Section 8 Housing in Iowa
15,868 active Housing Choice Vouchers across 7 markets. Rent limits, housing authorities, waitlist status, and voucher rights for every metro in Iowa.
Can a landlord refuse Section 8 in Iowa?
Yes. Iowa law blocks local governments from requiring voucher acceptance, so landlords in Iowa can legally decline Section 8 applicants. Listing on a voucher-friendly marketplace is the fastest way to find the landlords who do accept.
Iowa Code §§331.304(13), 364.3(13) (2021)
Voided Des Moines, Iowa City and Marion ordinances as of January 1, 2023. 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.
Landlord and investor tools for Iowa
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 Iowa ZIP codes. Confirm adopted amounts with the agency.
- Compare HUD benchmarks with market rent in IowaExplore modeled ZIP comparisons; these do not establish an approved rent or agency payment.
- Average rent in IowaMarket 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.
All Section 8 markets in Iowa
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.
Des Moines, IA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 19780
4,914 vouchersDavenport, IA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 19340
2,509 vouchersDubuque, IA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 20220
2,203 vouchersWaterloo, IA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 47940
1,977 vouchersSioux City, IA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 43580
1,518 vouchersIowa City, IA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 26980
1,431 vouchersCedar Rapids, IA
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 16300
1,316 vouchers
Section 8 by county in Iowa
County pages show the local voucher count, housing authorities, and metro rollup. Useful when you are looking at a specific address.
- Polk County4,739 vouchers
- Dubuque County2,203 vouchers
- Black Hawk County1,660 vouchers
- Johnson County1,431 vouchers
- Linn County1,316 vouchers
- Woodbury County1,221 vouchers
- Union County1,132 vouchers
- Clay County1,086 vouchers
- Webster County1,072 vouchers
- Carroll County952 vouchers
- Cerro Gordo County936 vouchers
- Scott County865 vouchers
- Pottawattamie County784 vouchers
- Wapello County668 vouchers
- Des Moines County618 vouchers
- Winneshiek County499 vouchers
- Marshall County469 vouchers
- Clinton County428 vouchers
- Muscatine County385 vouchers
- Bremer County317 vouchers
- Marion County263 vouchers
- Lee County248 vouchers
- Mahaska County234 vouchers
- Floyd County210 vouchers
- Warren County175 vouchers
- Poweshiek County170 vouchers
- Dickinson County156 vouchers
- Appanoose County101 vouchers
- Monroe County99 vouchers
- Adair County
- Adams County
- Allamakee County
- Audubon County
- Benton County
- Boone County
- Buchanan County
- Buena Vista County
- Butler County
- Calhoun County
- Cass County
- Cedar County
- Cherokee County
- Chickasaw County
- Clarke County
- Clayton County
- Crawford County
- Dallas County
- Davis County
- Decatur County
- Delaware County
- Emmet County
- Fayette County
- Franklin County
- Fremont County
- Greene County
- Grundy County
- Guthrie County
- Hamilton County
- Hancock County
- Hardin County
- Harrison County
- Henry County
- Howard County
- Humboldt County
- Ida County
- Iowa County
- Jackson County
- Jasper County
- Jefferson County
- Jones County
- Keokuk County
- Kossuth County
- Louisa County
- Lucas County
- Lyon County
- Madison County
- Mills County
- Mitchell County
- Monona County
- Montgomery County
- O Brien County
- Osceola County
- Page County
- Palo Alto County
- Plymouth County
- Pocahontas County
- Ringgold County
- Sac County
- Shelby County
- Sioux County
- Story County
- Tama County
- Taylor County
- Van Buren County
- Washington County
- Wayne County
- Winnebago County
- Worth County
- Wright County
Section 8 in Iowa: common questions
- Can a landlord refuse Section 8 in Iowa?
- Yes. Iowa law blocks local governments from requiring voucher acceptance, so landlords in Iowa can legally decline Section 8 applicants. Listing on a voucher-friendly marketplace is the fastest way to find the landlords who do accept.
- How many Section 8 vouchers are there in Iowa?
- HUD data shows about 15,868 Housing Choice Vouchers across the 7 Iowa markets we track, administered by 63 housing authorities statewide.
- How do I apply for Section 8 in Iowa?
- You apply to a local housing authority, not to the state or to HUD. Each of Iowa'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 Iowa
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.