Last updated 2026-07-09
TL;DR
The Hagerstown Housing Authority (HHA) runs the Housing Choice Voucher program and public housing in Washington County, MD. The Section 8 waitlist opens periodically and is closed much of the year. Payment standards for a 2-bedroom run roughly $1,200 to $1,500 a month. Landlords must pass an HQS inspection before a lease starts. Call HHA at (301) 739-8577 or visit 33 W. Franklin St., Hagerstown, MD 21740.
What is the Hagerstown Housing Authority and what does it run?
The Hagerstown Housing Authority (HHA) is the local public housing agency (PHA) serving Hagerstown and Washington County, Maryland [1]. It runs two things: the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, commonly called Section 8, and traditional public housing developments spread across the city.
HHA answers to both Maryland and federal law. It gets funding from HUD under 24 CFR Part 982 for the voucher program [2] and 24 CFR Part 966 for public housing. HUD sets the broad rules, HHA sets local policies within those rules, and the space between the two decides everything from payment standards to eviction procedures.
A Board of Commissioners governs the agency. HHA is a separate legal entity from Hagerstown city government, even though the two coordinate closely on affordable housing planning. The main office sits at 33 W. Franklin Street, Hagerstown, MD 21740, and the main phone is (301) 739-8577 [1]. Call ahead to confirm office hours before you drive over, because they have changed since the pandemic.
HHA also manages or partners on some project-based voucher (PBV) units, where the subsidy is tied to a specific apartment rather than traveling with the tenant. Those work differently from the portable vouchers most people picture when they think about rental assistance.
Is the HHA Section 8 waitlist open right now?
Everyone asks this first. The honest answer: HHA's Housing Choice Voucher waitlist is closed more often than it's open. Like most small and mid-size PHAs, HHA opens the list when it thinks it can house applicants within a reasonable timeframe, then shuts it again when demand runs past funding [3].
As of mid-2026, verify current waitlist status directly with HHA at (301) 739-8577 or on their official site (hagerstown.org or the housing portal they use). Skip the third-party listing aggregators for this. They routinely show stale open-and-closed information.
When the list does open, HHA usually announces it through the local newspaper (Herald-Mail Media), the city website, and sometimes local radio. You may be able to apply online, by mail, or in person, depending on the opening. The agency has historically used a random lottery to pick applicants rather than a strict first-come queue, though that policy can shift with each opening.
If you live in Washington County but the HHA list is closed, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) runs its own state-level vouchers that may cover the same area [4]. National aggregators also track open Section 8 waiting lists across PHAs you can apply to right now.
Wait times, when the list is active, have historically run from one to several years in Hagerstown. That gap reflects the nationwide shortfall between voucher funding and eligible households. Across the country, the average wait for a voucher from an open list exceeds two years at many PHAs.
How do you apply for a Housing Choice Voucher through HHA?
When the waitlist opens, the application runs through a few separate steps, and skipping any one of them can get your application tossed or your position forfeited.
Step 1: Submit a preliminary application. During an open enrollment period, HHA collects basic household information: names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, income sources, and current address. This gets you onto the waitlist. It does not get you a voucher.
Step 2: Wait. Depending on HHA's lottery or queue and available funding, this could take months or years. HHA has to maintain the waitlist and notify applicants of their status under 24 CFR 982.204 [2]. Keeping your contact information current is on you. Applicants who fail to answer a status letter usually get dropped from the list.
Step 3: Full application when your name is called. Once HHA reaches your name, you complete a detailed application: income verification, rental history, criminal background screening, and household composition documents. HHA verifies everything through third-party sources.
Step 4: Briefing and voucher issuance. Pass screening, and you attend a HUD-required orientation briefing, get your voucher, and start the housing search. At HHA the initial search period runs 60 to 120 days, the range allowed under 24 CFR 982.303 [2]. HHA can grant extensions if you show a good-faith effort and a documented hardship.
Preference categories matter. HHA, like most PHAs, awards preference points to certain households: people who are homeless, living in substandard housing, or paying more than 50 percent of income on rent. Qualify for a preference and you move up relative to others at the same waitlist position. Ask HHA which local preferences apply, because they live in the agency's Administrative Plan and can change.
The housing choice voucher program has income limits HUD sets every year. For HHA, you must be at or below 50 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) for Washington County, MD at admission, and HUD requires that 75 percent of new admissions come in at or below 30 percent of AMI [2].
