How to Transfer Your Section 8 Voucher to Iowa (2026)

Quick answer: You can move a tenant-based Section 8 voucher to Iowa from any state. Ask your current housing authority in writing to port your voucher to Iowa. It sends your file to the Iowa housing authority for the area you pick, which gives you a new voucher and uses its own payment standard. You do not have to join a Iowa waitlist.
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Steps to port your voucher to Iowa

  1. Pick your city in Iowa. Find the housing authority that covers it in the list below or with Find My PHA.
  2. Tell your current housing authority in writing. Say you want to port to that Iowa housing authority. Keep a copy.
  3. Your current office sends your file. It sends form HUD-52665 and your paperwork to the Iowa office.
  4. Contact the Iowa office quickly. Call them yourself. Some require a briefing before they issue your voucher.
  5. Get your new voucher and search. Your search time runs at least 30 days past your old voucher's end date.
  6. Lease up. The unit passes inspection, you sign the lease, and assistance starts.

The 12-month rule

If you or your spouse did not live in your current housing authority's area when you applied, it can make you wait 12 months after you first lease up before you move. If you already lived there when you applied, this rule does not apply. Survivors of domestic violence can move sooner under VAWA.

Largest voucher programs in Iowa

Your new housing authority is the one that covers the city you move to. Iowa has 63 housing authorities. These run the most vouchers:

  1. Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency, Des Moines - (515) 323-8950
  2. Iowa City Housing Authority, Iowa City - (319) 356-5400
  3. Cedar Rapids Housing Services, Cedar Rapids - (319) 286-5872
  4. City Of Sioux City Housing Authority, Sioux City - (712) 279-6980
  5. Southern Iowa Regional Housing Authority, Creston - (641) 782-8585
  6. City Of Dubuque, Dubuque - (563) 589-4230
  7. Waterloo Housing Authority, Waterloo - (319) 233-0201
  8. Northwest Iowa Regional Housing Authority, Spencer - (712) 262-7460
  9. Eastern Iowa Regional Housing Authority, Dubuque - (563) 556-4166
  10. Fort Dodge Municipal Housing Agency, Fort Dodge - (515) 573-7751

A closed waitlist does not stop a port. You already have a voucher, so you do not go on the waitlist.

Can I transfer my Section 8 voucher to Iowa?
Yes. A tenant-based Housing Choice Voucher can be moved to any area of Iowa that has a voucher program. Ask your current housing authority in writing to start the port.
Do I have to get on a Iowa waiting list?
No. You already have a voucher, so the Iowa housing authority takes you through portability, not its waitlist.
Will my voucher pay the same in Iowa?
Not always. The Iowa housing authority uses its own payment standard and bedroom rules, so the amount can go up or down. Your share is still based on your income.
Can my housing authority say no to my move?
Sometimes. It can deny a move if you owe it money, have broken program rules, fall under the 12-month rule, or if a move to a higher-cost area would leave it short of funding.
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