Wake County Non-Discrimination Ordinance: Veteran and National Guard Status

Wake County Code chapter 34, adopted October 18, 2021 and in force from February 1, 2022, lists "National Guard or veteran status" among its protected classes. What it covers. An employer, defined as anyone employing one or more people in Wake County and including the county and its contractors, may not refuse to hire, fire or otherwise discriminate because of a protected class. No owner, manager or employee of a place of public accommodation, meaning a business that serves the public, may deny anyone full and equal enjoyment of it. Religious organisations and private member clubs are excluded. Every bidder for a county contract certifies compliance. Where it applies. Under G.S. 153A-122 a county ordinance does not reach inside city or town limits, so chapter 34 covers only unincorporated Wake County, unless a town adopts it and agrees enforcement with the county. Check whether the employer or business is outside town limits, or in a town that has opted in, before filing. How to complain. File on the county's complaint form with the County Manager's Office within 90 days of the act. The Manager's Office, with the County Attorney, decides whether the county has jurisdiction and investigates; if the complaint is borne out, the county offers conciliation through a third-party facilitator, free and confidential. The county can seek an injunction against a violator under G.S. 153A-123. The ordinance creates no private right to sue, a violation is not a crime, and it does not limit remedies under State or federal law.