Georgia Section 8 Rules: DCA Runs Vouchers in 149 Counties

Short answer: Under the Georgia Section 8 rules, one state agency, the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), runs the voucher program in 149 of the state’s 159 counties, and its tenant-based waiting lists are currently closed. Georgia’s Fair Housing Act, O.C.G.A. § 8-3-202, does not include source of income among its protected classes, so a landlord can generally decline a voucher. A 2022 bill to change that, HB 1625, never moved.

That structure makes Georgia unusual. In most states a renter outside the big cities deals with a county or small-town housing authority. In Georgia, a family in most counties is dealing with DCA’s regional offices, while 10 counties are served by local housing authorities. The city of Atlanta also runs its own voucher program through Atlanta Housing.

Georgia Section 8 Rules: Quick Reference

DCA: Georgia’s Statewide Voucher Agency

DCA describes its Housing Choice Voucher program as part of Georgia’s housing program, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to its waiting list page, DCA covers 149 counties from two regional offices, and the remaining 10 counties are served by their local housing authorities. That same page states that DCA’s tenant-based voucher waiting lists are currently closed.

Two practical points come straight from DCA. First, it does not charge application fees, and it warns about websites that claim to collect fees on its behalf. Any site asking you to pay to “get on the Georgia Section 8 list” is not DCA. Second, eligibility turns on household income and eligible citizenship status, so expect to document both.

DCA’s program overview also links an HCV Help Center where you can message customer service, along with case manager contacts and office hours. If you already hold a DCA voucher, that help center is the fastest route to your case manager about inspections, moves or income changes.

Atlanta Housing and the Other Local Agencies

Atlanta Housing (AH) runs its own Housing Choice Voucher program, and its housing options page says voucher families can find housing anywhere in the city of Atlanta. AH’s public housing, high-rise and Homeflex properties each keep a separate, site-based waiting list. Applying to a building’s list does not put you on the voucher list.

AH is also a Moving to Work agency, a HUD designation that lets it use local strategies instead of some standard program rules. If you hold an AH voucher, its own policies can differ from what a DCA voucher holder in a rural county experiences. Ask AH for its current administrative plan before you assume a federal default applies.

Can a Georgia Landlord Say No to Your Voucher?

Generally, yes. Section 8-3-202(a) makes it unlawful to refuse to rent “because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin.” Payment through a voucher is not on that list. The clearest evidence is HB 1625 from the 2021–2022 session, which proposed adding “or source of income” to each of those clauses. The General Assembly’s bill page shows no House or Senate committee assignment, and the bill died when that session ended.

A “no vouchers” policy still cannot be a front for a protected-class refusal. If a landlord takes vouchers from some applicants but not from, for example, families with children, that selective refusal can violate § 8-3-202 even though source of income itself is unprotected.

Federal Voucher Rules, Briefly

Georgia adds no state voucher layer, so the federal regulations do most of the work once you lease up:

• Your share: 24 CFR 5.628 sets total tenant payment at the highest of 30% of adjusted monthly income, 10% of gross monthly income or the agency’s minimum rent.
• Inspections: the agency inspects before the first lease term and at least biennially afterward (24 CFR 982.405).
• Recertification: income and household size are reviewed at least annually, and you can request an interim review after a change (24 CFR 982.516).
• Moving out of state: portability lets you take the voucher to another agency’s area, with a 12-month hold for families who lived outside the issuing area when they applied (24 CFR 982.353).
• Eviction: under 24 CFR 982.310, a landlord needs a recognized ground, must give written notice of it and can evict only by filing a court action. Georgia’s court procedure is covered in our Georgia eviction process guide.

Example: A Retiree on a DCA Voucher

Doris is 66, lives alone in a county DCA serves and receives $1,100 a month in Social Security, or $13,200 a year. Because she is elderly, 24 CFR 5.611 takes $525 off her annual income, leaving $12,675 in adjusted income, or about $1,056 a month. Thirty percent of that is $317 after rounding to the nearest dollar, as § 5.628 requires. Ten percent of her gross monthly income is $110, so her total tenant payment is $317, assuming no other deductions apply.

Doris then reports a $60-a-month cost-of-living increase. That raises her annual income by $720, well under 10% of her adjusted income, so under § 982.516 DCA is not required to run an interim increase and can wait for her annual review. Try your own numbers in our Section 8 rent calculator.

Getting Ready to Apply in Georgia

With DCA’s lists closed, preparation is what you can do now. Watch DCA’s waiting list page and the sites of any local authority near you, and treat any opening as short. Gather:

1. Social Security numbers for every household member, verified by a card or a government document, as 24 CFR 5.216 requires.
2. Proof of eligible citizenship or immigration status, which DCA lists as an eligibility factor.
3. Income records: benefit letters, pay stubs, child support orders and bank statements.
4. Photo identification for adults and birth certificates for children.
5. A mailing address and phone number that will still reach you months from now.

DCA also points applicants to GeorgiaHousingSearch.org, a free search tool for affordable, accessible and market-rate housing. Landlords list there at no cost, which makes it a practical place to find owners already familiar with vouchers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my county use DCA or a local housing authority?

DCA serves 149 counties, and the other 10 are covered by local housing authorities. DCA’s HCV pages list its office locations and case manager contacts, so a call or a help-center message will tell you which agency covers your address.

Someone online wants a fee to put me on the Georgia Section 8 list. Is that real?

No. DCA states that it does not charge application fees and warns against sites that claim to collect them on its behalf. Apply only through DCA’s own pages or your local housing authority.

Is my Atlanta Housing voucher subject to the same rules as a DCA voucher?

Not always. Atlanta Housing is a Moving to Work agency and uses local strategies under that status. Core protections such as court-only eviction still apply, but details like rent policy can differ, so check AH’s current plan.

Can a Georgia landlord refuse me because I use Section 8?

Georgia’s fair housing statute does not cover source of income, and a 2022 bill to add it died without a committee assignment. A landlord can generally decline the voucher, but cannot use that policy selectively to screen out a protected class.

What to Do This Week

Bookmark DCA’s waiting list page, find out whether your county is one of the 10 run locally, and start building your document folder. If you already rent, the Georgia tenant rights overview and the Georgia security deposit guide cover the rules that apply to every lease. Other states’ voucher rules are on the Section 8 rules by state hub.

None of this is legal advice. If you face an eviction or think a refusal crossed into discrimination, contact a legal aid office through LSC’s get legal help directory.

Sources

• Georgia DCA, Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List
• Georgia DCA, Housing Choice Voucher Program
• Georgia General Assembly, HB 1625 (2021–2022) bill page
• HB 1625 bill text, quoting O.C.G.A. § 8-3-202(a)
• Atlanta Housing, Housing Options
• Atlanta Housing, Regulation/HUD (Moving to Work)
• GeorgiaHousingSearch.org
• 24 CFR 5.628
• 24 CFR 5.611
• 24 CFR 5.216
• 24 CFR 982.405
• 24 CFR 982.516
• 24 CFR 982.353
• 24 CFR 982.310
• Legal Services Corporation, Get Legal Help