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Downtown Raleigh over its neighboring residential blocks, August 4, 2025 (cropped). Photo: Quintin Soloviev, Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 4.0.

North Carolina · statewide

Section 8 in North Carolina

North Carolina has no statewide voucher program: about 120 local housing authorities and regional agencies each run their own lists. Among the largest, only the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville posts its tenant-based voucher list as open (online only). INLIVIAN in Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, ASPIRE in Winston-Salem, Fayetteville and Wilmington all post theirs as closed.

State law is unusually restrictive. North Carolina’s fair housing act does not protect source of income, and since September 9, 2024 a statute bars any city or county from requiring landlords to accept federal housing assistance, except at properties that take local money. Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Currituck County set voucher limits by ZIP code; HUD’s FY2027 two-bedroom figure runs from $1,271 in Greensboro to $1,866 in Asheville.

By the VoucherMatch editorial team · Sources reviewed · Updated · Independent guide, not a housing authority

Large agency with an open voucher list
Asheville (HACA)
Online only; others posted closed
Local voucher mandates
Banned
G.S. 42-14.1(b), since Sept. 9, 2024
HUD 2BR figure, FY2027
$1,271–$1,866
Greensboro to Asheville
Renters paying 30%+ of income
48.9%
Census ACS 2020–2024, statewide
Want to apply?Which lists are open Refused by a landlord?The 2024 preemption Have a voucher?Limits by metro

North Carolina’s largest voucher agencies and their posted list status

Housing Choice Voucher lists at North Carolina’s largest agencies, as posted October 21, 2026
Agency (city)VouchersVoucher listNotes
INLIVIAN (Charlotte)8,930ClosedFamilies moving a voucher in must work 20 hours a week or have a job offer (INLIVIAN)
Greensboro Housing Authority5,264ClosedProject-based voucher list open
ASPIRE (Winston-Salem; formerly HAWS)4,788ClosedOpens for several days about every three years; last April 2024
Raleigh Housing Authority4,301ClosedAll lists closed June 6, 2025
Housing Authority of the City of Asheville3,423Open, online onlyNo opening date printed
Durham Housing Authority3,264ClosedAverage voucher wait 24 months; two project-based lists ran Sept. 21–Oct. 2, 2026
Fayetteville Metropolitan Housing Authority2,109Closed
Wilmington Housing Authority2,083Closed

Sources: each agency’s website, re-read October 21, 2026 (statuses undated unless shown); HUD Public Housing Authorities layer (updated July 6, 2026) for voucher counts. HUD lists 123 North Carolina agencies, 65 of them with vouchers, about 73,400 in all.

  1. Apply where you live, and where you would move

    Each agency keeps its own list, and many give a preference to people who live or work in their area. You can be on more than one list.

  2. Regional agencies cover rural counties

    Councils of government and regional housing authorities run vouchers for many rural counties, such as Northwestern Regional Housing Authority in Boone. The state’s only government voucher agency, the NC Commission of Indian Affairs, serves six counties: Columbus, Granville, Halifax, Person, Sampson and Warren.

  3. Use the state search tools

    NCHousingSearch.org lists rentals with a Section 8 filter (call center 1-877-428-8844). People with disabilities may qualify for tax-credit units set aside under the state’s Targeting Program and Key rental assistance, by referral from a service agency.

The 2024 law that stops North Carolina cities requiring landlords to take vouchers

North Carolina’s Fair Housing Act (G.S. 41A-4) protects race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicapping condition and familial status, but not source of income. Then S.L. 2024-47, which became law over the governor’s veto on September 9, 2024, added G.S. 42-14.1(b): no county or city may "enact, maintain, or enforce" an ordinance that stops a landlord refusing a tenant because rent is paid partly through a federal housing assistance program.

Important: Where a refusal is still not allowed

The statute lets cities and counties set conditions for owners who take local funding or incentives, which is why Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Raleigh and Winston-Salem voucher policies apply only to properties they support. Under federal law, tax-credit (LIHTC) and HOME-funded properties may not refuse an applicant because of a voucher, and refusing someone because of race, disability, familial status or another protected trait is illegal everywhere. This is general information, not legal advice.

The same statute already bars local rent control (G.S. 42-14.1(a)), and a separate law limits local rental registration and permit programs (G.S. 160D-1207). For tenants, that leaves the voucher agency’s inspection and rent reasonableness review as the main checks on a voucher unit.

HUD’s 2027 two-bedroom figures across North Carolina’s metros

Five areas must set limits by ZIP code: Charlotte, from HUD’s first list in 2016 (Federal Register), and Greensboro-High Point, Raleigh, Winston-Salem and the Virginia Beach area’s Currituck County, added in 2023 (Federal Register). Elsewhere agencies set one schedule from the metro figure. The table shows HUD’s FY2027 metro numbers; each agency’s standard can differ, so use the city guides for local amounts.

HUD FY2027 two-bedroom Fair Market Rent by metro, and city median rents
MetroHUD 2BR FY2027ZIP-level limits?City median 2BR gross rent
Asheville$1,866No—
Charlotte$1,785Yes$1,606
Durham-Chapel Hill$1,745No$1,524
Wilmington$1,705No—
Raleigh$1,689Yes$1,576
Fayetteville$1,476No—
Winston-Salem$1,332Yes—
Greensboro-High Point$1,271Yes$1,150

Sources: HUD FY2027 FMRs, effective October 1, 2026; HUD’s 2016 and 2023 Small Area FMR designations; U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024, table B25031 (Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro city). In ZIP-level areas the figure varies by ZIP around the metro number.

