Civ. Code, § 51 · Part 2. PERSONAL RIGHTS
Civ. Code, § 51
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
(a) This section shall be known, and may be cited, as the Unruh Civil Rights Act.
(b) All persons within the jurisdiction of this state are free and equal, and no matter what their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, or immigration status are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, or services in all business establishments of every kind whatsoever.
(c) This section shall not be construed to confer any right or privilege on a person that is conditioned or limited by law or that is applicable alike to persons of every sex, color, race, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, or immigration status, or to persons regardless of their genetic information.
(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require any construction, alteration, repair, structural or otherwise, or modification of any sort whatsoever, beyond that construction, alteration, repair, or modification that is otherwise required by other provisions of law, to any new or existing establishment, facility, building, improvement, or any other structure, nor shall anything in this section be construed to augment, restrict, or alter in any way the authority of the State Architect to require construction, alteration, repair, or modifications that the State Architect otherwise possesses pursuant to other laws.
(e) For purposes of this section:
(1) “Disability” means any mental or physical disability as defined in Sections 12926 and 12926.1 of the Government Code.
(2) (A) “Genetic information” means, with respect to any individual, information about any of the following:
(i) The individual’s genetic tests.
(ii) The genetic tests of family members of the individual.
(iii) The manifestation of a disease or disorder in family members of the individual.
(B) “Genetic information” includes any request for, or receipt of, genetic services, or participation in clinical research that includes genetic services, by an individual or any family member of the individual.
(C) “Genetic information” does not include information about the sex or age of any individual.
(3) “Medical condition” has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (i) of Section 12926 of the Government Code.
(4) “Race” is inclusive of traits associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles. “Protective hairstyles” includes, but is not limited to, such hairstyles as braids, locs, and twists.
(5) “Religion” includes all aspects of religious belief, observance, and practice.
(6) “Sex” includes, but is not limited to, pregnancy, childbirth, or medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth. “Sex” also includes, but is not limited to, a person’s gender. “Gender” means sex, and includes a person’s gender identity and gender expression. “Gender expression” means a person’s gender-related appearance and behavior whether or not stereotypically associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth.
(7) “Sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, or immigration status” includes any of the following:
(A) Any combination of those characteristics.
(B) A perception that the person has any particular characteristic or characteristics within the listed categories or any combination of those characteristics.
(C) A perception that the person is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to have, any particular characteristic or characteristics, or any combination of characteristics, within the listed categories.
(8) “Sexual orientation” has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (s) of Section 12926 of the Government Code.
(f) A violation of the right of any individual under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336) shall also constitute a violation of this section.
(g) Verification of immigration status and any discrimination based upon verified immigration status, where required by federal law, shall not constitute a violation of this section.
(h) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the provision of services or documents in a language other than English, beyond that which is otherwise required by other provisions of federal, state, or local law, including Section 1632.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 779, Sec. 2.5. (SB 1137) Effective January 1, 2025.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=51.
- Text hash
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- Composed by
- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Cited by 95 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Civ. Code, § 51; the first 50 in book order. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Business and Professions Code
Civil Code
- Civ. Code, § 51.1Printed as Section 51, 51.5, 51.7, 51.9, or 52.1
- Civ. Code, § 51.2Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 51.3.5Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 51.5Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 51.7Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 51.8Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 51.10Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 51.13Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 51.14Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 51.17Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 52Printed as Section 51 or 51.7 | Section 51, 51.5, or 51.6
- Civ. Code, § 52.4Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 53Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 55.51Printed as Section 51, 54, 54.1, or 55
- Civ. Code, § 55.52Printed as Section 51, 54, 54.1, or 55 | Section 51, 54, 54.1, or 55 of this code
- Civ. Code, § 55.54Printed as Section 51, 54, 54.1, or 55 | Section 51, 54, 54.1, or 55 of the Civil Code
- Civ. Code, § 55.545Printed as Section 51, 54, 54.1, or 55
- Civ. Code, § 55.62Printed as Section 51 or 51.6
- Civ. Code, § 56.181Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 82Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 83Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 84Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 85Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 782Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 782.5Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 798.20Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 800.25Printed as Section 51
- Civ. Code, § 1747.80Printed as Section 51
Code of Civil Procedure
Commercial Code
Corporations Code
Government Code
Health and Safety Code
- Health & Saf. Code, § 1262.6Printed as Section 51 of the Civil Code
- Health & Saf. Code, § 1317Printed as Section 51 of the Civil Code
- Health & Saf. Code, § 1317.3Printed as Section 51 of the Civil Code
- Health & Saf. Code, § 1367.28Printed as Section 51 of the Civil Code
- Health & Saf. Code, § 1439.50Printed as Section 51 of the Civil Code
Insurance Code
Military and Veterans Code
Public Contract Code
Vehicle Code
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