Where to file a harassment complaint depends on where the harassment happened and who did it. Workplace harassment goes to your employer’s HR or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Housing harassment goes to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. School-based harassment goes to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Criminal threats, stalking, and cyberstalking go to the police, with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center as an added channel for online conduct. Each venue has its own deadline, and missing it can forfeit your right to file.
Workplace Harassment
If you have an employee handbook, read the complaint procedure first. Most direct you to a supervisor, a manager outside your chain of command, or human resources. Reporting internally creates a paper trail and gives the employer a chance to fix the problem, which matters later if you file a government charge. You do not have to exhaust internal channels before going to a government agency, though. If your employer ignores the complaint, retaliates, or the harasser is someone you cannot safely report to, you can go straight to the EEOC.
Filing With the EEOC
The EEOC handles harassment based on race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), and national origin under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.1U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 It also enforces separate laws on age (40 and older), disability, genetic information, and equal pay.2U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Coverage of Business/Private Employers
Federal anti-discrimination laws generally apply to employers with at least 15 employees for at least 20 calendar weeks in the current or prior year. The threshold is 20 employees for age discrimination.2U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Coverage of Business/Private Employers If your employer is smaller, your state agency may still cover you.
File through the EEOC Public Portal at publicportal.eeoc.gov. You submit an online inquiry, then have an intake interview with EEOC staff, who draft the formal charge for you to review and sign electronically.3U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. How to File a Charge of Employment Discrimination You can also file in person at an EEOC field office.
The Deadline: 180 or 300 Days
You have 180 calendar days from the harassing conduct to file with the EEOC. The deadline extends to 300 days if a state or local agency enforces a law prohibiting the same type of discrimination. For age discrimination, the extension applies only when a state law and state agency cover age; a local ordinance alone is not enough.4U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Time Limits for Filing a Charge
Most states do have an anti-discrimination agency, so most workers effectively have 300 days. Do not assume yours does without checking. Miss the deadline and the EEOC will not accept the charge.
State Fair Employment Agencies
Many states run Fair Employment Practices Agencies (FEPAs) whose laws often reach categories or employer sizes beyond federal law. Filing with a state FEPA typically cross-files with the EEOC automatically, and filing with the EEOC in a FEPA state usually triggers a cross-filing with the state. You do not need to submit to both.
If Your Employer Retaliates
It is illegal to fire, demote, harass, or take any other adverse action against you for filing a discrimination charge, participating in an investigation, or opposing discriminatory practices. The legal test is whether the employer’s action would deter a reasonable person from filing a complaint. Retaliation is a separate charge you can file with the EEOC on its own.5U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retaliation – Making it Personal
Housing Harassment
Harassment by a landlord, property manager, maintenance worker, or another tenant can violate the Fair Housing Act when the conduct is based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability.6U.S. Department of Justice. The Fair Housing Act
Before filing a formal complaint, send the landlord or management company written notice describing the conduct and asking that it stop. Email or certified mail gives you proof of delivery, and that record often matters later.
Filing With HUD
If the harassment continues, file with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. You can file online through HUD’s housing discrimination portal, by calling HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at 1-800-669-9777, or by mailing a written complaint. Complaints must be filed within one year of the last discriminatory act.
HUD notifies the party you are complaining about and may open an investigation. A fair housing specialist reviews the facts and decides whether the conduct may violate the Fair Housing Act. Many states and cities also have their own fair housing agencies that investigate under local law, and those local laws sometimes go further than the federal standard.
Retaliation by a Landlord
The Fair Housing Act prohibits anyone from intimidating, threatening, or interfering with a person who exercises their fair housing rights.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 3617 – Interference, Coercion, or Intimidation Eviction, rent increases, reduced services, or other punitive actions taken because you filed a HUD complaint violate federal law, even if the landlord also has some other reason.
School and University Harassment
Harassment in an educational setting — by a teacher, administrator, or fellow student — can go to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) when it is based on sex, race, color, national origin, disability, or age. Title IX covers sex-based harassment in any program that receives federal funding, which includes virtually every public school and most colleges.
