§5-11A-3. Definitions.

As used in this article:

(a) "Commission" means the West Virginia Human Rights Commission;

(b) "Dwelling" means any building, structure or portion thereof which is occupied as, or designed or intended for occupancy as, a residence or sleeping place by one or more persons or families and any vacant land which is offered for sale or lease for the construction or location thereon of any such building, structure or portion thereof;

(c) "Family" includes a single individual;

(d) "Person" includes one or more individuals, corporations, partnerships, associations, labor organizations, legal representatives, mutual companies, joint-stock companies, trusts, unincorporated organizations, trustees, trustees in cases under Title 11 of the United States Code, receivers and fiduciaries;

(e) "To rent" includes to lease, to sublease, to let and otherwise to grant for a consideration the right to occupy premises not owned by the occupant;

(f) "Discriminatory housing practice" means an act that is unlawful under section five, six, seven or nineteen of this article;

(g) "Disability" means, with respect to a person:

(1) A physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of the person's major life activities;

(2) A record of having such an impairment; or

(3) Being regarded as having such an impairment, but the term does not include current, illegal use of or addiction to a controlled substance, as defined in Section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act, Title 21, United States Code, Section 802;

(h) "Aggrieved person" includes any person who:

(1) Claims to have been injured by a discriminatory housing practice; or

(2) Believes that the person will be injured by a discriminatory housing practice that is about to occur;

(i) "Complainant" means the person, including the commission, who files a complaint under section eleven of this article;

(j) "Familial status" means:

(1) One or more individuals who have not attained the age of eighteen years being domiciled with:

(A) A parent or another person having legal custody of the individual or individuals; or

(B) The designee of the parent or other person having custody of the individual with the written permission of the parent or other person; or

(2) Any person who is pregnant or is in the process of securing legal custody of any individual who has not attained the age of eighteen years;

(k) "Conciliation" means the attempted resolution of issues raised by a complaint or by the investigation of the complaint through informal negotiations involving the aggrieved person, the respondent and the commission;

(l) "Conciliation agreement" means a written agreement setting forth the resolution of the issues in conciliation;

(m) "Respondent" means:

(1) The person or other entity accused in a complaint of an unfair housing practice; and

(2) Any other person or entity identified in the course of investigation and notified as required with respect to respondents identified under subsection (a), section eleven of this article;

(n) The term "rooming house" means a house or building where there are one or more bedrooms which the proprietor can spare for the purpose of giving lodgings to persons he or she chooses to receive; and

(o) The term "basic universal design" means the design of products and environments to be useable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialization.

(p) "Assistance animal" means any service, therapy or support animal, weighing less than one hundred fifty pounds, with or without specific training or certification, that works, provides assistance, or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or provides emotional support that alleviate one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person's disability.