Section 8 Housing in District of Columbia
48,835 active Housing Choice Vouchers across 1 market. Rent limits, housing authorities, waitlist status, and voucher rights for every metro in District of Columbia.
Can a landlord refuse Section 8 in District of Columbia?
No. District of Columbia law prohibits landlords from refusing a renter because they pay with a Section 8 voucher. That protection applies in District of Columbia. If you were turned away for having a voucher, that refusal may be illegal.
DC Human Rights Act (D.C. Law 2-38, SOI added 2005)
DC's Human Rights Act (D.C. Law 2-38, 1977 — SOI added 2005) prohibits housing discrimination based on source of income. One of the oldest and strongest SOI laws in the U.S. Applies to all landlords citywide with no unit floor. Enforcement via the DC Office of Human Rights.
View statute →Informational only, not legal advice. Laws change, so verify current status before acting on a rejection or making a leasing decision.
Landlord and investor tools for District of Columbia
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 District of Columbia ZIP codes. Confirm adopted amounts with the agency.
- Compare HUD benchmarks with market rent in District of ColumbiaExplore modeled ZIP comparisons; these do not establish an approved rent or agency payment.
- Average rent in District of ColumbiaMarket 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.
District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia
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 District of Columbia
County pages show the local voucher count, housing authorities, and metro rollup. Useful when you are looking at a specific address.
Section 8 in District of Columbia: common questions
- Can a landlord refuse Section 8 in District of Columbia?
- No. District of Columbia law prohibits landlords from refusing a renter because they pay with a Section 8 voucher. That protection applies in District of Columbia. If you were turned away for having a voucher, that refusal may be illegal.
- How many Section 8 vouchers are there in District of Columbia?
- HUD data shows about 48,835 Housing Choice Vouchers across the 1 District of Columbia market we track, administered by 2 housing authorities statewide.
- How do I apply for Section 8 in District of Columbia?
- You apply to a local housing authority, not to the state or to HUD. Each of District of Columbia'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 District of Columbia
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.