44644 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 170 / Friday, August 31, 2018 / Notices 

1995. The purpose of this notice is to 

allow an additional 30 days for public 

comments. 

DATES: The purpose of this notice is to 

allow an additional 30 days for public 

comments. Comments are encouraged 

and will be accepted until October 1, 

2018. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and/or 

suggestions regarding the item(s) 

contained in this notice, especially 

regarding the estimated public burden 

and associated response time, must be 

directed to the OMB USCIS Desk Officer 

via email at dhsdeskofficer@

omb.eop.gov. All submissions received 

must include the agency name and the 

OMB Control Number [1615–0016] in 

the subject line. 

You may wish to consider limiting the 

amount of personal information that you 

provide in any voluntary submission 

you make. For additional information 

please read the Privacy Act notice that 

is available via the link in the footer of 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

USCIS, Office of Policy and Strategy, 

Regulatory Coordination Division, 

Samantha Deshommes, Chief, 20 

Massachusetts Avenue NW, 

Washington, DC 20529–2140, 

Telephone number (202) 272–8377 

(This is not a toll-free number; 

comments are not accepted via 

telephone message.). Please note contact 

information provided here is solely for 

questions regarding this notice. It is not 

for individual case status inquiries. 

Applicants seeking information about 

the status of their individual cases can 

check Case Status Online, available at 

the USCIS website at http://

www.uscis.gov, or call the USCIS 

National Customer Service Center at 

(800) 375–5283; TTY (800) 767–1833. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments 

The information collection notice was 

previously published in the Federal 

Register on May 14, 2018, at 83 FR 

22286, allowing for a 60-day public 

comment period. USCIS did receive one 

comment in connection with the 60-day 

notice. 

You may access the information 

collection instrument with instructions, 

or additional information by visiting the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal site at: 

http://www.regulations.gov and enter 

USCIS–2006–0070 in the search box. 

Written comments and suggestions from 

the public and affected agencies should 

address one or more of the following 

four points: 

(1) Evaluate whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; 

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed collection of information, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; 

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and 

(4) Minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including through the 

use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology, 

e.g., permitting electronic submission of 

responses. 

Overview of This Information 

Collection 

(1) Type of information collection 

request: Extension, Without Change, of 

a Currently Approved Collection. 

(2) Title of the form/collection: 

Application for Relief under Former 

Section 212(c) of the Immigration and 

Nationality Act. 

(3) Agency form number, if any, and 

the applicable component of the DHS 

sponsoring the collection: I–191; USCIS. 

(4) Affected public who will be asked 

or required to respond, as well as a brief 

abstract: Primary: Individuals or 

households. USCIS and EOIR use the 

information on the form to properly 

assess and determine whether the 

applicant is eligible for a waiver under 

former section 212(c) of INA. 

(5) An estimate of the total number of 

respondents and the amount of time 

estimated for an average respondent to 

respond: The estimated total number of 

respondents for the information 

collection I–191 is 240 and the 

estimated hour burden per response is 

1.5 hours. 

(6) An estimate of the total public 

burden (in hours) associated with the 

collection: The total estimated annual 

hour burden associated with this 

collection is 360 hours. 

(7) An estimate of the total public 

burden (in cost) associated with the 

collection: The estimated total annual 

cost burden associated with this 

collection of information is $30,300. 

Dated: August 27, 2018. 

Samantha L Deshommes, 

Chief, Regulatory Coordination Division, 

Office of Policy and Strategy, U.S. Citizenship 

and Immigration Services, Department of 

Homeland Security. 

[FR Doc. 2018–18876 Filed 8–30–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9111–97–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

[Docket No. FR–6125–N–01] 

Fair Market Rents for the Housing 

Choice Voucher Program, Moderate 

Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy 

Program, and Other Programs Fiscal 

Year 2019 

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Policy Development and 

Research, HUD. 

ACTION: Notice of Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 

Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and response 

to public comments on the use of FMR 

surveys in the calculation of renewal 

funding inflation factors. 

SUMMARY: Section 8(c)(1) of the United 

States Housing Act of 1937 (USHA), as 

amended by the Housing Opportunity 

Through Modernization Act of 2016 

(HOTMA), requires the Secretary to 

publish FMRs not less than annually, 

adjusted to be effective on October 1 of 

each year. This notice describes the 

methods used to calculate the FY 2019 

FMRs and enumerates the procedures 

for Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) and 

other interested parties to request 

reevaluations of their FMRs, as required 

by HOTMA. To help inform PHAs’ 

decisions concerning reevaluation 

requests, this notice briefly addresses 

HUD’s May 30, 2018 notice regarding 

the use of FMR surveys in the 

calculation of Renewal Funding 

Inflation Factors. 

DATES: 

Comment Due Date: October 1, 2018. 

Effective Date: The Fair Market Rents 

are effective October 1, 2018 unless 

HUD receives a request for reevaluation 

of specific area FMRs as described 

below. 

ADDRESSES: HUD invites interested 

persons to submit comments regarding 

the FMRs and to request reevaluation of 

the FY 2019 FMRs to the Regulations 

Division, Office of General Counsel, 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development, 451 Seventh Street SW, 

Room 10276, Washington, DC 20410– 

0001. Communications must refer to the 

above docket number and title and 

should contain the information 

specified in the ‘‘Request for Comments/ 

Request for Reevaluation’’ section. 

