Section 8 Housing in Washington
61,319 active Housing Choice Vouchers across 11 markets. Rent limits, housing authorities, waitlist status, and voucher rights for every metro in Washington.
Detailed Washington county guides
- King County Section 8 guide: which of KCHA, Seattle and Renton covers you, whose list is open, and each agency’s 2026 payment standards.
Can a landlord refuse Section 8 in Washington?
Washington has source-of-income protections for covered housing in Washington. Coverage, property exemptions and current court decisions matter; a voucher refusal may be unlawful. Check the source and coverage notes below or ask the civil-rights agency or legal aid about the property.
RCW 59.18.255 (2018)
Landlords may not refuse an otherwise eligible tenant based on source of income, including vouchers, with narrow inspection-cost exceptions. PRRAC Appendix B (March 2026).
View statute →Informational only, not legal advice. Laws change, so verify current status before acting on a rejection or making a leasing decision.
Compare HUD rent benchmarks across Washington
Use the county tables to compare areas, then ask the administering housing authority for its adopted payment standard, utility allowance and household calculation.
Landlord and investor tools for Washington
RentalCalcsFree calculators and guides from RentalCalcs, built by the VoucherMatch team, for landlords deciding whether to accept vouchers.
- Section 8 rent analyzerHUD rent benchmarks and modeled comparisons for Washington ZIP codes. Confirm adopted amounts with the agency.
- Compare HUD benchmarks with market rent in WashingtonExplore modeled ZIP comparisons; these do not establish an approved rent or agency payment.
- Average rent in WashingtonMarket rent versus HUD fair market rent by city and bedroom count.
- How Section 8 rent is calculatedFair market rent, payment standards and rent reasonableness, step by step.
- Section 8 landlord math for 2026What the payment standard changes mean for cash flow this year.
Washington metro guides
In-depth, source-cited guides: waitlist status, voucher-friendly neighborhoods, and who to call if you are turned away.
All Section 8 markets in Washington
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.
Seattle, WA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 42660
41,130 vouchersSpokane, WA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 44060
6,029 vouchersBremerton, WA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 14740
2,592 vouchersOlympia, WA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 36500
2,345 vouchersBellingham, WA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 13380
1,957 vouchersLongview, WA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 31020
1,912 vouchersKennewick, WA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 28420
1,516 vouchersYakima, WA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 49420
1,312 vouchersWalla Walla, WA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 47460
1,093 vouchersMount Vernon, WA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 34580
730 vouchersWenatchee, WA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 48300
703 vouchers
Section 8 by county in Washington
County pages show the local voucher count, housing authorities, and metro rollup. Useful when you are looking at a specific address.
- King County24,648 vouchers
- Pierce County8,527 vouchers
- Snohomish County7,955 vouchers
- Spokane County6,029 vouchers
- Clark County3,650 vouchers
- Kitsap County2,592 vouchers
- Thurston County2,345 vouchers
- Whatcom County1,957 vouchers
- Cowlitz County1,912 vouchers
- Yakima County1,312 vouchers
- Benton County1,139 vouchers
- Walla Walla County1,093 vouchers
- Clallam County900 vouchers
- Skagit County730 vouchers
- Chelan County703 vouchers
- Grays Harbor County671 vouchers
- Okanogan County408 vouchers
- Franklin County377 vouchers
- Island County319 vouchers
- Grant County237 vouchers
- Asotin County224 vouchers
- Adams County
- Columbia County
- Douglas County
- Ferry County
- Garfield County
- Jefferson County
- Kittitas County
- Klickitat County
- Lewis County
- Lincoln County
- Mason County
- Pacific County
- Pend Oreille County
- San Juan County
- Skamania County
- Stevens County
- Wahkiakum County
- Whitman County
Section 8 in Washington: common questions
- Can a landlord refuse Section 8 in Washington?
- Washington has source-of-income protections for covered housing in Washington. Coverage, property exemptions and current court decisions matter; a voucher refusal may be unlawful. Check the source and coverage notes below or ask the civil-rights agency or legal aid about the property.
- How many Section 8 vouchers are there in Washington?
- HUD data shows about 61,319 Housing Choice Vouchers across the 11 Washington markets we track, administered by 32 housing authorities statewide.
- How do I apply for Section 8 in Washington?
- You apply to a local housing authority, not to the state or to HUD. Each of Washington's housing authorities runs its own waitlist and opens it on its own schedule, and applying is always free. Pick your metro or county on this page to see the housing authorities that serve it and their current waitlist status.
Find Section 8 apartments in Washington
VoucherMatch connects voucher holders with landlords who accept Section 8, and it is free for renters. The administering housing authority must approve the actual unit, rent and household assistance calculation.