COUNTY OF SONOMA, Section 8 / HCV PHA Profile
COUNTY OF SONOMA administers federal Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance, CA, with 3,277 authorized HCV units. Contact details, payment-standard reference, and nearby PHAs to broaden your waitlist strategy.
How this PHA compares nearby
Authorized HCV units · COUNTY OF SONOMA vs nearby CA agencies
- HA Santa Ana
Housing Authority of the City of Santa Ana
3,398 units
- This PHA
COUNTY OF SONOMA (this PHA)
3,277 units
- Tulare County HA
Tulare County Housing Authority
3,123 units
- HA Santa Barbara
Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara
2,931 units
- County of Merced HA
County of Merced Housing Authority
2,891 units
- HA San Luis Obispo
Housing Authority of the City of San Luis Obispo
2,766 units
The verdict
COUNTY OF SONOMA administers 3,277 authorized Housing Choice Vouchers - among the largest Section 8 agencies in the country, larger than 73% of CA agencies.
- 3,277
- authorized Section 8 vouchers
- 95th
- percentile by size, nationally
- 73rd
- percentile in CA
COUNTY OF SONOMA is a Public Housing Authority in CA administering Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers with 3,277 authorized Section 8 units. Contact this PHA directly to check waitlist status and request an application.
- 73rd percentile by unit count in CA
Section 8 / HCV units
3,277
HUD-authorized
Total authorized units
-
All programs combined
State-rank percentile
73 th
Among CA PHAs
2-BR standard range · CA
$1,054–$4,223 /mo
Median $1,505/mo · 2-BR
Compared to nationwide HUD median of 62%, PHAs with high HCV share typically focus on tenant-based assistance over project-based public housing.
Where COUNTY OF SONOMA sits among U.S. PHAs
By authorized Housing Choice Vouchers, across every PHA that runs them. Most are small; a handful of big-city authorities run the long right tail.
3,277 Top 8% higher than 92% of 2,129 voucher-running PHAs
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more voucher-running PHAs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HUD PIH authorized-unit directory · FY2025
What HUD's PIH Record for COUNTY OF SONOMA Tells You
COUNTY OF SONOMA appears in HUD's Public and Indian Housing (PIH) Open Data set, one of 3,780 Public Housing Authorities nationwide running the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program alongside every other agency in CA. HUD authorizes 3,277 Section 8 / HCV units for this agency.
HUD logs its program type as "Section 8," which determines which voucher streams (regular HCV, VASH, Family Unification, Mainstream, or project-based conversions) it can run. Ranked by Section 8 unit count within CA, it sits at the 73rd percentile there, ahead of 73% of CA PHAs by that measure. The federal rulebook lets every PHA set its own waitlist rules, admissions plan, and local preferences, so this authorized-unit total is best read as a program cap, not a live vacancy count.
Across CA's 51 HUD FMR areas, the FY2025 2-bedroom payment standard runs $1,054-$4,223/month (median $1,505); COUNTY OF SONOMA sets its own figure within 90-110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent for the specific area it serves, so confirm the exact number for your metro before signing anything. its main line is 7075657500. Use the nearby-PHA list below to broaden your waitlist strategy across the state.
Contact this PHA
- Phone
- 7075657500
- Fax
- 7075657583
- martha.cheever@sonoma-county.org
- Executive Director
- Martha.Cheever@sonomacounty.gov · 7075657504
How to apply at COUNTY OF SONOMA
How to apply at this PHA
Before applying, confirm whether this PHA's waitlist is currently open. Waitlist status can change without much notice, some PHAs open for as little as 72 hours at a time. Application channels typically include:
- The PHA's own website (search "COUNTY OF SONOMA Section 8 application")
- A public notice posted at the PHA office or in the legal notices of the local newspaper
- HUD-approved housing counseling agencies in the area
- Local legal-aid and tenant-advocacy groups
See our step-by-step How to Apply for Section 8 guide for the full federal application process.
What to expect, typical waitlist
HUD does not publish current waitlist open/closed status centrally, and waitlist lengths vary sharply by local demand. In high-cost metros, waits can exceed 5–10 years and many waitlists are closed. In smaller cities and rural counties, waits of 6 months to 3 years are more typical. Some PHAs use a lottery rather than first-come-first-served. This site does not predict your individual wait time. Contact the PHA directly to confirm the current list status and whether local preferences apply to your household. Our waitlist strategy guide explains how to maximize your odds by applying to multiple PHAs.
Payment standard reference
Payment standards are set per HUD FMR area, not per agency. Across CA's 51 HUD FMR areas, the FY2025 2-bedroom payment standard ranges $1,054–$4,223/month (median $1,505). COUNTY OF SONOMA sets its own figure within 90–110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent for the specific area it serves.
Find your exact number: look up the 2-, 1-, and 3-bedroom payment standards for your metro with the payment-standard lookup tool, then confirm the current figure with the PHA before signing a lease. See our Payment Standards vs. FMR guide.
Nearby PHAs in CA
A closed waitlist here doesn't rule out the region, applying to several nearby PHAs at once is the standard workaround. Agencies close by:
- Housing Authority of the City of Santa Ana · 3,398 units
- Tulare County Housing Authority · 3,123 units
- Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara · 2,931 units
- County of Merced Housing Authority · 2,891 units
- Housing Authority of the City of San Luis Obispo · 2,766 units
Related guides
Source: HUD PIH Open Data (FY25). Last compiled April 2026. Payment-standard figures: Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rent FY2025. If any contact detail has changed, please email corrections@plainvoucher.com. See our methodology for how we compile and cross-reference this data.
⚠ Disclaimer. PlainVoucher is not affiliated with HUD or with COUNTY OF SONOMA. Data here is compiled from HUD public sources for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for consulting the PHA directly about eligibility, waitlist status, or application procedures.