There are two methods for submitting 

public comments. 

1. Submission of Comments by Mail. 

Comments or requests for reevaluation 

may be submitted by mail to the 

Regulations Division, Office of General 

Counsel, Department of Housing and 

Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, 

Room 10276, Washington, DC 20410– 


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1Separately from the Small Area FMR 

regulations, HUD also calculates and posts 50th 

percentile rent estimates for the purposes of 

Success Rate Payment Standards, as defined at 24 

CFR 982.503(e) (estimates available at: http://

www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/50per.html), 

which policy was not changed by the Small Area 

FMR rule. 

0500. Often, submission of comments by 

mail results in delayed delivery. To 

ensure timely receipt of comments or 

reevaluation requests, HUD 

recommends that comments or requests 

submitted by mail be submitted at least 

2 weeks in advance of the deadline. 

HUD will make all comments or 

reevaluation requests received by mail 

available to the public at http://

www.regulations.gov. 

2. Electronic Submission of 

Comments. Interested persons may 

submit comments or reevaluation 

requests electronically through the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://

www.regulations.gov. HUD strongly 

encourages commenters to submit 

comments or reevaluation requests 

electronically. Electronic submission of 

comments or reevaluation requests 

allows the author maximum time to 

prepare and submit a comment or 

reevaluation request, ensures timely 

receipt by HUD, and enables HUD to 

make comments immediately available 

to the public. Comments or reevaluation 

requests submitted electronically 

through the http://www.regulations.gov 

website can be viewed by other 

submitters and interested members of 

the public. Commenters or reevaluation 

requestors should follow instructions 

provided on that site to submit 

comments or reevaluation requests 

electronically. 

Note: To receive consideration as public 

comments or reevaluation requests, 

comments or requests must be submitted 

through one of the two methods specified 

above. Again, all submissions must refer to 

the docket number and title of the notice. 

No Facsimile Comments or 

Reevaluation Requests. Facsimile (FAX) 

comments or requests for FMR 

reevaluation are not acceptable. 

Public Inspection of Public Comments 

and Reevaluation Requests. All properly 

submitted comments and reevaluation 

requests and communications regarding 

this notice submitted to HUD will be 

available for public inspection and 

copying between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. 

weekdays at the above address. Due to 

security measures at the HUD 

Headquarters building, an advance 

appointment to review the public 

comments and reevaluation requests 

must be scheduled by calling the 

Regulations Division at 202–708–3055 

(this is not a toll-free number). 

Individuals with speech or hearing 

impairments may access this number 

through TTY by calling the Federal 

Relay Service at 800–877–8339 (toll-free 

number). Copies of all comments and 

reevaluation requests submitted are 

available for inspection and 

downloading at http://

www.regulations.gov. 

Electronic Data Availability. This 

Federal Register notice will be available 

electronically from the HUD User page 

at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/ 

datasets/fmr.html. Federal Register 

notices also are available electronically 

at https://www.federalregister.gov/ the 

U.S. Government Printing Office 

website. Complete documentation of the 

methods and data used to compute each 

area’s FY 2019 FMRs is available at 

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/ 

datasets/fmr.html#2019_query. FY 2019 

FMRs are available in a variety of 

electronic formats at https://

www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ 

fmr.html. FMRs may be accessed in PDF 

as well as in Microsoft Excel. Small 

Area FMRs for all metropolitan FMR 

areas are available in Microsoft Excel 

format at: http://www.huduser.gov/ 

portal/datasets/fmr/smallarea/ 

index.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

technical information on the 

methodology used to develop FMRs or 

a listing of all FMRs, please call the 

HUD USER information line at 800– 

245–2691 or access the information on 

the HUD USER website at http://

www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ 

fmr.html. FMRs are listed at the 40th or 

50th percentile in Schedule B. For 

informational purposes, 40th percentile 

rents for the areas with 50th percentile 

FMRs will be provided in the HUD FY 

2019 FMR documentation system at 

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/ 

datasets/fmr.html#2019_query and 50th 

percentile rents for all FMR areas will 

be published at http://

www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ 

50per.html. 

Questions related to use of FMRs or 

voucher payment standards should be 

directed to the respective local HUD 

program staff. Questions on how to 

conduct FMR surveys may be addressed 

to Marie L. Lihn or Peter B. Kahn of the 

Economic and Market Analysis 

Division, Office of Economic Affairs, 

Office of Policy Development and 

Research at HUD headquarters, 451 7th 

Street SW, Room 8208, Washington, DC 

20410; telephone number 202–402–2409 

(this is not a toll-free number), or via 

email at emad-hq@hud.gov. Persons 

with hearing or speech impairments 

may access HUD numbers through TTY 

by calling the Federal Relay Service at 

800–877–8339 (toll-free number). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

Section 8 of the USHA (42 U.S.C. 

1437f) authorizes housing assistance to 

aid lower-income families in renting 

safe and decent housing. Housing 

assistance payments are limited by 

FMRs established by HUD for different 

geographic areas. In the Housing Choice 

Voucher (HCV) program, the FMR is the 

basis for determining the ‘‘payment 

standard amount’’ used to calculate the 

maximum monthly subsidy for an 

assisted family. See 24 CFR 982.503. 

