Missouri Section 8 Rules: Cities Can’t Protect Voucher Holders

Short answer: Of all the Missouri Section 8 rules, the one that matters most is a 2025 preemption law: as amended by H.B. 595 & 343, RSMo § 441.043.2(1) forbids any county or city, charter governments included, to enact, maintain or enforce a rule that stops landlords from refusing a tenant because their rent includes “funding from a federal or other housing assistance program.” The Missouri Human Rights Act, RSMo § 213.040, does not protect source of income either, so in Missouri a landlord can generally decline a voucher.

That combination is unusual. Many states without a statewide voucher protection leave cities free to add one; Missouri took that option away, effective August 28, 2025. The change does not touch the federal rules that govern a voucher tenancy once a landlord signs on. Below: what § 441.043 does, which agencies run vouchers in Kansas City and St. Louis, and the federal protections that still apply.

Missouri Section 8 rules: quick table

What RSMo 441.043 does

Section 441.043 began in 1989 as a ban on local rent control: subsection 1 still bars counties and cities from regulating the amount of rent charged for privately owned rental property. The 2025 amendment added subsection 2, which lists several kinds of local rules that counties and cities may not “enact, maintain, or enforce.” The first is a rule that prohibits landlords from refusing to lease or rent privately owned property to a person “because the person’s lawful source of income to pay rent includes funding from a federal or other housing assistance program.”

The same subsection also blocks local limits on landlords’ use of credit reports, eviction or property damage history and criminal history under their own customary criteria; local caps on security deposits; and local rules requiring an automatic tenant right of first refusal.

Two words matter. “Maintain” and “enforce” mean the law reaches ordinances already on the books, not just new ones. And “federal or other housing assistance program” covers more than Section 8. The statute does not use the word “voucher,” but a Housing Choice Voucher is federal housing assistance.

So can a Missouri landlord refuse Section 8?

Generally yes. Section 213.040.1(1) bars refusing to rent because of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability or familial status. Source of income is not on that list, and § 441.043 now keeps cities from adding it. A refusal is still unlawful if it is a cover for one of the listed traits, such as a “no vouchers” rule applied only to families with children, or a refusal to make a reasonable accommodation for a disabled applicant.

Voucher agencies in Kansas City and St. Louis

• Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri (HAKC). According to HAKC’s tenant selection FAQ, public housing and the Housing Choice Voucher program keep separate lists, and you may apply to both. The voucher wait averages one to three years. HAKC’s preferences include working or in job training at least 20 hours a week, disability, age 62 or older, homelessness, paying 50 percent or more of income in rent, full-time students and displacement. You check your position through an online applicant login, and HAKC mails an interview letter when your number nears the top.
• St. Louis Housing Authority (SLHA). SLHA runs the HUD-funded voucher program for the city of St. Louis. Its voucher waitlist is closed to new applications with no reopening date; existing applicants can check status at 314-531-4770. SLHA also runs special voucher programs for veterans and people with disabilities.
• St. Louis County and the rest of the state have separate housing authorities with their own lists. If you can live on either side of the city-county line, look into both.

Federal rules that still protect you

Preemption changes who has to accept your voucher. It does not change HUD’s rules once you are housed. Your payment is the highest amount under 24 CFR 5.628, usually 30 percent of adjusted monthly income. If you pick a unit above the payment standard, 24 CFR 982.508 limits your initial share to 40 percent of adjusted monthly income.

The housing authority inspects before move-in and at least every two years under 24 CFR 982.405; income is reexamined at least once a year under 24 CFR 982.516. Portability under 24 CFR 982.353 generally lets you take a Missouri voucher to Kansas or Illinois, subject to a possible 12-month hold for applicants from outside the issuing agency’s area.

A voucher landlord can end your tenancy mid-lease only for serious or repeated lease violations, a violation of law or other good cause, must copy the housing authority on any eviction notice, and must go to court (24 CFR 982.310). Our Missouri eviction process guide covers the state court steps.

Worked example: a Kansas City search after preemption

Raymond and Tia live in Kansas City with two children and gross income of $3,200 a month. With the $480-per-dependent deduction printed in 24 CFR 5.611 (adjusted by HUD every year), their adjusted income is $37,440 a year, or $3,120 a month. Thirty percent is $936.

On September 15, 2026, a landlord tells them he does not take vouchers. Since August 28, 2025, RSMo § 441.043.2(1) bars Kansas City from enforcing any local rule against that refusal, and state law does not protect source of income, so they move on to landlords who already work with HAKC. When one accepts, the unit must pass inspection before the lease starts, and any later eviction must go through court. Try their numbers, or yours, in our Section 8 rent calculator.

What to gather

• Photo IDs, Social Security cards and children’s birth certificates.
• Pay stubs, Social Security or SSI letters, TANF and child support records.
• Proof supporting a preference, such as a work schedule, disability documentation or proof of homelessness, if your agency uses HAKC-style preferences.
• Bank statements.
• Login details for the agency’s applicant portal and a working mailing address.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Kansas City or St. Louis still protect voucher holders?

Not through a local source-of-income rule. Since August 28, 2025, RSMo § 441.043.2(1) bars counties and cities, charter governments included, from maintaining or enforcing any rule that stops landlords from refusing tenants with housing assistance.

Does the 2025 law change anything once I have a voucher lease?

No. Federal rules on your rent share, inspections and eviction still apply, including the requirement in 24 CFR 982.310 that a voucher landlord go to court to evict.

Can Missouri cities cap security deposits instead?

No. Section 441.043.2 also bars local rules limiting security deposits. State deposit rules are covered in our Missouri security deposit law guide.

How long is the Kansas City voucher wait?

HAKC says the Housing Choice Voucher wait averages one to three years, and it gives preference to applicants who work or train 20 or more hours a week, are disabled or 62 or older, are homeless, or pay half their income in rent, among others.

Is refusing a voucher ever illegal in Missouri?

Yes, if it is a pretext for discrimination on a trait listed in RSMo § 213.040 or the federal Fair Housing Act, such as familial status or disability.

Your next step is to apply to HAKC, SLHA or your local authority when lists open, then read our how Section 8 works guide and Missouri tenant rights. Other states are at Section 8 rules by state. This is general information, not legal advice; to find a lawyer, use LSC’s get legal help page.

Sources

• RSMo § 441.043, Missouri Revisor of Statutes
• RSMo § 213.040, Missouri Revisor of Statutes
• Housing Authority of Kansas City, tenant selection FAQ
• St. Louis Housing Authority, Housing Choice Voucher Program
• 24 CFR 5.628
• 24 CFR 5.611
• 24 CFR 982.508
• 24 CFR 982.405
• 24 CFR 982.516
• 24 CFR 982.353
• 24 CFR 982.310
• Legal Services Corporation