50-State Housing Policy Scorecard
How well does your state protect renters? A comprehensive comparison of tenant protections, affordability policies, and housing investments across all 50 states and D.C.
States w/ Rent Control
🏛️9
Allow some form of rent stabilization
States Preempting
🚫22
Ban local rent control
Right to Counsel
⚖️13
States with tenant legal aid
Average Score
📊32/100
Across all states + DC
Top 10 States by Policy Score
Bottom 10 States by Policy Score
50-State Policy Comparison
| State | Score | Rent Control | Inclusionary Zoning | Just Cause Eviction | Source of Income | ADU Legalization | Right to Counsel | Eviction Sealing | Trust Fund ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 95 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $540M |
| District of Columbia | 95 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $130M |
| New York | 92 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $200M |
| New Jersey | 90 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $90M |
| Oregon | 90 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $80M |
| Connecticut | 88 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $60M |
| Minnesota | 85 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $100M |
| Maryland | 82 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $50M |
| Washington | 82 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $175M |
| Massachusetts | 75 | Preempted | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $65M |
| Colorado | 72 | Preempted | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $75M |
| Maine | 68 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | $15M |
| Illinois | 65 | Preempted | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $45M |
| Vermont | 62 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | $35M |
| Pennsylvania | 48 | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | $60M |
| Virginia | 40 | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | $70M |
| Hawaii | 35 | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | $38M |
| Rhode Island | 35 | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | $8M |
| New Mexico | 30 | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | $20M |
| Utah | 28 | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | $55M |
| Nevada | 25 | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | $10M |
| New Hampshire | 25 | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | $5M |
| Delaware | 22 | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | $20M |
| Florida | 20 | Preempted | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | $290M |
| North Dakota | 18 | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | $50M |
| North Carolina | 12 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | $75M |
| Wisconsin | 12 | Preempted | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | $8M |
| Alaska | 10 | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | $12M |
| Nebraska | 10 | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | $15M |
| Ohio | 10 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | $55M |
| Arizona | 8 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | $25M |
| Michigan | 8 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | $18M |
| Montana | 8 | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | $10M |
| Georgia | 7 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | $30M |
| South Carolina | 7 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | $30M |
| Alabama | 5 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | — |
| Indiana | 5 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | $10M |
| Iowa | 5 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | $5M |
| Kentucky | 5 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | $8M |
| Louisiana | 5 | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | — |
| Missouri | 5 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | $12M |
| Oklahoma | 5 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | $18M |
| South Dakota | 5 | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | $5M |
| Tennessee | 5 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | $22M |
| West Virginia | 5 | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | $6M |
| Arkansas | 3 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | — |
| Idaho | 3 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | — |
| Kansas | 3 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | — |
| Mississippi | 3 | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | — |
| Texas | 3 | Preempted | No | No | No | No | No | No | — |
| Wyoming | 3 | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | — |
Sources: National Multifamily Housing Council, NLIHC, Eviction Lab. Scores reflect cumulative policy protections.