HUD also uses the FMRs to determine 

initial renewal rents for some expiring 

project-based Section 8 contracts, initial 

rents for housing assistance payment 

contracts in the Moderate Rehabilitation 

Single Room Occupancy program, rent 

ceilings for rental units in both the 

HOME Investment Partnerships program 

and the Emergency Solution Grants 

program, calculation of maximum 

award amounts for Continuum of Care 

recipients and the maximum amount of 

rent a recipient may pay for property 

leased with Continuum of Care funds, 

and calculation of flat rents in Public 

Housing units. In general, the FMR for 

an area is the amount that would be 

needed to pay the gross rent (shelter 

rent plus utilities) of privately owned, 

decent, and safe rental housing of a 

modest (non-luxury) nature with 

suitable amenities and is typically set at 

the 40th percentile of the distribution of 

gross rents. HUD’s FMR calculations 

represent HUD’s best effort to estimate 

the 40th percentile gross rent paid by 

recent movers into standard quality 

units in each FMR area. In addition, all 

rents subsidized under the HCV 

program must meet reasonable rent 

standards. 

As of October 2, 2000, HUD required 

FMRs to be set at the 50th percentile for 

areas where HUD determined higher 

FMRs were needed to help families 

assisted under certain HUD programs 

find and lease decent and affordable 

housing (65 FR 58870). On November 

16, 2016, HUD published a Final Rule 

entitled ‘‘Establishing a More Effective 

Fair Market Rent System; Using Small 

Area Fair Market Rents in the Housing 

Choice Voucher Program Instead of the 

Current 50th Percentile FMRs’’ (Small 

Area FMR final rule) (81 FR 80567), 

with an effective date of January 17, 

2017. The Small Area FMR final rule 

eliminates the 50th percentile FMR 

provisions in the FMR regulations (24 

CFR 888.113) 1 and provides that areas 


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2HUD’s margin of error test requires that the 

margin of error of the ACS estimate is less than half 

the size of the estimate itself. 

3For FY 2019, the three years of ACS data in 

question are 2014, 2015 and 2016. The 2014 data 

are adjusted to be denominated in 2016 dollars 

using the growth in CPI-based gross rents measured 

between 2014 and 2016. Similarly, the 2015 gross 

rent data is adjusted to 2016 denominated dollars 

using the growth in CPI-based gross rents measured 

between 2015 and 2016. 

4HUD’s regulations incorporate recent mover 

data into FMR calculations because the gross rents 

of those who most recently moved into their units 

likely depicts the most current market conditions 

observable through the ACS. Rents paid by renters 

renewing existing leases may not reflect the most 

current market conditions, in part because these 

renters may have clauses within their leases that 

currently designated as 50th percentile 

areas remain 50th percentile areas until 

their current 3-year eligibility period 

expires. At the end of the 3-year 

eligibility period, these areas revert to 

40th percentile FMR status. If PHAs in 

areas converting from 50th percentile 

FMRs to 40th percentile FMRs meet the 

deconcentration criteria specified in 24 

CFR 982.503(f), available at: https://

www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2016- 

title24-vol4/pdf/CFR-2016-title24-vol4- 

sec982-503.pdf, they may petition HUD 

to maintain payment standards based on 

50th percentile rents on that basis. 

The following areas completed their 3 

years of 50th percentile eligibility in FY 

2018 and will revert to 40th percentile 

FMR status in FY 2019: 

FY 2018 50TH-PERCENTILE FMR 

AREAS REVERTING TO 40TH PERCENTILE FMRS IN FY 2019 

Baltimore-ColumbiaTowson, MD MSA.Philadelphia-CamdenWilmington, PA-NJDE-MD. 

Washington, DC-VAMD HUD Metro 

FMR Area.

West Palm BeachBoca Raton, FL 

HUD Metro FMR 

Area. 

The following is a list of FMR areas 

that retain 50th percentile FMRs for FY 

2019, along with the year that they will 

revert to 40th percentile status: 

FY 2019 50TH-PERCENTILE FMR 

AREAS WITH YEAR OF REVERSION

TO 40TH PERCENTILE FMRS

Bergen-Passaic, NJ HUD Metro 

FMR Area .................................. 2020 

Spokane, WA HUD Metro FMR 

Area ........................................... 2020 

San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, 

CA MSA .................................... 2020 

II. Procedures for the Development of 

FMRs 

Section 8(c)(1) of the USHA, as 

amended by the Housing Opportunity 

Through Modernization Act of 2016 

(HOTMA) (Pub. L. 114–201, approved 

July 29, 2016), requires the Secretary of 

HUD to publish FMRs not less than 

annually. Section 8(c)(1)(A) states that 

each FMR ‘‘shall be adjusted to be 

effective on October 1 of each year to 

reflect changes, based on the most 

recent available data trended so the 

rentals will be current for the year to 

which they apply . . .’’ Section 

8(c)(1)(B) requires that HUD publish, 

not less than annually, new FMRs on 

the World Wide Web or in any other 

manner specified by the Secretary, and 

that HUD must also notify the public of 

when it publishes FMRs by Federal 

Register notice. After notification, the 

FMRs ‘‘shall become effective no earlier 

than 30 days after the date of such 

publication,’’ and HUD must provide a 

procedure for the public to comment 

and request a reevaluation of the FMRs 

in a jurisdiction before the FMRs 

become effective. Consistent with the 

statute, HUD is issuing this notice to 

notify the public that FY 2019 FMRs are 

available at https://www.huduser.gov/ 

portal/datasets/fmr.html and will 

become effective on October 1, 2018. 

