Section 8 Housing in Michigan
65,762 active Housing Choice Vouchers across 11 markets. Rent limits, housing authorities, waitlist status, and voucher rights for every metro in Michigan.
Can a landlord refuse Section 8 in Michigan?
No. Michigan law prohibits landlords from refusing a renter because they pay with a Section 8 voucher. That protection applies in Michigan. If you were turned away for having a voucher, that refusal may be illegal.
Michigan Public Act 195 of 2024 (effective April 2, 2025)
Michigan Public Act 195 of 2024 added source-of-income protection to state law, effective April 2 2025. BUT the state law only applies to landlords with 5 or more rental units — small landlords (1-4 units) remain exempt at the state level. Local ordinances may cover the small-landlord gap; Detroit and Southfield both do.
View statute →Informational only, not legal advice. Laws change, so verify current status before acting on a rejection or making a leasing decision.
Local voucher discrimination laws in Michigan
Michigan protects voucher holders statewide. These cities and counties also have their own ordinance, which can add a local agency to complain to.
- DetroitDetroit Municipal Code Art. IV Sec. 27-4-1 (Public Benefit Status)
- SouthfieldCity of Southfield Fair Housing Ordinance
Source: PRRAC, Appendix B: State, Local, and Federal Laws Barring Source of Income Discrimination (updated March 2026), plus the ordinances linked above. Informational only, not legal advice.
Landlord and investor tools for Michigan
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 Michigan ZIP codes. Confirm adopted amounts with the agency.
- Compare HUD benchmarks with market rent in MichiganExplore modeled ZIP comparisons; these do not establish an approved rent or agency payment.
- Average rent in MichiganMarket 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.
Michigan 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 Michigan
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.
Lansing, MI
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 29620
34,928 vouchersDetroit, MI
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 19820
18,008 vouchersGrand Rapids, MI
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 24340
5,450 vouchersAnn Arbor, MI
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 11460
2,324 vouchersSaginaw, MI
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 40980
1,266 vouchersBattle Creek, MI
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 12980
1,101 vouchersFlint, MI
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 22420
1,084 vouchersJackson, MI
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 27100
503 vouchersMuskegon, MI
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 34740
491 vouchersTraverse City, MI
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 45900
327 vouchersNiles, MI
Metropolitan Statistical Area · CBSA 35660
280 vouchers
Section 8 by county in Michigan
County pages show the local voucher count, housing authorities, and metro rollup. Useful when you are looking at a specific address.
- Ingham County34,660 vouchers
- Wayne County13,928 vouchers
- Kent County5,069 vouchers
- Oakland County2,580 vouchers
- Washtenaw County2,324 vouchers
- Saginaw County1,266 vouchers
- Calhoun County1,101 vouchers
- Genesee County1,084 vouchers
- Saint Clair County666 vouchers
- Macomb County649 vouchers
- Jackson County503 vouchers
- Muskegon County491 vouchers
- Montcalm County358 vouchers
- Leelanau County327 vouchers
- Berrien County280 vouchers
- Iron County266 vouchers
- Eaton County240 vouchers
- Gratiot County226 vouchers
- Lapeer County185 vouchers
- Lake County180 vouchers
- Crawford County134 vouchers
- Cass County132 vouchers
- Cheboygan County123 vouchers
- Osceola County118 vouchers
- Luce County113 vouchers
- Schoolcraft County97 vouchers
- Menominee County64 vouchers
- Charlevoix County63 vouchers
- Isabella County54 vouchers
- Marquette County53 vouchers
- Chippewa County50 vouchers
- Houghton County43 vouchers
- Alger County28 vouchers
- Baraga County28 vouchers
- Clinton County28 vouchers
- Wexford County25 vouchers
- Ionia County23 vouchers
- Alcona County
- Allegan County
- Alpena County
- Antrim County
- Arenac County
- Barry County
- Bay County
- Benzie County
- Branch County
- Clare County
- Delta County
- Dickinson County
- Emmet County
- Gladwin County
- Gogebic County
- Grand Traverse County
- Hillsdale County
- Huron County
- Iosco County
- Kalamazoo County
- Kalkaska County
- Keweenaw County
- Lenawee County
- Livingston County
- Mackinac County
- Manistee County
- Mason County
- Mecosta County
- Midland County
- Missaukee County
- Monroe County
- Montmorency County
- Newaygo County
- Oceana County
- Ogemaw County
- Ontonagon County
- Oscoda County
- Otsego County
- Ottawa County
- Presque Isle County
- Roscommon County
- Saint Joseph County
- Sanilac County
- Shiawassee County
- Tuscola County
- Van Buren County
Section 8 in Michigan: common questions
- Can a landlord refuse Section 8 in Michigan?
- No. Michigan law prohibits landlords from refusing a renter because they pay with a Section 8 voucher. That protection applies in Michigan. If you were turned away for having a voucher, that refusal may be illegal.
- Which Michigan cities and counties have their own voucher discrimination law?
- Detroit and Southfield have a local source-of-income ordinance on file. The ordinance and its citation are listed on this page.
- How many Section 8 vouchers are there in Michigan?
- HUD data shows about 65,762 Housing Choice Vouchers across the 11 Michigan markets we track, administered by 126 housing authorities statewide.
- How do I apply for Section 8 in Michigan?
- You apply to a local housing authority, not to the state or to HUD. Each of Michigan'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 Michigan
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.