Virginia Civil Rights Laws

Civil rights are the rights of individuals to receive equal treatment under the law, protected by both federal and state laws.

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| Last reviewed June 20, 2016

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Most civil rights protections come from the federal government, particularly the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender, skin color, age, and other characteristics. In addition to federal protections, Virginia civil rights law prohibits discrimination against employees on the basis of marital status.

The basics of Virginia’s civil rights laws, including statutes of limitation and code sections, are listed in the following chart. See FindLaw’s Civil Rights section to learn more.

Code Section	36-96.1, et seq. (Housing); 40.1- 28.6 (Equal Pay); 2.2-3900, et seq. (Generally)
Agency	Housing: Fair Housing Board and Real Estate Board; Equal Pay: None; Generally: Human Rights Council
Administrative Preemption	No
Private Action Permitted?	Yes
Attorney Fees Recoverable by Plaintiff?	Housing: Yes; Equal Pay: No; Generally: Yes
Statute of Limitations	Housing: 1 yr./agency, 2 yr./private; Generally: 180 days

Note: State laws are constantly changing — contact a Virginia employment law attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.

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