This notice also provides procedures for 

FMR reevaluation requests. 

III. FMR Methodology 

This section provides a brief overview 

of how HUD computes the FY 2019 

FMRs. HUD is making no changes to the 

estimation methodology for FMRs as 

used by HUD for the FY 2018 FMRs. 

The only difference is the use of more 

recent data. For complete information 

on how HUD determines FMR areas, 

and on how HUD derives each area’s 

FMRs, see the online documentation at 

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/ 

datasets/fmr.html#2019_query. 

In conjunction with the use of 2016 

American Community Survey (ACS) 

data, HUD has implemented the 

following geography changes: Effective 

May 1, 2016, Garfield County, 

Oklahoma became the metropolitan area 

of Enid, OK metropolitan statistical area 

(MSA). In addition, HUD changed from 

two separate county-based HUD Metro 

FMR Areas (HMFA) (Kalawao County, 

HI HMFA and Maui County, HI HMFA) 

to a two county MSA, the KahuluiWailuku-Lahaina, HI MSA due to 

extremely limited data available for 

Kalawao County, HI. 

A. Base Year Rents 

For FY 2019 FMRs, HUD uses the U.S. 

Census Bureau’s 5-year ACS data 

collected between 2012 and 2016 

(released in December 2017) as the base 

rents for the FMR calculations. In order 

to improve the statistical reliability of 

the ACS data used in the FMR 

calculations, HUD pairs a ‘‘margin of 

error’’ test 2 with an additional test 

based on the number of survey 

observations supporting the estimate, 

beginning with the FY 2018 FMRs and 

continuing with the FY 2019 FMRs. The 

Census Bureau does not provide HUD 

with an exact count of the number of 

observations supporting the ACS 

estimate; rather, the Census Bureau 

provides HUD with categories of the 

number of survey responses underlying 

the estimate, including whether the 

estimate is based on more than 100 

observations. Using these categories, 

HUD requires that, in addition to the 

‘‘margin of error’’ test, ACS rent 

estimates must be based on at least 100 

observations in order to be used as base 

rents. 

For areas in which the 5-year ACS 

data for two-bedroom, standard quality 

gross rents do not pass the statistical 

reliability tests (i.e., have a margin of 

error ratio greater than 50 percent or 

fewer than 100 observations), HUD will 

use an average of the base rents over the 

three most recent years (provided that 

there is data available for at least two of 

these years),3 or if such data is not 

available, using the two-bedroom rent 

data within the next largest geographic 

area, which for a non-metropolitan area 

would be the state non-metro area rent 

data. 

Since FY 2012, HUD has updated base 

rents each year based on new 5-year 

data, for which HUD used 2005–2009 

ACS data. HUD is also updating base 

rents for Puerto Rico FMRs using data 

collected through the Puerto Rico 

Community Surveys (PRCS) between 

2012 and 2016. HUD first updated the 

Puerto Rico base rents in FY 2014 based 

on 2007–2011 PRCS data collected 

through the ACS program. 

HUD historically based FMRs on gross 

rents for recent movers (those who have 

moved into their current residence in 

the last 24 months) measured directly 

from decennial census long form survey 

responses. However, due to the way the 

5-year ACS data are constructed, HUD 

developed a new method for calculating 

recent-mover FMRs in FY 2012, which 

HUD continues to use in FY 2019: HUD 

assigns all areas a base rent, which is 

the two-bedroom standard quality 5- 

year gross rent estimate from the ACS; 

then, because HUD’s regulations 

mandate that FMRs must be published 

as recent mover gross rents, HUD 

applies a recent mover factor to the base 

rents assigned from the 5-year ACS 

data.4 The calculation of the recent 

mover factor is described below. 


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predetermine the annual increases in rents paid 

(i.e., rent escalator clauses). 

5 ‘‘All-bedroom’’ refers to estimates aggregated 

together regardless of the number of bedrooms in 

the dwelling unit. 

6The ACS is not conducted in the Pacific Islands 

(Guam, Northern Marianas and American Samoa) or 

the US Virgin Islands. As part of the 2010 Decennial 

Census, the Census Bureau conducted ‘‘long-form’’ 

sample surveys for these areas. The results gathered 

by this long form survey have been incorporated 

into the FY 2019 FMRs. 

7The 2013–2017 5-Year ACS data and the 2017 

1-Year ACS data will be used to calculate the FY 

2020 FMRs. We did discontinue the use of survey 

in Kauai and Maui counties in HI and in VallejoFairfield, CA even though these surveys did not 

meet the age requirements because the data 

provided did not meet our current tighter statistical 

standards enacted for the FY 2018 FMRs. In all 

cases the FMRs for FY 2019 would have been lower 

than for FY 2018 and in some cases, much lower. 

B. Recent Mover Factor 

Following the assignment of the 

standard quality two-bedroom rent 

described above, HUD applies a recent 

mover factor to these rents. HUD 

calculates the recent mover factor as the 

change between the 5-year 2012–2016 

standard quality two-bedroom gross rent 

and the 1-year 2016 recent mover gross 

rent for the recent mover factor area. 

HUD does not allow recent mover 

factors to lower the standard quality 

base rent; therefore, if the 5-year 

standard quality rent is larger than the 

comparable 1-year recent mover rent, 

the recent mover factor is set to 1. 