Start with the school’s Title IX coordinator. Every school receiving federal funds must designate one, and the contact information should be on the school’s website or available from the administration office. If the school does not respond adequately, or you prefer to go directly to the federal government, file with OCR.
OCR accepts complaints online through its electronic complaint form at ocrcas.ed.gov, by mail, or by fax. The deadline is 180 days from the last act of harassment. OCR can require schools to change policies, provide remedies to affected students, or take other corrective action. Filing with OCR does not prevent you from also pursuing a private lawsuit.
Online Harassment and Cyberstalking
Harassment through email, social media, text messages, or other electronic channels can violate both state criminal laws and a federal stalking statute. Under federal law, using the internet or any electronic communication service to engage in conduct that places another person in reasonable fear of death or serious injury, or that causes substantial emotional distress, is a crime.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2261A – Stalking
Report cyberstalking to your local police the same way you would in-person criminal harassment. When the conduct crosses state lines or involves interstate electronic communications, you can also report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. The IC3 form asks for details about the incident, the subject, and any financial losses, and IC3 refers submissions to the appropriate law enforcement agency.9Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Complaint Form
Every major social media platform also has its own reporting tools. Platform reports can get threatening content or accounts removed quickly, but they do not replace a police report when the behavior is criminal. Use both channels.
Criminal Harassment
When harassment involves credible threats of violence, stalking, or a repeated pattern of conduct that makes you fear for your safety, it may be a crime. Report it to your local police department.10USAGov. Report a Crime Call 911 if you are in immediate danger. For ongoing harassment that is not an active emergency, go to the station or use the non-emergency line.
Bring everything you have: dates and times, the harasser’s name and description, screenshots, call logs, photos, and witness names. Organized evidence helps officers decide whether the conduct meets the elements of a criminal offense. Police investigate and refer the case to prosecutors if the evidence supports it.
If the harassment targets your race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability, it may be a hate crime. Report hate crimes to local police and also submit a tip to the FBI online or by calling your local field office.11Department of Justice. Report a Crime or Submit a Complaint
If criminal harassment caused financial harm through medical bills, counseling, or lost wages, you may be eligible for crime victim compensation. Every state runs its own program, funded in part by the federal Office for Victims of Crime, and eligibility rules and covered expenses vary.12Office for Victims of Crime. Victim Compensation Contact the program in the state where the crime occurred.
When It Is Not a Protected Class or a Crime
Not all harassment is criminal or tied to a protected characteristic. Disputes between neighbors, acquaintances, or other individuals can be addressed through the civil court system. The main remedy is a restraining order (sometimes called a protective order), which can require the harasser to stop contacting you and stay a specified distance away.10USAGov. Report a Crime
File a petition at your local courthouse. You describe the harassment with specific incidents and dates and explain why you need protection. Forms are usually available at a self-help center or on the court’s website. A judge reviews the petition and may issue a temporary order right away if the situation is urgent, then schedules a hearing, typically within a few weeks, where both sides present evidence. If the judge finds the harassment occurred, the order can be extended.
Filing fees vary widely by jurisdiction, and many courts waive them if you cannot afford to pay. Once the court issues the order, the harasser must be formally notified, usually by a process server or law enforcement.
What to Bring When You File
Whichever agency or court you use, documentation is what moves a complaint forward. Investigators and judges rely on specifics, not general descriptions of how you felt. Assemble the following before your intake or hearing:
- An incident log with the date, time, location, exactly what was said or done, and how you responded for every episode.
- Full names and contact information for anyone who saw or overheard an incident.
- Emails, text messages, voicemails, social media posts, photos, and video. Screenshot digital evidence immediately, and back it up somewhere the harasser cannot reach.
- Copies of every written complaint you have submitted — to HR, a landlord, a school, or an agency — with the date submitted and the name of the person who received it.
- Medical records if the harassment led you to seek treatment or counseling.
Agencies like the EEOC and HUD will ask for dates, names, and documents at intake. Arriving with them assembled is the difference between a complaint that moves and one that stalls.