FAQ Compliance Division

Q. How do I file a discrimination complaint?

A. Unless you need a special accommodation, you need to come to our main office at 601 Walnut Street, Suite 300 South, Philadelphia, PA to file in  person.   Prior to filing  in  person,  you can call  our office at 215-686-4670 to explore your problem  to see if is jurisdictional or  e-mail us at faqpchr@phila.gov  and we will respond in a timely manner to your question. In our office, you will have an in-depth interview with a Human Relations Representative to see if you have an employment, housing, public accommodation, or City services complaint that can be filed with our office. If you do, the charge will be framed and printed out for you to sign during your interview. It will then be reviewed by a supervisor and assigned to an investigator to see if everything is in order, otherwise you will be contacted for clarification.

Q. Is there a time limit for filing a legal discrimination case?

A. Yes. You have 300 days from the last incident you are alleging was discriminatory to come in to file a case.

Q. After I file with your office, how long will it be before the investigation begins?

A. You should receive a packet of information from the investigator assigned to your case within three weeks. The party you are filing against receives a similar packet at the same time. You can always call our main number at 215-686-4670 to inquire about the status of your complaint prior to getting a notice in the mail.

A. The U.S. Equal Employment Relations Commission, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) also enforce anti-discrimination laws in Philadelphia. The laws and regulations that these agencies deal with overlap in some ways with the Fair Practices Ordinance, but in other ways are very different. For more information on these agencies and the laws they enforce, click on links on the left, then click to the various agencies.

Q. Do I need an attorney to file a legal complaint with PCHR?

A. No. It is your right to represent yourself, but you do not need one. We conduct thorough neutral investigations of all complaints before us. While we do not represent you; we will thoroughly investigate each of your allegations to determine whether there is any evidence of discrimination.