The calculation of the recent mover 

factor for FY 2019 continues with the 

modifications first applied to the FY 

2018 FMRs. Similar to the statistical 

reliability requirements for base rents, 

for a recent mover gross rent estimate to 

be considered statistically reliable, the 

estimate must have a margin of error 

ratio that is less than 50 percent, and the 

estimate must be based on 100 or more 

observations. 

When an FMR area does not have 

statistically reliable two-bedroom recent 

mover data, the ‘‘all-bedroom’’ 5 1-year 

recent mover ACS data for the FMR area 

is tested for statistical reliability. An 

‘‘all-bedroom’’ recent mover factor from 

the FMR area will be used, if 

statistically reliable, before substituting 

a two-bedroom recent mover factor from 

the next larger geography. Incorporating 

‘‘all-bedroom’’ rents into the recent 

mover factor calculation when 

statistically reliable two-bedroom data is 

not available preserves the use of local 

information to the greatest extent 

possible. 

However, where statistically reliable 

‘‘all-bedroom’’ data is not available, 

HUD will continue to base FMR areas’ 

recent mover factors on larger 

geographic areas, following the same 

procedures used historically: HUD tests 

data from differently sized geographic 

areas from small to large, and bases the 

recent mover factor on the first 

statistically reliable recent mover rent 

estimate in the geographic hierarchy 

listed below. 

• For metropolitan areas that are 

subareas of larger metropolitan areas, 

the order is the FMR area, metropolitan 

area, aggregated metropolitan parts of 

the state, and state. 

• For metropolitan areas that are not 

divided, the order is the FMR area, 

aggregated metropolitan parts of the 

state, and the state. 

• In non-metropolitan areas, the order 

is the FMR area, aggregated nonmetropolitan parts of the state, and the 

state. 

The process for calculating each area’s 

recent mover factor is detailed in the FY 

2019 FMR documentation system 

available at: https://www.huduser.gov/ 

portal/datasets/fmr.html#2019_query. 

Applying the recent mover factor to the 

standard quality base rent produces an 

‘‘as of’’ 2016 recent mover two-bedroom 

gross rent for the FMR area. 

C. Other Rent Survey Data 

HUD calculated base rents for the 

insular areas using the 2010 decennial 

census of American Samoa, Guam, the 

Northern Mariana Islands, and the 

Virgin Islands beginning with the FY 

2016 FMRs.6 This 2010 base year data 

is updated through 2016 for the FY 2019 

FMRs using national ACS data. 

HUD does not use ACS data to 

establish the base rent or recent mover 

factor for 10 areas where the FY 2018 

FMR was adjusted based on the 

following survey data: 

• Survey data from 2016 is used to 

adjust the FMR for Portland, ME. 

• Survey data from 2017 is used to 

adjust the FMRs for Santa Rosa, CA; 

Seattle-Bellevue, WA HMFA; Hood 

River County, OR; Wasco County, OR; 

Hawaii County, HI; Jonesboro, AR 

HMFA; Urban Honolulu, HI MSA; and 

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA MSA. 

• Survey data from 2018 is used to 

adjust the FMR for Santa CruzWatsonville, CA MSA. 

For larger metropolitan areas that 

have valid ACS one-year recent mover 

data, survey data may not be any older 

than the midpoint of the calendar year 

for the ACS one-year data. Since the 

ACS one-year data used for the FY 2019 

FMRs is from 2016, larger areas may not 

use survey data collected before June 30, 

2016, for the FY 2019 FMRs. Smaller 

areas without 1-year ACS data, may 

continue to use local survey data until 

the mid-point of the 5-year ACS data is 

more recent than the local survey.7

D. Updates From 2016 to 2017 and 

Forecast to FY 2019 

HUD updates the ACS-based ‘‘as of’’ 

2016 rent through the end of 2017 using 

the annual change in gross rents 

measured through the Consumer Price 

Index (CPI) from 2016 to 2017 (CPI 

update factor). As in previous years, 

HUD uses local CPI data coupled with 

Consumer Expenditure Survey data for 

FMR areas with at least 75 percent of 

their population within Class A 

metropolitan areas covered by local CPI 

data. In FMR areas that do not meet this 

criterion, including Class B and C size 

metropolitan areas and nonmetropolitan areas, HUD uses CPI data 

aggregated at the Census region level. 

Additionally, HUD is using CPI data 

collected locally in Puerto Rico as the 

basis for CPI adjustments from 2016 to 

2017 for all Puerto Rico FMR areas. 

Following the application of the 

appropriate CPI update factor, HUD 

trends the gross rent estimate from 2017 

to FY 2019 using a national forecast of 

expected growth in gross rents. This 

forecast produces ‘‘as of’’ FY 2019 

FMRs. 

E. Bedroom Rent Adjustments 

HUD updates the bedroom ratios used 

in the calculation of FMRs annually. 

The bedroom ratios which HUD used in 

the calculation of FY 2019 FMRs have 

been updated using average data from 

three 5-year ACS data series (2010– 

2014, 2011–2015, and 2012–2016). The 

bedroom ratio methodology used in this 

update is unchanged from previous 

calculations using 2000 Census data. 

HUD only uses estimates with a margin 

of error ratio of less than 50 percent. If 

an area does not have reliable estimates 

in at least two of the previous three ACS 

releases, bedroom ratios for the area’s 

larger parent geography are used. 

