SAN ANTONIO—The oldest chapter of Habitat for Humanity settled its lawsuit against the international organization, agreeing to remain under the housing charity’s umbrella for at least three years.

Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio sued the international organization in January, fearful that a new affiliate agreement being imposed on roughly 1,600 U.S. chapters could give the international group the power to force local chapters to give up larger portions of their donations. In a settlement filed late Thursday, the San Antonio chapter agreed to remain part of the international group for the next three years and will be exempt from any changes to the affiliate agreement, including imposition of larger fees or tithes, during that time.

Each Habitat chapter operates as an independent nonprofit raising money, organizing volunteers and selecting families for low-income housing. The homes, sold to families with no-interest loans, are mostly built by volunteers.

The chapters share the name, grant and training programs, and are asked to give 10 percent of their unrestricted revenues to Habitat affiliates overseas. Restricted donations, which are often given for specific projects, have been exempted from the tithe guideline historically.

The San Antonio affiliate was concerned that once it signed the new agreement, larger amounts or fees could be imposed without warning.