No owner or manager of any federally assisted rental housing for the elderly or handicapped may—

(1) as a condition of tenancy or otherwise, prohibit or prevent any tenant in such housing from owning common household pets or having common household pets living in the dwelling accommodations of such tenant in such housing; or

(2) restrict or discriminate against any person in connection with admission to, or continued occupancy of, such housing by reason of the ownership of such pets by, or the presence of such pets in the dwelling accommodations of, such person.

Not later than the expiration of the twelve-month period following November 30, 1983, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of Agriculture shall each issue such regulations as may be necessary to ensure (A) compliance with the provisions of subsection (a) with respect to any program of assistance referred to in subsection (d) that is administered by such Secretary; and (B) attaining the goal of providing decent, safe, and sanitary housing for the elderly or handicapped.

(1) Not later than the expiration of the twelve-month period following November 30, 1983, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of Agriculture shall each issue such regulations as may be necessary to ensure (A) compliance with the provisions of subsection (a) with respect to any program of assistance referred to in subsection (d) that is administered by such Secretary; and (B) attaining the goal of providing decent, safe, and sanitary housing for the elderly or handicapped.

(2) Such regulations shall establish guidelines under which the owner or manager of any federally assisted rental housing for the elderly or handicapped (A) may prescribe reasonable rules for the keeping of pets by tenants in such housing; and (B) shall consult with the tenants of such housing in prescribing such rules. Such rules may consider factors such as density of tenants, pet size, types of pets, potential financial obligations of tenants, and standards of pet care.

Nothing in this section may be construed to prohibit any owner or manager of federally assisted rental housing for the elderly or handicapped, or any local housing authority or other appropriate authority of the community where such housing is located, from requiring the removal from any such housing of any pet whose conduct or condition is duly determined to constitute a nuisance or a threat to the health or safety of the other occupants of such housing or of other persons in the community where such housing is located.

For purposes of this section, the term “federally assisted rental housing for the elderly or handicapped” means any rental housing project that—

(1) is assisted under section 1701q of this title; or

(2) is assisted under the United States Housing Act of 1937 [42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.], the National Housing Act [12 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.], or title V of the Housing Act of 1949 [42 U.S.C. 1471 et seq.], and is designated for occupancy by elderly or handicapped families, as such term is defined in section 1701q(d)(4) [1] of this title.

(Pub. L. 98–181, title I [title II, § 227], Nov. 30, 1983, 97 Stat. 1195.)