What are HHA's payment standards and income limits for 2025 to 2026?
Payment standards are the most HHA will pay toward rent plus utilities for a given unit size. They are not the same as Fair Market Rents (FMRs), though HUD's FMRs are the baseline HHA builds from [5]. A PHA can set payment standards between 90 and 110 percent of FMR without HUD approval, and up to 120 percent with approval in tight markets.
HUD publishes FMRs for the Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV HUD Metro FMR Area every year [5]. The FY2025 FMRs for this area (effective October 2024) ran about:
| Bedroom size | FY2025 FMR (MD side) |
|---|---|
| SRO (0 BR) | ~$716 |
| 1 BR | ~$953 |
| 2 BR | ~$1,187 |
| 3 BR | ~$1,558 |
| 4 BR | ~$1,862 |
Those are FMRs, not guaranteed HHA payment standards. HHA sets its own numbers from these figures, so confirm the current HHA-specific payment standards directly with the agency or in their Administrative Plan. Say HHA's 2-bedroom payment standard is $1,250 and you find an apartment at $1,400. The difference comes out of your pocket, as long as your total rent burden stays under HUD's 40 percent income rule at initial lease-up under 24 CFR 982.305 [2].
Income limits for Washington County, MD are set by HUD each year. For FY2025, the 50 percent AMI limit (the standard HCV eligibility cutoff) was roughly $37,550 for a family of four, and the 30 percent AMI limit was around $22,550 for a family of four [6]. A single-person household has lower limits. Pull HUD's income limit tables at huduser.gov for the current figures before you apply.
HHA also runs public housing units with a separate rent calculation: generally 30 percent of adjusted monthly income, the standard under 24 CFR 5.628 [13].
What public housing does HHA operate in Hagerstown?
HHA manages several public housing communities in Hagerstown, though the exact portfolio and unit counts shift as units get renovated, demolished, or converted under HUD's Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program [7]. The stock has historically included family developments and elderly and disabled housing scattered across the city.
Public housing differs from the voucher program in ways that matter. HHA owns or controls the unit, not a private landlord. Rent runs 30 percent of adjusted income. You can't take the subsidy with you when you move out the way you can port a voucher to another area. And the public housing waitlists are separate from the HCV waitlist.
Under the RAD program, some HHA public housing units have been or may be converted to project-based vouchers backed by private ownership. That changes the long-term management structure while, in theory, keeping the units affordable. HUD reports that as of 2024, RAD has converted more than 175,000 public housing units nationally [7]. If you're on an HHA public housing list and the development converts under RAD, you should get a resident protection notice spelling out your rights.
For elderly and disabled applicants, low income senior housing in the Hagerstown area includes both HHA-managed units and privately owned tax-credit properties. The low income housing tax credit program creates affordable units that HHA does not manage but that may accept vouchers.
How does the HQS inspection process work for Hagerstown rentals?
Before any HCV lease can start, the unit has to pass a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection run by HHA [2]. This is the federal minimum. HQS covers 13 categories: sanitary facilities, food preparation and refuse, space and security, thermal environment, illumination and electricity, structure and materials, interior air quality, water supply, lead-based paint (for pre-1978 units with children), access, site and neighborhood, sanitary conditions, and smoke detectors.
HHA schedules the inspection after a landlord and tenant agree on a unit and the landlord submits a Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA). The inspection usually happens within a few weeks of that submission, though timelines move with the inspector workload.
Fail the inspection, and HHA hands the landlord a written list of deficiencies plus a deadline to fix them, usually 30 days for non-emergency items. The unit gets re-inspected after repairs. Emergency items (no heat in winter, a gas leak, a security hazard) require a fix within 24 hours. Landlords who can't or won't fix deficiencies lose the HAP contract for that unit.
Once a unit passes and the lease is signed, HHA runs annual inspections to keep the HAP contract current. A tenant who damages the unit until it fails inspection can lose housing assistance under HHA's policies. A landlord who lets conditions rot can lose the HAP contract and, in serious cases, get referred to HUD's debarment process.
For landlords eyeing the housing section 8 program for the first time, HQS is usually less intimidating than they expect. Most decent-condition rentals pass on the first try. The common surprises: missing window locks, no carbon monoxide detector (Maryland law requires them [8]), and trip hazards on exterior steps.
What do Hagerstown landlords need to know about accepting vouchers?
