Missouri Section 8, Records & Right to Counsel
Missouri rules on section 8, records & right to counsel for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-23.
Short answer: No. Missouri has no statewide ban on refusing voucher holders. Since 28 Aug 2025, cities and counties (including charter governments) are also barred from enacting, keeping, or enforcing ordinances that stop landlords from refusing tenants whose rent is paid partly with federal or other… RSMo 441.043.2(1), .4 (as amended by L. 2025 H.B. 595 & 343)
The rules in Missouri
| Statewide ban on refusing Section 8 / source of income | No. Missouri has no statewide ban on refusing voucher holders. Since 28 Aug 2025, cities and counties (including charter governments) are also barred from enacting, keeping, or enforcing ordinances that stop landlords from refusing tenants whose rent is paid partly with federal or other housing assistance. Local ordinances protecting recipients of veterans' benefits remain allowed. The ban covers 'maintain' and 'enforce', so it reaches existing local ordinances. Whether the state Human Rights Act (RSMo Ch. 213) lists source of income was not separately checked. |
|---|---|
| Eviction record sealing | No statute found. No section of RSMo Chapters 441, 534 or 535 provides for sealing, masking, or expunging eviction court records. A consumer website claims Missouri allows sealing of some eviction records but cites no statute; not confirmed. |
| Right to a lawyer in eviction | No statewide right to counsel in eviction cases found. |
Related questions
- Can a landlord refuse Section 8?
- Can an eviction be removed from your record?
- Do tenants get a free lawyer for an eviction?
Missouri vs. neighboring states
| State | Statewide ban on refusing Section 8 / source of income | Eviction record sealing | Right to a lawyer in eviction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | No. Missouri has no statewide ban on refusing voucher holders. Since 28 Aug 2025, cities and counties (including charter governments) are also barred from enacting, keeping, or enforcing ordinances that stop landlords from refusing tenants whose rent is paid partly with federal or other housing assistance. Local ordinances protecting recipients of veterans' benefits remain allowed. RSMo 441.043.2(1), .4 (as amended by L. 2025 H.B. 595 & 343) | No statute found. No section of RSMo Chapters 441, 534 or 535 provides for sealing, masking, or expunging eviction court records. RSMo Ch. 441, 534, 535 (section lists reviewed) | No statewide right to counsel in eviction cases found. RSMo Ch. 441, 534, 535 (no counsel provision) |
| Arkansas | No. Arkansas has no statewide ban on refusing tenants who pay with housing vouchers (Section 8) or other lawful income. Source of income is not a protected class under the Arkansas Fair Housing Act. Ark. Code § 16-123-310 | Not verified yet | No. Arkansas has no statewide right to a lawyer in eviction cases. Ark. Code §§ 18-17-901 to 18-17-913; 18-60-301 et seq. |
| Illinois | Yes. Since Jan. 1, 2023 the Illinois Human Rights Act bars refusing to rent, discriminatory terms, discriminatory ads or application forms, and screening criteria with a discriminatory effect based on 'source of income', defined as the lawful manner by which a person supports themselves and their dependents. 775 ILCS 5/1-103(O-5); 775 ILCS 5/3-102 (P.A. 102-896, eff. 1-1-23) | Yes, by court order. The court may seal an eviction court file if the landlord's case was sufficiently without basis in fact or law, sealing is clearly in the interests of justice, and those interests are not outweighed by the public's interest. Sealing is mandatory for cases against bona fide tenants after foreclosure (9-207.5 / 15-1701(h)(6)) and for cases dismissed because a minor was named as a defendant. Residential eviction files filed March 9, 2020 - March 31, 2022 (COVID period) were sealed, subject to unsealing in some cases not based on nonpayment. 735 ILCS 5/9-121; 735 ILCS 5/9-122; 735 ILCS 5/9-106(c) (P.A. 104-317, eff. 1-1-26) | No statewide right to counsel in eviction cases was found. The Illinois courts direct tenants to free legal aid and mediation for those who qualify (Eviction Help Illinois outside Cook County; Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt in Cook County). 735 ILCS 5/Art. IX (checked); Illinois Courts eviction self-help |
| Iowa | No. Iowa has no statewide source-of-income protection, and since Jan. 1, 2023 cities and counties may not adopt or enforce ordinances barring landlords from refusing to rent to someone because they use a federal Housing Choice Voucher (existing local ordinances became void). Iowa Code §364.3(16) (cities); §331.304(13) (counties) | No statute — the 2026 Iowa Code's forcible entry and detainer chapter (ch. 648) contains no sealing or record-removal provision. Bills to seal dismissed/defendant-won cases (HF 548, 2023) and to allow later sealing of nonpayment cases (HSB 261, 2025 study bill) were not found in the enacted Code. Iowa Code ch. 648 (section list checked) | No statewide right to counsel in eviction cases was found in Iowa Code ch. 648 or ch. 562A. Iowa Code ch. 648; ch. 562A (checked) |
