South Dakota does not operate a single Section 8 waiting list. To get on the South Dakota Section 8 waiting list, you apply to the housing agency that serves your area: the South Dakota Housing Development Authority (SDHDA) covers much of the state, while cities like Sioux Falls and Rapid City run their own public housing agencies with separate lists. Each agency opens and closes its list based on how many vouchers it expects to have, so the first thing to check is which agency holds your zip code and whether its list is accepting applications right now.
Find the Agency That Holds Your List
SDHDA, headquartered in Pierre, administers rental assistance across much of South Dakota, especially rural counties without a local housing authority. Larger cities run independent programs. The Sioux Falls Housing and Redevelopment Commission, for instance, has its own Housing Choice Voucher program and its own waiting list, separate from SDHDA.
You can reach SDHDA at (605) 773-3181 or 1-800-877-7353, at P.O. Box 1237, 3060 East Elizabeth Street, Pierre, SD 57501.1SD Housing. Contact Us HUD also maintains a public housing agency directory where you can search by zip code to confirm who administers vouchers in your area.2U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Housing Choice Voucher Tenants Applying to the wrong agency will not put you on the right list, so verify this before anything else.
Check Whether the List Is Open
Waiting lists in South Dakota open and close periodically. Agencies accept applications when they expect vouchers to turn over and close the list when the backlog gets too long. Call the agency serving your area to confirm the list is currently open before you spend time on an application. If it is closed, ask whether the agency keeps a notification system that alerts people when it reopens. SDHDA’s rental assistance page lists current application instructions.3SD Housing. Rental Assistance
Who Qualifies
Income
Household income generally cannot exceed 50 percent of the area median income for the county where you live, a level HUD classifies as “very low income.”4eCFR. 24 CFR 982.201 – Eligibility and Targeting The dollar figures vary by county and household size and update annually; SDHDA publishes the current limits on its website.5SD Housing. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Income Limits
Within that pool, federal rules require at least 75 percent of newly admitted families to have incomes at or below 30 percent of area median income, called “extremely low income.” That targeting rule means families with the lowest incomes typically get selected off the list first, and applicants closer to the 50 percent ceiling tend to wait longer.
Citizenship and Immigration Status
At least one household member must be a U.S. citizen or have eligible immigration status.4eCFR. 24 CFR 982.201 – Eligibility and Targeting The agency verifies status through the Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE program. Mixed-status families can still receive assistance, but the voucher is prorated to cover only eligible members.
Criminal Background
Two categories of applicants are permanently barred by federal law. Anyone subject to lifetime sex offender registration under any state’s registry cannot be admitted to federally assisted housing.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 13663 – Ineligibility of Dangerous Sex Offenders for Admission to Public Housing Anyone convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine on the premises of federally assisted housing is also permanently barred. Beyond those absolute bars, each agency sets its own policy on other criminal histories, particularly drug and violent offenses.
Assets
Under the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act, households with net assets above $105,574 are generally ineligible in 2026. If your household’s net assets fall at or below $52,787, you can self-certify the value rather than document every account. Agencies have some discretion in how strictly they enforce this during periodic reviews.
What to Submit With Your Application
Gather paperwork for every household member before you apply. Missing documents stall applications. You will need:
- Social Security cards and birth certificates for each household member
- Recent pay stubs (typically covering at least 30 days), current tax returns, and records of other income such as Social Security, child support, or disability
- Bank statements and documentation for retirement accounts, real property, or other assets
- Citizenship or immigration documents, such as a U.S. passport, U.S. birth certificate, or immigration paperwork showing eligible status
The head of household is the primary contact. Report every source of income, including small or irregular ones; the agency uses the figures to determine eligibility and later to calculate your rent share, and underreporting can get you denied or terminated down the line.
After you submit, you should get a confirmation. Initial processing takes several weeks while the agency checks basic eligibility and enters your household into the system. Once processed, you are on the list.
How Your Place on the List Is Ordered
The list is not purely first-come, first-served. Federal regulations let agencies set local preferences that move certain applicants ahead of others.7eCFR. 24 CFR 982.204 – Waiting List: Administration of Waiting List Common preference categories include families experiencing homelessness, people fleeing domestic violence, elderly applicants, people with disabilities, and veterans. Each agency defines its own preferences in its Administrative Plan, so what counts depends on which agency holds your application.
Wait times vary widely across South Dakota. Rural areas with less demand may move faster; urban areas can run a year or longer. There is no reliable published statewide average, so ask the agency for a rough estimate when you apply, and treat the answer as a guess rather than a commitment.
Keeping Your Place on the List
You have to keep your file current. Report changes in household size, income, or mailing address in writing as soon as they happen. The mailing address matters most: if the agency sends you a selection letter and it comes back undeliverable, you lose your spot. Agencies also send periodic update requests asking you to confirm you still want to stay on the list. Miss one of those and you are typically removed, and you would have to reapply from scratch, assuming the list is open at that point.
When Your Name Comes Up
Reaching the top of the list triggers a full eligibility review, not just a quick check. The agency will ask for updated versions of the documents you first submitted, since your circumstances may have changed. Expect a fresh criminal background check and reverification of income and household composition.
If you pass that review, you attend a briefing where the agency walks through how the voucher works, your responsibilities, how your rent share is calculated, and the rules for finding a qualifying unit. You then receive the voucher itself, which is your authorization to go look for a rental. Finding a unit, getting it inspected, and signing a lease is a separate stage with its own time limits and rules; the waiting list ends at the briefing.
If Your Application Is Denied
A denial must come in writing with reasons, and the notice must tell you how to request an informal review.8eCFR. 24 CFR 982.554 – Informal Review for Applicant The review is handled by someone who was not involved in the original decision. You can submit written objections or present them orally, and the agency must respond in writing with an explanation of its final decision.
Not everything qualifies for a review. The agency does not have to offer one when it denies a voucher extension, disapproves a specific unit, or makes certain discretionary administrative decisions.8eCFR. 24 CFR 982.554 – Informal Review for Applicant Current voucher participants facing termination have stronger protections under a separate regulation, including the right to examine evidence and present witnesses at a hearing.9eCFR. 24 CFR 982.555 – Informal Hearing for Participant Applicants with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations for either process.
Move fast when a denial arrives. Many agencies set tight deadlines, sometimes as short as 14 calendar days from the date on the notice. The exact deadline is in the letter.