HUD uses two-bedroom units for its 

primary calculation of FMR estimates. 

This is generally the most common size 

of rental unit and, therefore, the most 

reliable to survey and analyze. After 

estimating two-bedroom FMRs, HUD 

calculates bedroom ratios for each FMR 

area which relate the prices of smaller 

and larger units to the cost of twobedroom units. To prevent illogical 

results in particular FMR areas, HUD 

establishes bedroom interval ranges 

which set upper and lower limits for 

bedroom ratios nationwide, based on an 

analysis of the range of such intervals 

for all areas with large enough samples 

to permit accurate bedroom ratio 

determinations. 


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8As mentioned above, HUD applies the interval 

ranges for the three-bedroom and four-bedroom 

FMR ratios prior to making these adjustments. In 

other words, the adjusted three- and four-bedroom 

FMRs can exceed the interval ranges, but the 

unadjusted FMRs cannot. 

9As established in the interim rules 

implementing the provisions of the Quality Housing 

and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 (Title V of the 

FY 1999 HUD Appropriations Act; Pub. L. 105– 

276). In 24 CFR 982.604. 

In the calculation of FY 2019 FMR 

estimates, HUD set the bedroom interval 

ranges as follows: Efficiency FMRs are 

constrained to fall between 0.64 and 

0.85 of the two-bedroom FMR; onebedroom FMRs must be between 0.76 

and 0.87 of the two-bedroom FMR; 

three-bedroom FMRs (prior to the 

adjustments described below) must be 

between 1.15 and 1.33 of the twobedroom FMR; and four-bedroom FMRs 

(again, prior to adjustment) must be 

between 1.26 and 1.63 of the twobedroom FMR. Given that these interval 

ranges partially overlap across unit 

bedroom counts, HUD further adjusts 

bedroom ratios for a given FMR area, if 

necessary, to ensure that higher 

bedroom-count units have higher rents 

than lower bedroom-count units within 

that area. The bedroom ratios for Puerto 

Rico follow these constraints. 

HUD also further adjusts the rents for 

three-bedroom and larger units to reflect 

HUD’s policy to set higher rents for 

these units.8 This adjustment is 

intended to increase the likelihood that 

the largest families, who have the most 

difficulty in leasing units, will be 

successful in finding eligible program 

units. The adjustment adds 8.7 percent 

to the unadjusted three-bedroom FMR 

estimates and adds 7.7 percent to the 

unadjusted four-bedroom FMR 

estimates. 

HUD derives FMRs for units with 

more than four bedrooms by adding 15 

percent to the four-bedroom FMR for 

each extra bedroom. For example, the 

FMR for a five-bedroom unit is 1.15 

times the four-bedroom FMR, and the 

FMR for a six-bedroom unit is 1.30 

times the four-bedroom FMR. Similarly, 

HUD derives FMRs for single-room 

occupancy units by subtracting 25 

percent from the zero-bedroom FMR 

(i.e., they are set at 0.75 times the zerobedroom (efficiency) FMR).9

F. Limit on FMR Decreases 

Within the Small Area FMR final rule 

published on November 16, 2016, HUD 

amended 24 CFR 888.113 to include a 

limit on the amount that FMRs may 

annually decrease. The current year’s 

FMRs resulting from the application of 

the bedroom ratios, as discussed in 

section (E) above, may be no less than 

90 percent of the prior year’s FMRs for 

units with the same number of 

bedrooms. Accordingly, if the current 

year’s FMRs are less than 90 percent of 

the prior year’s FMRs as calculated by 

the above methodology, HUD sets the 

current year’s FMRs equal to 90 percent 

of the prior year’s FMRs. For areas 

where use of Small Area FMRs in the 

administration of their voucher 

programs is required, the FY 2019 Small 

Area FMRs may be no less than 90 

percent of the FY 2018 Small Area 

FMRs. For all other metropolitan areas, 

for which Small Area FMRs are 

calculated so that they may be used for 

other allowable purposes if desired (e.g., 

exception payment standards, public 

housing flat rents), the FY 2019 Small 

Area FMRs may be no less than 90 

percent of the greater of the FY 2018 

metropolitan area-wide FMRs or the 

applicable FY 2018 Small Area FMR. 

G. Other Limits on FMRs 

All FMRs are subject to a state or 

national minimum. HUD calculates a 

population-weighted median twobedroom 40th percentile rent across all 

non-metropolitan portions of each state, 

which, for the purposes of FMRs, is the 

state minimum rent. State-minimum 

rents for each FMR area are available in 

the FY 2019 FMR Documentation 

System, available at https://

www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ 

fmr.html#2019_query. HUD also 

calculates the population-weighted 

median two-bedroom 40th percentile 

rent across all non-metropolitan 

portions of the country, which, for the 

purposes of FMRs, is the national 

minimum rent. For FY 2019, the 

national minimum rent is $700. The 

applicable minimum rent for a 

particular area is the lower of the state 

or national minimum. Each area’s twobedroom FMR must be no less than the 

applicable minimum rent. 

As in prior years, Small Area FMRs 

are subject to a maximum limit. HUD 

limits each two-bedroom Small Area 

FMR to be no more than 150 percent of 

the two-bedroom FMR for the 

metropolitan area where the ZIP code is 

located. 