Maryland law changed in a big way in 2020. Under HB 109 (the Maryland Source of Income Discrimination Act, codified at Md. Code, State Gov't Art. §20-705) [9], landlords in the state can't refuse to rent to a tenant solely because they pay with a housing voucher. Source of income is a protected class under Maryland anti-discrimination law. This covers HHA voucher holders in Hagerstown.
A landlord can still turn down a tenant for legitimate reasons: credit history, rental history, income-to-rent ratio beyond the voucher, or criminal background, as long as those reasons apply consistently across applicants. What a landlord cannot do is refuse to even schedule an inspection or submit an RFTA because the applicant has a voucher.
Here's how participating works. The tenant finds your unit and presents their voucher. You agree on a rent within or near the HHA payment standard. You submit an RFTA with HHA. HHA inspects the unit. If it passes, HHA approves the lease, and you sign a Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) contract directly with HHA. From then on, HHA pays its portion of rent to you each month by ACH or check, and the tenant pays their portion to you.
Rents under the HAP contract can't top what HHA finds reasonable compared to unassisted units nearby. HHA runs rent reasonableness checks at initial lease-up and when you request a rent increase [2]. Annual increases need HHA approval, and you have to give proper notice under both the lease and the HAP contract terms.
Tools like go section 8 help landlords and tenants find each other, and section 8 houses for rent listings show up on national platforms too. VoucherReady offers a one-time landlord kit with an RFTA walkthrough, an HQS checklist, and a HAP contract explainer for owners new to the program.
The money case for accepting vouchers in Hagerstown is decent. Washington County's rental vacancy rate has historically been low enough that landlords who once brushed off vouchers are reconsidering. HHA pays its share reliably and on the same date each month. The friction points are the upfront inspection timeline and the paperwork, and both turn routine after the first tenancy.
How does porting a voucher to or from Hagerstown work?
Portability lets a voucher holder move to a new jurisdiction after finishing 12 months of assisted tenancy (or right away if the household is moving to escape domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking under VAWA) [2]. If you hold an HHA voucher and want to move to another county or state, or you hold a voucher from another PHA and want to move to Hagerstown, portability is how you do it.
The process runs like this. You tell your current PHA (the "initial PHA") in writing that you want to port. They send your paperwork to HHA (the "receiving PHA") if you're moving into the Hagerstown area. HHA can run the voucher under its own payment standards, or it can bill the initial PHA for the cost. That's the "billing" versus "absorbing" choice.
HHA, like most PHAs, has policies on whether it will absorb incoming portable vouchers or bill back. Absorption depends on HHA's funding levels and staff capacity. If HHA absorbs your voucher, your payment standard becomes HHA's local standard. If HHA bills back, your initial PHA's rules keep governing the subsidy amount.
Start the porting paperwork at least 60 days before you want to move. Delays between PHAs can eat your voucher expiration time. Under 24 CFR 982.355, both the initial and receiving PHA have specific timelines they're supposed to meet, but enforcement is loose and delays happen anyway [2].
If you're a Washington County tenant looking at a move elsewhere, note that some receiving PHAs in high-cost metros (like Washington DC or Montgomery County) carry payment standards well above HHA's. Your subsidy may stretch further in those markets even though rents run higher.
What tenant rights apply to HHA voucher holders?
Federal law under 24 CFR Part 982 and 24 CFR Part 5 gives voucher holders a defined set of rights [2]. The main ones:
Right to an informal hearing. If HHA terminates your assistance or denies your application, you have the right to an informal hearing to contest that decision. Request it within the window HHA specifies in the notice (typically 10 to 30 days). Miss that deadline and you usually waive the right.
Right to lease terms consistent with the voucher. Your lease can't require you to pay more than your share of the rent as HHA calculates it. Side payments to landlords above the approved rent are banned under 24 CFR 982.451 [2].
VAWA protections. The Violence Against Women Act protects HCV participants from losing assistance because they're victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking [10]. HHA must have an emergency transfer plan and can't terminate assistance solely over an incident tied to such violence.
Fair Housing protections. Beyond Maryland's source-of-income protections, federal Fair Housing Act protections apply to voucher holders as tenants. HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity takes complaints at (800) 669-9777.
Reasonable accommodation. People with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations in HHA's rules, policies, or procedures. A common one: asking for extra time to find a unit because of a mobility impairment.
