How to Transfer Your Section 8 Voucher to West Virginia (2026)

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

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

Your new housing authority is the one that covers the city you move to. West Virginia has 32 housing authorities. These run the most vouchers:

  1. Charleston/Kanawha Housing Authority, Charleston - (304) 348-6451
  2. Housing Authority Of Raleigh County, Beckley - (304) 255-5164
  3. Housing Authority Of The City Of Parkersburg, Parkersburg - (304) 428-6400
  4. Housing Authority Of Mingo County, Delbarton - (304) 475-4663
  5. Housing Authority Of The City Of Huntington, Huntington - (304) 526-4400
  6. Fairmont/Morgantown Housing Authority, Fairmont - (304) 363-0860
  7. Housing Authority Of The County Of Jackson, Ripley - (304) 372-2343
  8. Housing Authority Of Randolph County, Elkins - (304) 636-6495
  9. Clarksburg/Harrison Housing Authority, Clarksburg - (304) 623-3322
  10. Housing Authority Of The City Of Wheeling, Wheeling - (304) 242-4447

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