Can a landlord refuse a Section 8 voucher in California?
No, not in most cases. In California, a landlord may not discriminate against anyone because of source of income, which the law defines to include federal, state and local housing subsidies, including Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and HUD-VASH vouchers. A landlord may still ask about the level or source of an applicant’s income. This is Cal. Gov. Code § 12955.
| What | California |
|---|---|
| Renting to a voucher holder | Protected: a landlord may not refuse one |
| What the state law does | Bars refusing a tenant because of a voucher |
Source
Cal. Gov. Code § 12955
Read the statute in the California Codes (California Legislative Information): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
Checked against the statute on October 23, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
This page states whether the state protects renters who pay with a housing voucher, so a listing and its screening rules can be checked against it before they are published. Seayora’s rental search assistant never filters homes by how a renter will pay the rent.
Guides on this rule
- Renting to Section 8 Tenants: A Landlord’s Guide to Vouchers — How the Housing Choice Voucher program works for landlords: the HAP contract, inspections and the 2027 NSPIRE change, rent reasonableness, and who pays what.
- Tenant Screening: What Landlords Need to Know — How to screen rental applicants fairly and legally: credit and background checks, consistent criteria, the FCRA’s adverse action notice and fair housing.
- The Fair Housing Act: A Landlord’s Plain-English Guide — The seven protected classes, what the Fair Housing Act prohibits, the small-landlord exemptions, advertising rules, deadlines and penalties, with citations.
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