HHA publishes its Administrative Plan, the book of local rules and policies. Any tenant or landlord who wants to understand HHA's specific procedures should request a copy. PHAs have to make it publicly available [2].
For a wider look at tenant rights under the voucher program, the housing authority overview and hud housing pages cover the federal framework in more detail.
How is HHA funded and how does funding affect voucher availability?
HHA runs mostly on annual HUD appropriations. Congress sets the Housing Choice Voucher program budget, HUD hands funds to PHAs, and PHAs can only lease as many vouchers as their funding covers [11]. That's why waitlists exist and why the number of active vouchers in Hagerstown moves year to year.
HUD's FY2024 appropriation for the HCV program ran about $32 billion nationally, supporting around 2.3 million vouchers [11]. HHA's share is a small slice of that, set by a formula based on its prior-year costs and utilization rates. PHAs with low utilization (they have vouchers but households can't find units that pass inspection or clear rent reasonableness) can lose a chunk of future funding, which squeezes both the agency and voucher holders.
Hagerstown's housing market runs more affordable than Baltimore or the DC suburbs, which in theory makes it easier for voucher holders to find units. But landlord participation isn't guaranteed, and the Maryland source-of-income law, protective as it is, doesn't force landlords to submit to inspections or price their units within HHA's payment standards.
Sequestration, continuing resolutions, and flat-funded budgets in Washington have squeezed PHAs for years. HHA, like hundreds of other small PHAs, has hit years where it couldn't renew all its expiring vouchers and had to end assistance for some households. Nobody has perfectly clean data on HHA-specific funding history in one public database. The closest look comes from HUD's Picture of Subsidized Households tool at huduser.gov, which publishes annual data by PHA [12].
What other affordable housing resources exist in Washington County, MD?
HHA is not the only door. Washington County and the surrounding region carry several other affordable housing programs worth knowing.
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) runs a state-funded rental assistance program that served households during and after the COVID-era eviction crisis and occasionally has funds for ongoing assistance [4]. DHCD also runs Homelessness Solutions Program grants that flow to local nonprofits in Washington County.
Regional community action agencies in Western Maryland may hold emergency rental assistance funds, and local faith-based groups often run small emergency assistance pools. Call 2-1-1 Maryland to find the current ones, because the roster of active programs turns over often.
For homeownership, DHCD's Maryland Mortgage Program offers down payment assistance and below-market loans for low-to-moderate income buyers in Washington County [4]. That's no help to renters, but it matters for voucher holders who want to use the Homeownership Voucher option (which HHA may or may not offer, so ask them directly).
Tax-credit properties (LIHTC units) in Hagerstown offer income-restricted rents without a voucher. These are privately managed apartments where rents are capped at a percentage of AMI. You apply directly to the property, not through HHA. Maryland DHCD keeps a list of LIHTC properties by county [4].
For tenants using VoucherReady's search tools, filtering by Washington County, MD shows both HHA-administered units and private listings from landlords who've self-identified as voucher-accepting.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Hagerstown Housing Authority located?
HHA's main office is at 33 W. Franklin Street, Hagerstown, MD 21740. The main phone number is (301) 739-8577. Call before visiting to confirm current office hours, which have varied in recent years. HHA serves Washington County, Maryland.
How do I check my status on the HHA Section 8 waitlist?
Contact HHA directly at (301) 739-8577 or check their official online portal if one is active. HHA has to notify applicants when their status changes, but keeping your mailing address and phone number current with the agency is on you. Missed notices can get you dropped from the list.
What are the income limits to qualify for HHA housing assistance?
For the Housing Choice Voucher program, the standard cutoff is 50 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) for Washington County, MD. For FY2025, that was roughly $37,550 for a family of four. HUD requires 75 percent of new admissions come in at or below 30 percent AMI (around $22,550 for a family of four). Check HUD's income limit tables at huduser.gov for the exact current figures.
Can a Hagerstown landlord refuse to accept Section 8 vouchers?
No. Maryland's source-of-income anti-discrimination law (Md. Code, State Gov't Art. §20-705, enacted 2020) prohibits landlords from refusing tenants solely because they pay with a housing voucher. Landlords can still screen for credit, rental history, and income, but declining solely because of a voucher is illegal in Maryland.
How long does an HHA HQS inspection take and how do I schedule one?
Once a landlord submits a Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA), HHA schedules the HQS inspection, usually within a few weeks depending on inspector availability. The physical inspection usually takes 30 to 60 minutes for a standard apartment. Both the tenant and landlord (or a representative) should be present. HHA contacts the landlord directly to schedule.
