The Wake County Board of Commissioners adopted an ordinance in 2021 prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations and employment. It went into effect on Feb. 1, 2022, and applies only to the unincorporated areas of the county outside of city or town limits, unless a Wake County municipality independently adopts it.

If you live in one of these areas and want to report how a business or employer discriminated against you, please fill out the complaint form below.

Discrimination as defined and covered in the ordinance is any difference in the treatment of a person based on a Protected Class (race, natural hair or hairstyles, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, pregnancy, marital or familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, marital or familial status, National Guard or veteran status, religious belief or non-belief, age, or disability). The alleged discrimination must take place within the jurisdictional limits of Wake County.

Complaints must be filed within 90 days of the alleged discriminatory act on the complaint form provided below. After the complaint is received, the County Manager’s Office will review the form for jurisdictional appropriateness and completeness with a recommendation for one of the following actions:

1. No further action based on lack of jurisdiction;
2. Referral for further investigation with an opportunity for the parties to participate in conciliation to resolve the dispute.
    

Complainants should be aware that any documentation provided to the County through the complaint portal may be subject to disclosure under the N.C. Public Records Act. The conciliation process itself will be administered through a third-party facilitator and is a closed and confidential process, free of charge to participants. The Complainant and Respondent may, but are not required, to be represented by legal counsel during the process, but shall be individually responsible for their own fees or expenses related to representation, preparation or attendance at conciliation. A conciliation referral by the County to a third-party facilitator shall not be construed as an offer to represent the Complainant and shall not constitute an attorney-client relationship between any participant and the County or the third-party facilitator.