Section 8 apartments in Columbia, MD
Columbia is a mandatory Small-Area Fair Market Rent metro — the exact rent a Housing Choice Voucher will cover changes ZIP by ZIP. Below are the current payment standards, the governing Public Housing Authority, and the 8 neighborhoods where we track voucher-friendly search demand.
Voucher discrimination is illegal here
Howard County's 2019 Human Rights Ordinance prohibits source-of-income discrimination county-wide, layered on top of Maryland's HOME Act. Enforcement via the Howard County Office of Human Rights + MCCR.
Section 8 payment standards — ZIP 21044
Small-Area FMR · 2026| Bedrooms | Payment standard / mo |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,820 |
| 1 bedroom | $2,020 |
| 2 bedrooms | $2,480 |
| 3 bedrooms | $3,150 |
| 4 bedrooms | $3,490 |
Payment standards published by HUD. Small-Area FMRs vary by ZIP code — this is the exact ceiling a Housing Choice Voucher will cover for a unit in this ZIP.
Public Housing Authorities
Howard County Housing Commission
HUD PHA code MD023 · 1,184 HCV vouchers
This PHA is not accepting new applications at this time. Call for the next opening date.
Howard County Housing Commission HCV waitlist status varies — check househoward.org or call (443) 518-7800.
- Address
- 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, MD
- Phone
- (443) 518-7800
- Website
- https://househoward.org
Browse by neighborhood
8 neighborhoodsBrowse by MTA Maryland (Metro SubwayLink + Light RailLink + MARC + CityLink) line
1 linesBrowse by ZIP code
3 ZIP codesColumbia uses Small-Area Fair Market Rents, so the voucher payment standard is different in every ZIP code.
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