The OCR is responsible for investigation of complaints regarding allegations of discrimination in education on the basis of disability and disability harassment that may constitute violations of Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973.[1] You will find the regulations defining discrimination in education at 34 C.F.R. Sec. 104.1 and following. See Chapter 16, Information on Section 504 and Disability-Based Discrimination.
If you wish to file a complaint with OCR, you can access the form online at https://ocrcas.ed.gov/office-for-civil-rights-discrimination-complaint-form or you can write or call OCR at one of the addresses below and ask for a copy of the complaint form and instruction sheet for filing a complaint:
The OCR National Headquarters is located at:
U.S. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights
Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Bldg
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-1100
Telephone: 800-421-3481
FAX: 202-453-6012; TDD: 800-877-8339
Email: OCR@ed.gov
As of August 2025, the OCR office for California is located at:
Seattle Office
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
915 Second Avenue Room 3310
Seattle, WA 98174-1099
Telephone: 206-607-1600
FAX: 206-607-1601; TDD: 800-877-8339
Email: OCR.Seattle@ed.gov
As of August 2025, California’s OCR office in San Francisco is currently closed:
Office for Civil Rights,
San Francisco Office
U.S. Department of Education
50 United Nations Plaza
San Francisco, CA 94102
Telephone: (415) 486-5555
Facsimile: (415) 486-5570
Email: OCR.SanFrancisco@ed.gov
Complaints that do not allege violations of Section 504, but may constitute violations of federal special education law, should be filed with the CDE as a compliance complaint. See OCR’s webpage for a definition of educational discrimination at: https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/civil-rights-laws/disability-discrimination/frequently-asked-questions-disability-discrimination.
- 29 U.S.C. Sec. 794.[↩]