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

Quick answer: You can move a tenant-based Section 8 voucher to South Dakota from any state. Ask your current housing authority in writing to port your voucher to South Dakota. It sends your file to the South Dakota 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 Dakota waitlist.
South Dakota Income Limits →Find My PHA →All States →

📊 Powered by HUD public data  ·  ✅ No account required  ·  🆓 Always free  ·  ⚠️ Not affiliated with any government agency

Steps to port your voucher to South Dakota

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

Your new housing authority is the one that covers the city you move to. South Dakota has 35 housing authorities. These run the most vouchers:

  1. Sioux Falls Housing And Redevelopment Commission, Sioux Falls - (605) 332-0704
  2. Pennington County Housing And Redevelopment Commission, Rapid City - (605) 394-5350
  3. Aberdeen Housing & Redevelopment Commission, Aberdeen - (605) 226-2321
  4. Brookings Housing & Redevelopment Commission, Brookings - (605) 692-1670
  5. Watertown Housing And Redevelopment Commission, Watertown - (605) 886-7731
  6. Lawrence County Housing & Redevelopment Commi, Sturgis - (605) 347-3384
  7. Pierre Housing & Redevelopment Commision, Pierre - (605) 773-7425
  8. Vermillion Housing And Redevelopment Commissi, Vermillion - (605) 677-7191
  9. Huron Housing Authority, Huron - (605) 352-1520
  10. Meade County Housing And Redevelopment Commission, Sturgis - (605) 347-3384

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