Des Moines Human Rights Commission
Public Accommodations

Public Accommodations Pamphlet

What are Public Accommodations?

You have the right to enter businesses or social service agencies and to receive their goods and services with dignity and without discrimination. Federal, state, and local public accommodations laws say that no one can deny access or service to people or treat them differently because of ones protected class. It is against the law to discriminate against individual in public accommodations on the basis of ones: Race, Color, Creed, Sex, Sexual Orientation, National Origin, Ancestry, Religion, Physical or Mental Disability.


  • Places of Public Accommodation include:
  • Lodging: hotels, homeless shelters
  • Establishments Serving Food or Drink: restaurants, bar
  • Entertainment: theaters
  • Public Gatherings: convention centers
  • Sales or Rental Establishments: grocery stores
  • Service Establishments: banks
  • Public Transportation: bus, taxi
  • Places of Public Display or collection: libraries, museums
  • Recreation: parks, bowling alleys
  • Education: elementary schools
  • Social Service Center Establishments: day care, food banks

Important Requirements of Public Accommodation Laws

  • Access to Services: Everyone is entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation. These laws make sure they don't take your protected class into account. For example, a store clerk cannot refuse to wait on you because you are gay or because you have a disability.
  • Similar Treatment: Public accommodations laws help ensure that businesses treat customers and clients alike. For example, they cannot ask a customer to show more ID cards than others just because she wears Muslim style clothing. Or a clerk cannot follow a customer who is Hispanic around the store because of his race.
  • Segregation: These laws do not allow businesses to segregate customers because of their protected basis. For example, a dance studio could not make customers who don't speak English take a different class from others.
  • No Harassment: If someone makes negative comments to a customer because of his protected basis, the business management must do something about it. A business owner must stop an employee from calling a client a racial name. Or a manager should stop a clerk who whistles at female customers.
  • Disability Access: People with disabilities sometimes need "accommodations" so that they can enjoy the same services as others. Business owners and their staff must provide reasonable accommodations. For example, a grocery clerk should assist a blind customer who cannot read labels. Or a person who uses a wheelchair might need a ramp to the front door of his dentist's office.

Advertising Requirements

Any place of public accommodation may not print or circulate any advertisements that limit, specify, or discriminate against a person or persons who falls under a protected class. They also cannot indicate or publicize that they are unwelcome, objectionable, not acceptable, or not solicited.

Who is exempt?

  • Any bona fide religious institution with respect to any qualifications the institutions may impose based on religion or sexual orientation, when such qualifications are related to a bona fide religious purpose.
  • If you rent or lease to transient individuals with fewer than six rooms within a single housing accommodation when the occupant, owner, or family members reside in the housing accommodation.
  • Restrictions based on sex on the rental or leasing of housing accommodations by non-profit corporations.
  • Restrictions based on sex, which the owner can show were operated for purpose of providing housing for persons of any one sex prior to January 21, 1972.

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City of Des Moines, Iowa
Human Rights