Section 8 in California: how the waitlists work and how to apply

Section 8 vouchers in California, which pay part of your rent to a private landlord you choose, come from local housing offices. To get one, join the waitlist, the line you wait in until a voucher comes free, at the office that covers the area where you want to live. Lists open only for short windows, so watch that office's website.

Who runs Section 8 in California?

Local housing offices run Section 8 in California, each for its own city or county. HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, pays for the vouchers, and its page for tenants says you apply through your local housing authority (the local housing office). Many big cities have an office separate from their county's, so check which one covers the address you want:

In Los Angeles County, 18 of the 88 cities have their own housing office, among them Long Beach, Pasadena, Glendale and Santa Monica. Enter your address in LACDA's address lookup to see whether LACDA covers it. For anywhere else in the state, HUD's list of housing offices names every office by city and county. If you want to live in Los Angeles or San Diego, see how to get on HACLA's list and which San Diego office covers your city.

How do California Section 8 waitlists open?

A California housing office usually opens its Section 8 waitlist only when it expects to have vouchers to give out, often for a few days or weeks. It must announce the opening first. Federal rules require a public notice that says where and when to apply, in a local newspaper and in other ways that reach the public. Check the office's website and its social media pages for the notice.

Some offices keep a list you can sign up for between openings. Santa Clara County uses online interest lists. You sign up and log in at least once a year to stay on them. When vouchers come free, the office picks people at random and moves them to its waitlist. Fresno Housing also uses interest lists. It picks people with a lottery, a random drawing, that gives extra points to certain groups. It lets you be on more than one of its lists at a time.

Because many offices draw names at random, applying on the first day of a window usually gives you no better chance than applying on the last day. Offices also give preference, a place ahead of other applicants, to certain groups. Santa Clara County gives it to people who lived or worked in the county in the last five years. Sacramento's agency gives points to people who live or work in Sacramento County and to people who are homeless, among others.

What are the 2026 Section 8 income limits in California?

To get a voucher in California, most households must earn at or under HUD's very low income limit for their county. An income limit is the most a household can earn in a year, before taxes, and still qualify. For four people, HUD's 2026 limits, in effect since May 1, 2026, run from $48,550 in Fresno County to $105,050 in San Francisco among the counties below. Federal rules let a housing office admit some families up to the low income limit under its own rules, so ask if your income is in between.

These limits are not simple shares of the county's area median income, the middle income in the area, because HUD raises them where rents are high compared with incomes. So read your number from the table instead of working it out.

The extremely low limit is 60% of the very low limit, or the federal poverty guideline if that is higher. In Fresno County, the poverty guideline of $33,000 is the higher one. Each year, at least 75% of the families a housing office newly gives vouchers to must be at or under the extremely low limit. So if your income is above it, expect a longer wait.

How do you apply for Section 8 in California?

1. Find the office for the address where you want to live. Use the table above, LACDA's address lookup or HUD's list. You can apply in an area where you don't live yet. HUD says the office may then ask you to live in its area for your first 12 months with the voucher.
2. Watch that office's website for an opening notice. Sign up for updates where the office offers them: Santa Clara County sends updates by email or text. Sacramento's agency posts its lists on its waitlist site.
3. Have your household's details ready. Santa Clara County asks for the head of household's date of birth and Social Security number, and the names and birth dates of everyone who will live with you. Most offices also need an email address to apply online.
4. Apply on the office's own website before the window closes, and keep the confirmation number it gives you.
5. Keep your address, phone number and household size up to date with each office. HUD says not reporting a change can get you taken off the list, and Sacramento's agency asks for any change in writing within 30 days.
6. Join several lists. HUD says long waits mean you may need to apply to more than one housing office.

Can a California landlord refuse your Section 8 voucher?

No, not because of the voucher. California's fair housing law has made it illegal since January 1, 2020 to turn you away because you pay rent with a Section 8 voucher. The Civil Rights Department's fact sheet says a landlord can't refuse your application, charge you a higher deposit or rent, or end your lease because of the voucher. A landlord may judge your income only against the part of the rent you pay, not the whole rent.

Since January 1, 2024, a landlord who wants to check your credit must also let you show other proof that you can pay your part of the rent. That proof can be pay stubs, benefit letters or bank statements. A landlord can still screen you on its other rules, such as your rental history. To file a complaint, call the Civil Rights Department at 800-884-1684.

What can you do while the list you want is closed?

• Join lists in other areas. Our California waitlists page shows the Section 8 lists taking names today. It also shows lists for public housing, apartments a housing office owns where rent is about 30% of your income.
• Ask about lists for single buildings. A project-based voucher, which a housing office attaches to one building, lowers the rent on one apartment in a particular building while you live there. If you move out in your first year, you lose the lower rent. After a year, you can ask the housing office for a voucher you can take to a home you choose. Fresno Housing and Sacramento's agency keep separate lists for these buildings.
• Apply for other lower-rent homes. Income-restricted apartments keep their own lists, and our California page shows the ones you can apply for now. In Sacramento, find low-income apartments by building.
• Call 2-1-1, a free helpline, if you have nowhere to stay.

How do you avoid Section 8 scams in California?

A housing office can't charge you to apply for a Section 8 voucher. HUD's inspector general warns that housing offices never ask for money to put you on a waitlist. Sacramento's agency tells people not to give money or personal details to anyone who calls offering to help with an application, for example by paying for a credit check. Apply only on the office's own website, and learn the other warning signs before you give anyone your details.

What should you do next?

Find the housing office for the place you want to live and check whether its list is taking names on our California waitlists page. If the lists you want are closed, find Section 8 waitlists that are open elsewhere. Then use our qualify check to see which listings fit your household's size and income.