How to Transfer Your Section 8 Voucher to South Carolina (2026)

Quick answer: You can move a tenant-based Section 8 voucher to South Carolina from any state. Ask your current housing authority in writing to port your voucher to South Carolina. It sends your file to the South Carolina 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 South Carolina waitlist.
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Steps to port your voucher to South Carolina

  1. Pick your city in South Carolina. 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 South Carolina housing authority. Keep a copy.
  3. Your current office sends your file. It sends form HUD-52665 and your paperwork to the South Carolina office.
  4. Contact the South Carolina 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 South Carolina

Your new housing authority is the one that covers the city you move to. South Carolina has 42 housing authorities. These run the most vouchers:

  1. Housing Authority Of The City Of Columbia, Columbia - (803) 254-3886 CLOSED
  2. The Greenville Housing Authority, Greenville - (864) 467-4250 LIMITED
  3. Spartanburg Housing, Spartanburg - (864) 598-6000 CLOSED
  4. Housing Authority Of N Charleston, North Charleston - (843) 747-1793
  5. Sc State Housing Authority, Columbia - (803) 896-8888 CLOSED
  6. Housing Authority Of The City Of Charleston, Charleston - (843) 720-3970
  7. Sc Regional Housing Authority No 1, Laurens - (864) 984-0578
  8. Charleston Co Hsg & Redev Auth, Charleston - (843) 628-0728 CLOSED
  9. Housing Authority Of Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach - (843) 918-1525
  10. Housing Authority Of Aiken, Aiken - (803) 649-6673 CLOSED

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 South Carolina?
Yes. A tenant-based Housing Choice Voucher can be moved to any area of South Carolina that has a voucher program. Ask your current housing authority in writing to start the port.
Do I have to get on a South Carolina waiting list?
No. You already have a voucher, so the South Carolina housing authority takes you through portability, not its waitlist.
Will my voucher pay the same in South Carolina?
Not always. The South Carolina 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.
Portability GuideSouth Carolina Landlord GuideVoucher ClockSection 8 Calculator