Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance: Filing, Deadlines, and Remedies

The Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance, found in Chapter 9-1100 of the Philadelphia Code, prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations across a broader list of protected characteristics than either state or federal law. If you believe you’ve been discriminated against in Philadelphia, you generally have 300 days to file a complaint with the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR), and housing complainants can go straight to court within two years.¹

Who and What the Ordinance Protects

The ordinance protects you from discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age (40 and older), disability, marital status, familial status, source of income, genetic information, and status as a victim of domestic or sexual violence.² Several of these categories are not covered by federal employment law, including source of income, familial status, and domestic violence victim status.

In December 2025, Mayor Cherelle Parker signed Bill No. 250849, which added menstruation, perimenopause, and menopause as protected categories in employment and wrote reproductive health autonomy into the ordinance’s definition of discrimination.³ Philadelphia is among the first U.S. cities to treat menstruation and menopause as stand-alone protected categories.

What Employers Cannot Do

Section 9-1103 bars employers from discriminating in hiring, firing, promotions, pay, or any other term of employment based on a protected characteristic. It also prohibits segregating or classifying employees in ways that limit their opportunities and specifically forbids unequal pay for equal work based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.⁴

Under Section 9-1128, employers must provide reasonable accommodations for needs related to pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health autonomy, and related medical conditions unless the accommodation would cause an undue hardship. Examples include extra restroom breaks, periodic rest for employees who stand for long periods, help with physical tasks, leave related to childbirth, reassignment to a vacant position, and restructured job duties. The employer carries the burden of proving undue hardship and must give written notice of these rights to all employees.⁵

Section 9-1130 also generally prohibits employers from using your credit history in hiring, firing, or compensation decisions, and from requiring you to disclose credit information. Narrow exceptions apply to financial institutions, positions requiring bonding or security clearance, roles with signatory power or fiduciary responsibility over $10,000 or more, and law enforcement or public safety positions.⁶

What Landlords and Sellers Cannot Do

Section 9-1108 makes it illegal to refuse to sell, lease, or rent housing or commercial property because of a protected characteristic. It also bars landlords and property managers from imposing different terms on tenants, discriminating in mortgage lending, or misrepresenting a unit’s availability to steer applicants away.⁷

The source of income protection is one of the most heavily used pieces of the ordinance. Landlords cannot reject you simply because you pay rent through a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) or another form of public assistance.⁷ Many states still do not offer this protection.

What Public-Facing Businesses Cannot Do

Section 9-1106 covers restaurants, hotels, retail stores, entertainment venues, and other businesses open to the general public. They cannot refuse service, deny access, or treat customers differently based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, or source of income. They also cannot publish or display any communication signaling that service will be denied or limited on those grounds.⁸

Retaliation Is a Separate Violation

Section 9-1103(g) makes it illegal for anyone to threaten, harass, penalize, or discriminate against a person for filing a complaint, testifying in an investigation, or exercising any right under the ordinance. The protection also covers witnesses and anyone who assists with a PCHR proceeding.⁴ If your employer fires you or your landlord threatens eviction after you complain, that is its own violation you can pursue.

The Deadlines That Decide Your Case

You have 300 days from the date of the discriminatory act to file a complaint with the PCHR.¹ The clock starts the day the discrimination happened, not the day you understood it was discrimination. Miss the window and the Commission will reject the complaint no matter how strong the evidence.

Housing discrimination has a longer path. Under Section 9-1122, you can sue in the Court of Common Pleas or any court of competent jurisdiction within two years of the discriminatory act, without going through the PCHR at all.⁹

How to File a Complaint with the PCHR

Before filing, pull together the legal name and address of the employer, landlord, or business; the specific dates and locations of each incident; the names of any witnesses; and copies of relevant communications such as emails, text messages, or written policies. A specific timeline strengthens your complaint.

The PCHR uses an informal complaint form. It must include the respondent’s correct name and address and a description of the discriminatory conduct detailed enough for the Commission and the respondent to understand the allegation. You can submit the complaint by mail or in person at the PCHR office at 601 Walnut Street, Suite 300 South, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Email filing is not accepted.²

What Happens After You File

Once your complaint is docketed, the PCHR serves it on the respondent, who then has 60 days to answer. A PCHR investigator interviews both sides, reviews documents, and may hold a fact-finding conference to explore settlement.

The investigation ends with either a finding of probable cause or a dismissal for no probable cause. If probable cause is found, the PCHR tries to reach a settlement through conciliation, which can require the respondent to stop the practice, adopt new policies, and pay compensation. If conciliation fails, the Commission can hold a formal public hearing where testimony is taken under oath and a legally enforceable order issued.

Voluntary mediation is also available. A mediated settlement is not an admission of a violation. If mediation fails or either side declines, the case returns to the regular investigative track.

Dual Filing with the EEOC

The PCHR has a worksharing agreement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. When you file an employment discrimination complaint with the PCHR that is also covered by federal law, the PCHR dual-files your charge with the EEOC automatically, preserving your federal rights without a separate filing.¹⁰ If you file with the EEOC first, it works in reverse. Because federal, state, and local laws have different deadlines and remedies, dual filing keeps you from accidentally forfeiting one claim while pursuing another.

Going to Court Instead

You are not locked into the administrative process. Under Section 9-1122, if the PCHR dismisses your complaint or has not reached a conciliation agreement within one year of filing, you can sue in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County on the rights the ordinance grants.⁹ Housing plaintiffs, as noted above, can sue directly within two years without waiting on the PCHR at all.

What You Can Recover

If the PCHR finds discrimination, it has broad remedial authority. In employment cases, the Commission can order hiring, reinstatement, or promotion, with or without back pay, along with compensatory damages, punitive damages of up to $2,000 per violation, reasonable attorney’s fees, and hearing costs. It can also issue cease-and-desist orders.¹¹

Separately, anyone who violates the ordinance or interferes with the Commission’s work faces a fine of up to $2,000 per violation. Repeat violators face an additional fine of up to $2,000 per subsequent violation, up to 90 days of imprisonment, or both. Each violation after the first counts as a separate repeat offense, whether or not a court has ruled on an earlier one.¹²

1
American Legal Publishing. Philadelphia Code 9-1112 – Complaint
2
Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. Guide to Discrimination Complaints Under the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance
3
Philadelphia City Council. Bill No. 250849 – Amending Chapter 9-1100
4
American Legal Publishing. Philadelphia Code 9-1103 – Unlawful Employment Practices
5
American Legal Publishing. Philadelphia Code 9-1128 – Unlawful Employment Practices Based Upon Reproductive Health Autonomy, Pregnancy, Childbirth and Related Medical Conditions
6
American Legal Publishing. Philadelphia Code 9-1130 – Unlawful Credit Screening Practices in Employment
7
American Legal Publishing. Philadelphia Code 9-1108 – Unlawful Housing and Real Property Practices
8
American Legal Publishing. Philadelphia Code 9-1106 – Unlawful Public Accommodations Practices
9
American Legal Publishing. Philadelphia Code 9-1122 – Private Right of Action
10
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Fair Employment Practices Agencies (FEPAs) and Dual Filing
11
American Legal Publishing. Philadelphia Code 9-1105 – Remedies for Unlawful Employment Practices
12
American Legal Publishing. Philadelphia Code 9-1121 – Penalties