Two-bedroom: HUD’s FY2027 metro figure across North Carolina

Asheville's $1,866 two-bedroom figure is $595 higher than Greensboro-High Point's, the widest spread among the state's large metros.

  • Observed rent
  • Official amount
  • Asheville$1,866/mo
  • Charlotte (ZIP-level)$1,785/mo
  • Durham-Chapel Hill$1,745/mo
  • Wilmington$1,705/mo
  • Raleigh (ZIP-level)$1,689/mo
  • Fayetteville$1,476/mo
  • Winston-Salem (ZIP-level)$1,332/mo
  • Greensboro-High Point (ZIP-level)$1,271/mo

Statewide, the median two-bedroom gross rent is $1,164 (ACS 2020–2024).

Source: HUD FY2027 FMRs. Chart: VoucherMatch, October 21, 2026.

Highest rent a $1,800-a-month household could accept, if the standard equals HUD’s figure

  1. 1.Greensboro-High Point

    $1,271 − $540 + $720

    $1,451

  2. 2.Raleigh

    $1,689 − $540 + $720

    $1,869

  3. 3.Charlotte

    $1,785 − $540 + $720

    $1,965

  4. 4.Asheville

    $1,866 − $540 + $720

    $2,046

Hypothetical household with $1,800 adjusted monthly income renting a two-bedroom with all utilities included (no allowance). Real standards are set by each agency between 90% and 110% of HUD’s figure, or by ZIP in the five Small Area FMR areas, so check the agency’s schedule. The 40% move-in limit is 24 CFR 982.508.

HUD’s FY2026 income limits set very low income (the usual voucher ceiling) at $58,700 for a family of four in the Charlotte area, $66,150 in Raleigh, $63,550 in Durham-Chapel Hill, $51,200 in Asheville and $45,750 in Greensboro-High Point.

Help while you wait, and North Carolina city guides

  • NC 211: dial 2-1-1 or (888) 892-1162 for local rent, utility and shelter programs. We found no statewide emergency rental assistance program open in October 2026.
  • Tax-credit housing: HUD’s database lists about 2,700 tax-credit projects in North Carolina; they cannot turn away an applicant for having a voucher.
  • Moving a voucher here: the receiving agency’s rules apply, such as INLIVIAN’s work requirement in Charlotte.

Common questions

Is any Section 8 waiting list open in North Carolina?

Among the state’s largest agencies, only the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville posts its tenant-based voucher list as open, online only. INLIVIAN (Charlotte), Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, ASPIRE (Winston-Salem), Fayetteville and Wilmington post theirs as closed; Greensboro’s project-based list is open.

Can a landlord refuse Section 8 in North Carolina?

Generally yes. State fair housing law does not protect source of income, and since September 9, 2024, G.S. 42-14.1(b) bars cities and counties from requiring landlords to accept vouchers, except at properties that take local funding. Tax-credit and HOME properties may not refuse a voucher holder for that reason.

Does Charlotte or Raleigh have a source-of-income ordinance?

Only for properties the city or county helps fund. Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Raleigh and Winston-Salem attach voucher-acceptance conditions to their own funding or incentives, which the 2024 state law still allows; they cannot require it of other landlords.

Is there a statewide Section 8 program in North Carolina?

No general one. Local and regional housing authorities run vouchers; the only state-government voucher agency is the NC Commission of Indian Affairs, which serves Columbus, Granville, Halifax, Person, Sampson and Warren counties.

Which North Carolina cities set Section 8 limits by ZIP code?

Charlotte (since HUD’s 2016 designation), and Greensboro-High Point, Raleigh, Winston-Salem and Currituck County (added in 2023, with ZIP-level standards by January 1, 2025). Durham, Asheville, Wilmington and Fayetteville use metro-wide figures.

What happened to the Winston-Salem Housing Authority?

It renamed itself ASPIRE in 2025 (aspirews.org). Its voucher list opens for several days about every three years; the last opening was April 2024.

Sources

Sources

Sources checked October 21, 2026. Report a correction.

  1. N.C. Gen. Stat. 42-14.1 — Local voucher mandates and rent control barred.
  2. S.L. 2024-47 (House Bill 556) — Law over veto, September 9, 2024.
  3. N.C. Gen. Stat. 41A-4 — Fair housing protected classes.
  4. Federal Register, November 16, 2016 — Charlotte Small Area FMR designation.
  5. Federal Register, October 25, 2023 — Greensboro, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Virginia Beach.
  6. INLIVIAN application portal — Voucher list closed.
  7. Raleigh Housing Authority waiting list — Closed June 6, 2025.
  8. ASPIRE applicants — Last opened April 2024.
  9. Housing Authority of the City of Asheville — Voucher list open, online.
  10. Durham Housing Authority vouchers — Closed; 24-month average wait.
  11. NCHousingSearch.org — Statewide listings.
  12. HUD USER Fair Market Rents — FY2027 metro figures.
  13. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024, tables B25031 and B25070 — Rents and rent burden.

All Section 8 markets in North Carolina

Sorted by active voucher count. Each metro page has HUD Fair Market Rent by bedroom, the housing authorities that administer vouchers there, and waitlist status.

Section 8 by county in North Carolina

County pages show the local voucher count, housing authorities, and metro rollup. Useful when you are looking at a specific address.

Other states

Section 8 in ArkansasSection 8 in ArizonaSection 8 in CaliforniaSection 8 in Colorado