Restrictive Covenants

What Are Restrictive Covenants?


In the first half of the twentieth century, restrictive covenants were recorded on some properties in Washington which included racially restrictive provisions. 

These racially restrictive covenants sometimes singled out specific races that were excluded from owning or occupying the property. Other versions would limit ownership or use to one particular race. Sometimes the restrictive covenants limited ownership or use by members of certain religions. 

Removing such covenants should be a priority to homeowners who want to raise awareness about the history of racism in the U.S., protect future homebuyers, and eliminate harmful language

graphic3 Does My Property Have These?

The University of Washington has identified thousands of properties that have these covenants. 

You can search for your property on their map.

Conduct a search on your own property following these instructions.

Capture What are Restrictive Covenants?

In the first half of the twentieth century, restrictive covenants were recorded on some properties in Washington which included racially restrictive provisions. These racially restrictive covenants sometimes singled out specific races that were excluded from owning or occupying the property. Other versions would limit ownership or use to one particular race. Sometimes the restrictive covenants limited ownership or use by members of certain religions.

Home Page Icons-04 How Can I Address This?

Fill out the Restrictive Covenant Modification Form (click on appropriate link below to download) with the property information but do not sign it.

Detailed step by step instructions. 

Historical Plat Map The Legacy of Discriminatory Restrictive Covenants

Discrimination can be hard to document when it is a function of a person’s (often unstated) opinions and attitudes. However, with respect to real estate transactions, it is painfully clear in at least one respect: County real property records contain all the information regarding transfers and covenants against properties located within the county. As a result, if a property has ever been subject to racially discriminatory covenants, then it is a matter of record with the county.

Additional Information:

http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/covenants.htm

http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/covenants_law.htm

There are 4,000 racist housing covenants in Pierce County. You can find them on a map

Have a racist housing covenant in Pierce County? Here’s how to fix it — and why you should 


The Lasting Impacts of Discriminatory Restrictive Covenants

Both federal and Washington State law prohibit racial discrimination in real estate transactions, but for much of our nation’s history, discriminatory practices were commonplace. In particular the practice of “redlining” in Seattle and in other cities — combined with the pervasive use of discriminatory restrictive covenants — led to segregated neighborhoods.

Read more....