The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has released a final rule that will apply a so-called "disparate impact" rule that will use statistical analysis to determine if discrimination and violations of the Fair Housing Act may be taking place. The rule released Friday will take effect 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register.

"Through the issuance of this rule, HUD is reaffirming its commitment to enforcing the Fair Housing Act in a consistent and uniform manner," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan in an agency release. "This will ensure the continued strength of one of the most important tools for exposing and ending housing discrimination."

Under disparate impact rules, a plaintiff can claim discrimination without proving intent or even the existence of the violation. Instead, statistical analysis is relied upon to reveal whether certain minority groups received the same treatment as others.