| Kansas | No. The Kansas Act Against Discrimination's housing section covers race, religion, color, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, and ancestry only; source of income and housing vouchers are not protected statewide. K.S.A. 44-1016 | Yes, by petition (new in 2026). A defendant in a residential (RLTA) eviction case may file electronically, at no cost, for expungement under the case number, serving the landlord by return-receipt delivery. The landlord has 30 days to object (then a hearing); without objection the court decides without a hearing and money judgments are presumed satisfied. The court must grant expungement if 3 years have passed since judgment, any money judgment from the tenancy is satisfied, and the tenant has had no other residential eviction judgment in those 3 years (a later judgment delays expungement of the earlier one). Cases with an unsatisfied money judgment are expunged only if both parties agree. Expungement does not erase the debt; public housing authorities may still obtain 3-year eviction history for federal assistance applicants. The Judicial Council is to create a form. K.S.A. 2026 Supp. 61-3809 (Sub. for HB 2357 (2026), sec. 1) | No statewide right to counsel in eviction cases was found. The 2026 eviction reform (Sub. for HB 2357) added expungement and court consideration of mediation, not appointed counsel. K.S.A. 61-3801 et seq.; Sub. for HB 2357 (2026) |
| Kentucky | No. There is no statewide protection, and since 2024 local governments may not adopt or enforce ordinances that bar landlords from refusing to rent to someone whose rent is paid in part with a federal housing assistance program (e.g., Section 8 vouchers). This overrides the Louisville and Lexington source-of-income ordinances to the extent they cover federal housing assistance. KRS 65.874 (2024 Ky. Acts ch. 3, sec. 1, HB 18; emergency, veto overridden) | Not verified yet | No statewide right to counsel in eviction cases was found in KRS Chapter 383. KRS Chapter 383 (checked) |
| Nebraska | No. The Nebraska Fair Housing Act covers race, color, religion, national origin, disability, familial status, sex, and military or veteran status, but not source of income or housing vouchers. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 20-318 | No statute. Bills to create a 'Residential Tenant Clean Slate Act' to seal certain eviction records have failed: LB92 (109th Legislature) was indefinitely postponed on Jan. 7, 2026. LB92 (109th Leg.) bill history; no sealing provision in Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 76-1401 to 76-1449 | No statewide right to counsel in eviction cases found. Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 76-1440 to 76-1447 (possession actions; no counsel provision) |
| Oklahoma | No. Oklahoma's fair housing law protects race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, familial status, and disability. It does not cover source of income or voucher use. 25 O.S. § 1452(A) | No statute. Oklahoma's forcible entry and detainer statutes have no provision for sealing or expunging eviction records. 12 O.S. §§ 1148.1-1148.16 (no sealing provision) | No statewide right to counsel in eviction cases. 12 O.S. §§ 1148.1-1148.16; 41 O.S. §§ 101-136 (no counsel provision) |
| Tennessee | No. The Tennessee Human Rights Act's housing provision covers race, color, creed, religion, sex, disability, familial status and national origin, but not source of income or vouchers. T.C.A. 4-21-601(a) | No statute. Tennessee has no law sealing or expunging eviction (detainer) records. A 2026 bill to make dismissed unlawful detainer cases confidential (HB1940/SB2016) failed in House subcommittee on March 18, 2026 and was not enacted. 2026 HB1940 / SB2016 (not enacted) | No statewide right to counsel in eviction cases. T.C.A. Title 29, Chapter 18; Title 66, Chapters 7 and 28 |
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Compare section 8, records & right to counsel in all 50 states and DC →
Missouri Section 8, Records & Right to Counsel FAQ
Is it illegal for a landlord to refuse Section 8 vouchers in Missouri?
No. Missouri has no statewide ban on refusing voucher holders. Since 28 Aug 2025, cities and counties (including charter governments) are also barred from enacting, keeping, or enforcing ordinances that stop landlords from refusing tenants whose rent is paid partly with federal or other housing assistance. Local ordinances protecting recipients of veterans' benefits remain allowed. (RSMo 441.043.2(1), .4 (as amended by L. 2025 H.B. 595 & 343))
Can an eviction record be sealed or removed in Missouri?
No statute found. No section of RSMo Chapters 441, 534 or 535 provides for sealing, masking, or expunging eviction court records. (RSMo Ch. 441, 534, 535 (section lists reviewed))
Do tenants have a right to a free lawyer in eviction cases in Missouri?
No statewide right to counsel in eviction cases found. (RSMo Ch. 441, 534, 535 (no counsel provision))
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.