Were you discriminated against at work in Texas?
The Texas Labor Code Chapter 21, "Employment Discrimination" may protect employees from workplace discrimination and retaliation. Deadlines, filing routes, and available remedies depend on what happened and which law applies.
You can request a review even if you are not sure whether the conduct legally qualifies, never reported it to HR, or still work for the employer.
Updated August 2026
- Harassment or different treatment tied to race, sex, age, disability, pregnancy, religion, national origin, or another protected trait
- Being passed over, disciplined, or fired for a protected reason
- A denied accommodation or protected leave issue
- Retaliation after reporting discrimination
Texas Labor Code Chapter 21 prohibits workplace discrimination because of race, national origin, color, religion, sex, age (40+), and disability at employers with 15 or more employees. The filing window is short, 180 days with the Texas Workforce Commission, and untimely complaints must be dismissed. Damages are capped by employer size ($50,000–$300,000).
Employment discrimination information by city in Texas
Select your city for locally relevant filing information, agency routes, and a case review with your state already selected.
- AustinEmployment-discrimination information
- DallasEmployment-discrimination information
- El PasoEmployment-discrimination information
- Fort WorthEmployment-discrimination information
- HoustonEmployment-discrimination information
- San AntonioEmployment-discrimination information
Texas at a glance.
- Statute
- Texas Labor Code Chapter 21, "Employment Discrimination" (commonly known as the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act / TCHRA), Tex. Lab. Code Ann. ch. 21
- Harassment covered at
- Sexual harassment: 1 or more employees (Sec. 21.141(1), effective Sept.
More detail
1, 2021). Clause (B), 'acts directly in the interests of an employer', has been read to expose individuals such as managers, owners, and HR to potential liability. - Discrimination covered at
- 15+ employees for general harassment/discrimination claims (Sec. 21.002(8)(A))
More detail
counties, municipalities, and state agencies covered regardless of size (Sec. 21.002(8)(D)) - State agency deadline
- 180 days for general discrimination and harassment (Sec. 21.202(a)); 300 days for sexual harassment (Sec. 21.202(a-1), effective Sept.
More detail
1, 2021). Untimely complaints must be dismissed (Sec. 21.202(b)). - Federal EEOC deadline
- 300 days for Title VII claims (Texas is a deferral state, TWC Civil Rights Division is the state FEPA)
- Civil suit
- No direct suit, administrative exhaustion required.
More detail
60 days to sue after right-to-sue notice (Sec. 21.254); no civil action later than 2 years after the complaint was filed (Sec. 21.256). - After right-to-sue
- 60 days from right-to-sue notice (Sec. 21.254)
More detail
TWC must notify complainant if unresolved at 180 days (Sec. 21.208) - Damages
- $50,000 (fewer than 101 employees)
More detail
$100,000 (101-200); $200,000 (201-500); $300,000 (more than 500), per complainant, combined compensatory + punitive (Sec. 21.2585) - State agency
- Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division (TWC CRD)
What may be available under the Texas Labor Code Chapter 21, "Employment Discrimination".
- Combined compensatory + punitive damages capped by employer size (Sec. 21.2585)
- Back pay, interest on back pay, and equitable relief NOT subject to caps
- Punitive damages unavailable against governmental entities (Sec. 21.2585(b)); require malice or reckless indifference
- Sexual harassment (Subchapter C-1, Secs. 21.141-21.142, SB 45 2021): 1-employee threshold, covers even the smallest employers
- Employer duty: 'immediate and appropriate corrective action' once employer/agents/supervisors know or should have known (Sec. 21.142), stricter than the federal 'prompt remedial action' standard
- Potential individual liability for those who 'act directly in the interests of an employer' (Sec. 21.141(1)(B))
Discrimination by protected ground in Texas.
Coverage thresholds and deadlines differ by ground. Each one below is a separate claim, and an employer can violate more than one at once.
Race & national origin
Disability
Age (40+)
Religion
Sexual orientation & gender identity
Retaliation
Where to file in Texas.
Civil Rights Division (mailing)
101 E 15th StreetAustin, TX 78778
(888) 452-4778
Deadlines are shorter than most people expect. Share what happened in about two minutes. The firm will review your submission and contact you about possible options and next steps. There is no cost or obligation to request a review.
Guides for Texas workplace discrimination.
The same conduct can break more than one law.
What happened to you in Texas may also amount to a separate claim, with its own protections and its own deadlines. Each of these is worth checking before anything lapses.
Common questions.
Why is the Texas discrimination deadline only 180 days?
Texas Labor Code Chapter 21 sets a 180-day window for general discrimination claims with the Texas Workforce Commission, and the statute says untimely complaints SHALL be dismissed. (Sexual harassment is the exception, a 2021 law gives it 300 days.) Filing federally with the EEOC can give 300 days, so act early.
Does Texas discrimination law cover small employers?
Generally no, Chapter 21 discrimination claims require 15 or more employees, and so does federal law. The one exception is sexual harassment, which Texas covers at employers with a single employee since 2021. For other grounds at a small employer, a lawyer can check whether any route applies.