Section 8 Housing in Kentucky
19,973 active Housing Choice Vouchers across 4 markets. Rent limits, housing authorities, waitlist status, and voucher rights for every metro in Kentucky.
Can a landlord refuse Section 8 in Kentucky?
Yes. Kentucky law blocks local governments from requiring voucher acceptance, so landlords in Kentucky can legally decline Section 8 applicants. Listing on a voucher-friendly marketplace is the fastest way to find the landlords who do accept.
KRS 65.874 (HB 18, 2024)
Enacted over the governor's veto; nullified Louisville and Lexington ordinances. 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 Kentucky
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 Kentucky ZIP codes. Confirm adopted amounts with the agency.
- Compare HUD benchmarks with market rent in KentuckyExplore modeled ZIP comparisons; these do not establish an approved rent or agency payment.
- Average rent in KentuckyMarket 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 Kentucky
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 Kentucky
County pages show the local voucher count, housing authorities, and metro rollup. Useful when you are looking at a specific address.
- Jefferson County12,582 vouchers
- Franklin County6,705 vouchers
- Fayette County3,483 vouchers
- Knox County1,578 vouchers
- Campbell County1,387 vouchers
- Kenton County1,203 vouchers
- Christian County1,061 vouchers
- Boone County1,013 vouchers
- Pike County983 vouchers
- Daviess County874 vouchers
- Greenup County795 vouchers
- Madison County774 vouchers
- Henderson County755 vouchers
- Boyd County643 vouchers
- McCracken County601 vouchers
- Russell County520 vouchers
- Bourbon County472 vouchers
- Floyd County470 vouchers
- Scott County418 vouchers
- Bell County405 vouchers
- Barren County343 vouchers
- Laurel County335 vouchers
- Pulaski County322 vouchers
- Graves County307 vouchers
- Boyle County301 vouchers
- Taylor County278 vouchers
- Hopkins County258 vouchers
- Harrison County203 vouchers
- Nelson County173 vouchers
- Lawrence County130 vouchers
- Green County121 vouchers
- Mason County111 vouchers
- Johnson County91 vouchers
- Marion County75 vouchers
- Washington County69 vouchers
- Adair County
- Allen County
- Anderson County
- Ballard County
- Bath County
- Bracken County
- Breathitt County
- Breckinridge County
- Bullitt County
- Butler County
- Caldwell County
- Calloway County
- Carlisle County
- Carroll County
- Carter County
- Casey County
- Clark County
- Clay County
- Clinton County
- Crittenden County
- Cumberland County
- Edmonson County
- Elliott County
- Estill County
- Fleming County
- Fulton County
- Gallatin County
- Garrard County
- Grant County
- Grayson County
- Hancock County
- Hardin County
- Harlan County
- Hart County
- Henry County
- Hickman County
- Jackson County
- Jessamine County
- Knott County
- Larue County
- Lee County
- Leslie County
- Letcher County
- Lewis County
- Lincoln County
- Livingston County
- Logan County
- Lyon County
- Magoffin County
- Marshall County
- Martin County
- McCreary County
- McLean County
- Meade County
- Menifee County
- Mercer County
- Metcalfe County
- Monroe County
- Montgomery County
- Morgan County
- Muhlenberg County
- Nicholas County
- Ohio County
- Oldham County
- Owen County
- Owsley County
- Pendleton County
- Perry County
- Powell County
- Robertson County
- Rockcastle County
- Rowan County
- Shelby County
- Simpson County
- Spencer County
- Todd County
- Trigg County
- Trimble County
- Union County
- Warren County
- Wayne County
- Webster County
- Whitley County
- Wolfe County
- Woodford County
Section 8 in Kentucky: common questions
- Can a landlord refuse Section 8 in Kentucky?
- Yes. Kentucky law blocks local governments from requiring voucher acceptance, so landlords in Kentucky 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 Kentucky?
- HUD data shows about 19,973 Housing Choice Vouchers across the 4 Kentucky markets we track, administered by 119 housing authorities statewide.
- How do I apply for Section 8 in Kentucky?
- You apply to a local housing authority, not to the state or to HUD. Each of Kentucky'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 Kentucky
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.