Fair Housing on the South Dakota Real Estate Exam

Fair housing appears on every South Dakota exam. Here's what you need to know.

Federal Fair Housing Act: 7 Protected Classes Race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, familial status.

South Dakota Fair Housing South Dakota's Human Relations Act generally mirrors federal fair housing law. SD does not add significant state-level protected classes beyond the federal seven at the statewide level.

Sioux Falls adds sexual orientation and gender identity through local ordinance.

Prohibited Practices Steering, blockbusting, redlining, discriminatory advertising — all prohibited under federal law and SDREC professional standards.

SDREC Enforcement SDREC disciplines licensees for fair housing violations independently of HUD. License suspension or revocation is possible for serious violations.

Common Exam Questions **Q**: A SD landlord with a 3-unit owner-occupied building refuses to rent to a person of a particular religion. Is this a Fair Housing violation? **A**: Possibly exempt under the Mrs. Murphy exemption (owner-occupied, 4 or fewer units). However, the landlord cannot advertise the restriction.

Q: A SD licensee tells a buyer, "You don't want to live in that neighborhood." What is this called? A: Steering — a Fair Housing Act violation.

[Practice South Dakota fair housing at CARealestate.com/states/south-dakota](https://carealestate.com/states/south-dakota)