IV. Manufactured Home Space Surveys 

HOTMA changed the manner in 

which vouchers are used to subsidize 

manufactured home units. Please see 

HUD’s Notice from January 18, 2017 (82 

FR 5458) for more detailed information 

concerning the use of vouchers for 

manufactured home units. Due to the 

nature of these changes, HUD will no 

longer be publishing exception rents for 

Manufactured Home Space pad rents. 

V. Small Area FMRs 

PHAs operating the Housing Choice 

Voucher (HCV) program in the 24 

metropolitan areas identified in the 

November 16, 2016 Federal Register 

notice ‘‘Small Area Fair Market Rents in 

Housing Choice Voucher Program 

Values for Selection Criteria and 

Metropolitan Areas Subject to Small 

Area Fair Market Rents’’ (81 FR 80678) 

are required to use Small Area FMRs 

unless the PHA has received a 

temporary exemption from such use; 

HUD has suspended the Small Area 

FMR designation for the metropolitan 

area under 24 CFR 888.113(c)(4); or the 

PHA is a Moving to Work PHA with an 

approved alternative payment standard 

policy. For more information on the 

process of obtaining a temporary 

exemption or area-wide suspension, 

please see PIH Notice 2018–01: 

Guidance on Recent Changes in Fair 

Market Rent (FMR), Payment Standard, 

and Rent Reasonableness Requirements 

in the Housing Choice Voucher 

Program, item (9) beginning on page 13, 

available at: https://www.hud.gov/sites/ 

dfiles/PIH/documents/PIH-2018-01.pdf. 

Small Area FMRs for all metropolitan 

areas are listed in the Schedule B 

addendum. Other metropolitan PHAs 

interested in using Small Area FMRs in 

the operation of their Housing Choice 

Voucher program must contact their 

local HUD field office to request 

approval from HUD. 

In the FY 2018 FMR Federal Register 

notice (82 FR 41637), HUD announced 

changes in the way Small Area FMRs 

are calculated and continues this change 

for the FY 2019 Small Area FMRs. HUD 

calculates Small Area FMRs directly 

from the standard quality gross rents 

provided to HUD by the Census Bureau 

for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs), 

when such data is statistically reliable, 

instead of using the current rent ratio 

calculation. The ZCTA two-bedroom 

equivalent 40th percentile gross rent is 

analogous to the standard quality base 

rents set for metropolitan areas and nonmetropolitan counties. For each ZCTA 

with statistically reliable gross rent 

estimates, using the expanded test of 

statistical reliability first used in FY 

2018 (i.e., estimates with margins of 

error ratios below 50 percent and based 

on at least 100 observations), HUD will 

calculate a two-bedroom equivalent 

40th percentile gross rent using the first 

statistically reliable gross rent 

distribution data from the following 

data sets (in this order): Two-bedroom 

gross rents, one-bedroom gross rents, 

and three-bedroom gross rents. If either 

the one-bedroom or three-bedroom gross 

rent data is used because the twoVerDate Sep<11>2014 18:42 Aug 30, 2018 Jkt 244001 PO 00000 Frm 00087 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\31AUN1.SGM 31AUN1

daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 170 / Friday, August 31, 2018 / Notices 44649 

10For example, for FY 2019 Small Area FMRs, 

HUD averages the gross rents from 2014, 2015 and 

2016 5-Year ACS estimates. The 2014 and 2015 

gross rent estimates would be adjusted to 2016 

dollars using the metropolitan area’s gross rent CPI 

adjustment factors. 

bedroom gross rent data is not 

statistically reliable, the one-bedroom or 

three-bedroom 40th percentile gross rent 

will be converted to a two-bedroom 

equivalent rent using the bedroom ratios 

for the ZCTA’s parent metropolitan area. 

To increase stability to these Small Area 

FMR estimates, HUD averages the latest 

three years of gross rent estimates.10

For ZCTAs without usable gross rent 

data by bedroom size, HUD will 

continue to calculate Small Area FMRs 

using the rent ratio method similar to 

that which HUD has used in past Small 

Area FMR calculations. To calculate 

Small Area FMRs using a rent ratio, 

HUD divides the median gross rent 

across all bedrooms for the small area (a 

ZIP code) by the similar median gross 

rent for the metropolitan area of the ZIP 

code. In small areas where the median 

gross rent is not statistically reliable, 

HUD substitutes the median gross rent 

for the county containing the ZIP code 

in the numerator of the rent ratio 

calculation. HUD multiplies this rent 

ratio by the current two-bedroom rent 

for the metropolitan area containing the 

small area to generate the current year 

two-bedroom rent for the small area. 

HUD continues to use a rolling 

average of ACS data in calculating the 

Small Area FMR rent ratios. HUD 

believes coupling the most current data 

with previous year’s data minimizes 

excessive year-to-year variability in 

Small Area FMR rent ratios due to 

sampling variance. Therefore, for FY 

2019 Small Area FMRs, HUD has 

updated the rent ratios to use an average 

of the rent ratios calculated from the 

2010–2014, 2011–2015, and 2012–2016 

5-year ACS estimates. 

