you can: dates, times, and locations of each incident, the names and titles of people involved, and descriptions of what was said or done. Save emails, text messages, written grooming or dress policies, witness statements, and anything that links the adverse action to your hair. The stronger that connection on paper, the stronger the case.
You can file in a few ways. The fastest is calling the DHR intake center at (844) 697-3471. You can also complete the online Discrimination Reporting Form, or download a printable version and mail it in.9Division of Human Rights. Report Discrimination The agency will ask for your legal name, your contact information, and the name and contact details of the person or entity you believe discriminated against you.
After you file, the DHR reviews whether your situation is covered by the Human Rights Law. That initial review can take several weeks. If it qualifies, the agency helps you file an official complaint, sends a copy to the respondent, and asks them to respond in writing. You get to review that response and submit a rebuttal.10Division of Human Rights. What To Expect
From there, investigators interview witnesses and review evidence from both sides to decide whether there is probable cause to believe discrimination occurred. If they find probable cause, the case moves to a public hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, and the Commissioner issues a final order based on the judge’s recommendations.7Division of Human Rights. Public Hearings The investigation alone can take several months, sometimes longer. You can go through the whole process without a private attorney, though you’re free to hire one at any point.
How Long You Have to File
For any act of discrimination that occurred on or after February 15, 2024, you have three years from the most recent incident to file with the DHR. The same three-year deadline applies if you choose to file directly in state court instead.11Division of Human Rights. Governor Hochul Announces New Statute Of Limitations For Unlawful Discrimination Miss that window and you lose the right to bring the claim at all.
Outside New York, Protection May Not Follow
The CROWN Act is state law. There is no equivalent federal statute. The CROWN Act of 2025 (S. 751) was introduced in the U.S. Senate in February 2025 and referred to the Judiciary Committee, but it has not advanced beyond that stage.12Congress.gov. CROWN Act of 2025 If you work for a New York employer with operations elsewhere, or you’re thinking about moving, keep in mind that the protections you have here don’t automatically travel with you across state lines.