What happens if my HHA voucher expires before I find a unit?
Contact HHA before expiration and ask for an extension. Under 24 CFR 982.303, PHAs may grant extensions when a family shows a good-faith effort to find housing. HHA can extend the initial search term beyond the standard 60 to 120 days if circumstances warrant it. Don't wait until the last day; ask for an extension at least two weeks before expiration.
Does HHA offer project-based vouchers in addition to tenant-based ones?
Yes, HHA runs project-based vouchers (PBVs) tied to specific units in certain developments. Unlike tenant-based vouchers, PBVs can't move with you. If you leave a PBV unit, you forfeit that subsidy, though you may be eligible to go back on the waitlist for a portable voucher after 12 months in assisted housing under 24 CFR 983.261.
Can I use my HHA voucher anywhere in Maryland or the country?
Yes. After finishing 12 months of assisted tenancy in the jurisdiction where you got your voucher, you can port to any other PHA in the country under the portability rules in 24 CFR 982.355. Domestic violence survivors may port immediately under VAWA protections. Contact HHA in writing to start the portability process at least 60 days before your planned move.
What is the difference between HHA public housing and a Section 8 voucher?
Public housing units are owned or managed by HHA; you live in a specific HHA-owned apartment and pay 30 percent of adjusted income in rent. A Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher) is a portable subsidy you use to rent from a private landlord. Vouchers work almost anywhere a landlord agrees to participate; public housing ties you to a specific address.
How does HHA calculate my share of the rent?
Your share is generally 30 percent of your adjusted monthly income, but it can run higher if the actual rent tops HHA's payment standard. At initial lease-up, your share can't exceed 40 percent of gross monthly income under 24 CFR 982.305. HHA calculates your income annually at recertification, and your share adjusts from there.
Does HHA have special programs for elderly or disabled households?
HHA manages some housing designated for elderly and disabled residents, and voucher holders with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations in program rules. Maryland DHCD also runs state-level elderly housing programs. Some private LIHTC properties in Washington County target elderly households and may accept vouchers alongside their income restrictions.
What should I do if HHA denies my application or terminates my voucher?
Request an informal hearing in writing within the deadline stated in your denial or termination notice (typically 10 to 30 days). Under 24 CFR 982.554 you have the right to present evidence and have the decision reviewed by someone not involved the first time. If you think the decision was discriminatory, file a complaint with HUD's Office of Fair Housing at (800) 669-9777.
Sources
- City of Hagerstown, Housing Authority contact page: HHA office address at 33 W. Franklin Street, Hagerstown, MD 21740 and main phone (301) 739-8577
- HUD, 24 CFR Part 982 Housing Choice Voucher Program regulations: Federal rules governing HCV waitlists, search periods, HAP contracts, portability, rent calculation, and tenant rights
- HUD, Public Housing Agency Plans and Policies overview: PHAs open and close waitlists based on available funding relative to demand
- Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, rental assistance programs: Maryland DHCD administers state-level rental assistance programs and LIHTC listings by county
- HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY2025 Fair Market Rents: FY2025 Fair Market Rents for the Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV HUD Metro FMR Area used to set payment standards
- HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY2025 Income Limits: FY2025 50% AMI income limit approximately $37,550 and 30% AMI approximately $22,550 for a family of four in Washington County, MD
- HUD, Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program overview: As of 2024, RAD has converted over 175,000 public housing units nationally to project-based vouchers
- Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal, carbon monoxide detector requirements: Maryland state law requires carbon monoxide detectors in rental dwellings, a common HQS inspection finding
- Maryland General Assembly, HB 109 (2020) Source of Income Anti-Discrimination Act, Md. Code State Gov't Art. §20-705: Maryland prohibits landlords from refusing tenants solely because they pay with a housing voucher
- HUD, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) housing protections overview: VAWA protects HCV participants from losing assistance because they are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking
- HUD, FY2024 Congressional Budget Justification, Housing Choice Vouchers: FY2024 HCV program appropriation approximately $32 billion supporting around 2.3 million vouchers nationally
- HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, Picture of Subsidized Households: Annual PHA-level data on voucher utilization, funding, and household characteristics
- HUD, 24 CFR Part 5, General HUD Program Requirements: Rent calculation rules including 30 percent of adjusted monthly income for public housing under 24 CFR 5.628