The Seattle Office for Civil Rights

810 Third Avenue, Suite 750, Seattle WA 98104-1627
(206) 684-4500, TTY (206) 684-0332
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday
Wheel Chair accessible on the Third Avenue entrance.

Where To Find Help

When the alleged discrimination occurred in:

• the City of Seattle
  
• unincorporated King County
  
• the City of Tacoma
  
• the State of Washington
  
• any US state or territory: about employment
  
• any US state or territory: about housing
  
• air Travel/Airports
  

In the City of Seattle , call:

Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR).

Protected classes:

Age, Ancestry, Color, Creed, Disability, Gender Identity, Marital Status, National Origin, Parental Status, Political Ideology, Race, Religion, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Use of Service Animal and Use of Section 8 Certificate.

Contact Information:

810 Third Avenue, Suite 750
Seattle WA 98104-1627
Voice (206) 684-4500
TTY (206) 684-4503
FAX (206) 684-0332

Complaints must be filed within 180 days after the occurrence of the alleged discrimination.

Includes all employers; employment agencies; printers; labor organizations; publishers; broadcasters, etc.

Seattle Police Department

To file complaints about conduct involving Seattle Police Department employees. OPA takes complaints of misconduct very seriously, and tries to make the complaint process as fair and simple as it can.

Contact Information:

SPD's Office of Professional Accountability (OPA)
Phone: 206-684-8797
or e-mail opa@seattle.gov
Website: www.seattle.gov/police/OPA/default.htm

In Unincorporated King County , call:

King County Office of Civil Rights

Protected classes:

Race, Color, Religion, Disability, Sex, National origin, Sexual orientation, Marital status, Parental status, Section 8 housing subsidy, Ancestry, Retaliation and Age.

Contact Information:

Yesler Building
400 Yesler Way
Seattle, WA 98104
Voice (206) 296-7592
TTY (206) 296-7596
FAX (206) 296-4329

Complaints must be filed within 180 days after the occurrence of the alleged discrimination for Fair Employment, Fair Housing and Fair Contracting, and 60 days for Public Accommodations.

Includes employers of 8 plus; contractors with King County; employment agencies; organizations in King County-owned buildings; labor organizations; publishers, etc.

In the City of Tacoma , call:

Tacoma Human Rights and Human Services Department

Protected classes:

Age, Ancestry, Color, Disability, Marital status, National Origin, Parental/Family Status, Race, Religion, Retaliation, Sex, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation.

Contact Information:

747 Market Street, Room 836
Tacoma, WA  98042
Voice (253) 591-5151
TTY (253) 591-5153
FAX (253) 591-5121

Complaints must be filed within 365 days.
Includes all employers; employment agencies; printers; advertising; land labor organizations, etc.

In the State of  Washington , call:

Washington State Human Rights Commission

Protected classes:

Age, Ancestry, Color, Disability, Marital status, National Origin, Parental /Family Status, Race, Religion / Creed, Retaliation, Sex and Use of a Guide Dog or Service Animal.

Contact Information:

1511 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA  98101
Voice (206) 464-6500 and 1 (800) 605-7324
TTY (206) 587-5168
FAX (206) 464-7463

Complaints must be filed within 6 months.
Includes all employers of 8 plus; employment agencies, labor organizations, etc.

In any US state or territory , call:

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Protected classes:

Age, Color, Disability, National Origin, Race, Religion / Creed and Sex.

Contact Information:

909 First Avenue, Suite 400
Seattle, WA  98104-1061
Voice (206) 220-6883 and 1(800) 669-4000
TTY (206) 220-6882
FAX (206) 220-6911

Complaints must be filed within 180 days after the occurrence of the alleged discrimination.
Includes all employers of 15 plus; employment agencies; and labor organizations.

In any US state or territory, call:

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Protected classes:

Color, Disability, National Origin, Parental/Family Status, Race, Religion, Retaliation and Sex.

Contact Information:

Fair Housing Enforcement Center
909 First Ave, Suite 205
Seattle, WA  98104-1000
Voice (206) 220-5170 and 1-(800) 877-0246
TTY (206) 220-5185
FAX (206) 220-5447

Complaints must be filed within 1 year after the alleged violation occurred. Complaints on HUD-subsidized facilities must be filed within 180 days.

Air Travel/Airports, call:

Civil Rights and Air Travel

Protection of civil rights involving U.S. airports and airlines falls under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. If an allegation of illegal discrimination involves airport personnel or programs, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has jurisdiction. If it involves an airline, the U.S. Department of Transportation has jurisdiction.

The Seattle-area FAA office advises people to contact it as soon as possible concerning any allegation of a civil rights violation involving an airport. If you are uncertain who has jurisdiction in your specific case, or if you prefer to talk to someone locally, contact:

Joelle Briggs, External Program Manager, Civil Rights Staff
Federal Aviation Administration
Northwest Mountain Region
1601 Lind Ave SW
Renton, WA 98055-4056

Phone: (425) 227-2097
e-mail joelle.briggs@faa.gov

If an allegation is clearly against an airline, individuals can contact:

Aviation Consumer Protection Division
C-75 U.S. Department of Transportation
400 Seventh Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20590

Phone: (202) 366-2220
e-mail airconsumer@ost.dot.gov

When an allegation is clearly against an airline, DOT and FAA also encourage individuals to notify the airline representatives found at the website at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/customerservice.htm http://www.nw.faa.gov/civilrights/home.htm

For a PDF format Fact Sheet on Employment document with information on where to find help in the area.
For a PDF format Fact Sheet on Housing document with information on where to find help in the area.

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If you have questions, comments or requests about our services please contact our office at (206) 684-4500 voice, TTY 684-4503 or send email to Elliott Bronstein.