VI. Request for Public Comments and 

FMR Reevaluations 

Although HUD has not changed the 

FMR estimation method for FY 2019, 

HUD will continue to accept public 

comments on the methods HUD uses to 

calculate FY 2019 FMRs, including 

Small Area FMRs, and the FMR levels 

for specific areas. Due to its current 

funding levels, HUD no longer has 

sufficient resources to conduct local 

surveys of rents to address comments 

filed regarding the FMR levels for 

specific areas. PHAs may continue to 

fund such surveys independently, as 

specified below, using administrative 

fees if they so choose. HUD continually 

strives to calculate FMRs that meet the 

statutory requirement of using ‘‘the most 

recent available data’’ while also serving 

as an effective program parameter. 

PHAs or other interested parties 

interested in requesting HUD 

reevaluation of their area’s FY 2019 

FMRs, as provided for under section 

8(c)(1)(B) of USHA, must follow the 

following procedures: 

1. By the end of the comment period, 

such reevaluation requests must be 

submitted publicly through 

www.regulations.gov or directly to HUD 

as described above. The area’s PHA or, 

in multijurisdictional areas, PHA(s) 

representing at least half of the voucher 

tenants in the FMR area, must agree that 

the reevaluation is necessary. 

2. In order for a reevaluation to occur, 

the requestor(s) must supply HUD with 

data more recent than the 2016 

American Community Survey data used 

in the calculation of the FY 2019 FMRs. 

HUD requires data on gross rents paid 

in the FMR area for standard quality 

rental housing units. The data delivered 

must be sufficient for HUD to calculate 

a 40th and 50th percentile two-bedroom 

rent. Should this type of data not be 

available, requestors may gather this 

information using the survey guidance 

available at https://www.huduser.gov/ 

portal/datasets/fmr/NoteRevised

AreaSurveyProcedures.pdf and https://

www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/ 

PrinciplesforPHA-ConductedAreaRent

Surveys.pdf. 

3. On or about October 2, HUD will 

post a list, at https://www.huduser.gov/ 

portal/datasets/fmr.html of the areas 

requesting reevaluations and where FY 

2018 FMRs remain in effect. 

4. Data for reevaluations must be 

supplied to HUD no later than Friday, 

January 11, 2019. On Monday January 

14, 2018, HUD will post at https://

www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ 

fmr.html a listing of the areas failing to 

deliver data and making the FY 2019 

FMRs effective in these areas. 

5. HUD will use the data delivered by 

January 11, 2019, to reevaluate the 

FMRs and following the reevaluation, 

will post revised FMRs with an 

accompanying Federal Register notice 

stating the revised FMRs are available, 

which will include HUD responses to 

comments filed during the comment 

period. 

6. Any data supporting a change in 

FMRs supplied after January 11, 2019, 

will be incorporated into FY 2020 

FMRs. 

7. PHAs operating in areas where the 

calculated FMR is lower than the 

published FMR (i.e., those areas where 

HUD has limited the decrease in the 

annual change in the FMR to 10 

percent) may request payment standards 

below the basic range (24 CFR 

982.503(d)) and reference the 

‘‘unfloored’’ rents (i.e., the unfinalized 

FMRs calculated by HUD prior to 

application of the 10-percent-decrease 

limit) depicted in the FY 2019 FMR 

Documentation System available at: 

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/ 

datasets/fmr.html#2019_query. 

Questions on how to conduct FMR 

surveys may be addressed to Marie L. 

Lihn or Peter B. Kahn of the Economic 

and Market Analysis Division, Office of 

Economic Affairs, Office of Policy 

Development and Research at HUD 

headquarters, 451 7th Street SW, Room 

8208, Washington, DC 20410; telephone 

number 202–402–2409 (this is not a tollfree number), or via email at emad-hq@

hud.gov. 

For small metropolitan areas without 

one-year ACS data and nonmetropolitan counties, HUD has 

developed a method using mail surveys 

that is discussed on the FMR web page: 

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/ 

datasets/fmr.html#survey_info. This 

method allows for the collection of as 

few as 100 one-bedroom, two-bedroom 

and three-bedroom recent mover 

(tenants that moved in last 24 months) 

units. 

While HUD has not developed a 

specific method for mail surveys in 

areas with 1-year ACS data or in areas 

not covered by ACS data, HUD will 

apply the standard established for 

Random-Digit Dialing (RDD) telephone 

rent surveys. HUD will evaluate these 

survey results to determine whether to 

establish a new FMR statistically 

different from the current FMR, which 

means that the survey confidence 

interval must not include the FMR. The 

survey should collect results based on 

200 one-bedroom and two-bedroom 

eligible recent mover units to provide a 

small enough confidence interval for 

significant results in large market mail 

surveys. Areas with statistically reliable 

1-year ACS data are not considered to be 

good candidates for local surveys due to 

the size and completeness of the ACS 

process. 

Other survey methods are acceptable 

in providing data to support 

reevaluation requests if the survey 

method can provide statistically 

reliable, unbiased estimates of the gross 

rent of the entire FMR area. In general, 

recommendations for FMR changes and 

supporting data must reflect the rent 

levels that exist within the entire FMR 

area and should be statistically reliable. 

PHAs in non-metropolitan areas may, 

in certain circumstances, conduct 

surveys of groups of counties. HUD 

must approve all county-grouped 

surveys in advance. PHAs are cautioned 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
44650 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 170 / Friday, August 31, 2018 / Notices 

that the resulting FMRs may not be 

identical for the counties surveyed; each 

individual FMR area will have a 

separate FMR based on the relationship 

of rents in that area to the combined 

rents in the cluster of FMR areas. In 

addition, PHAs are advised that in 

counties where FMRs are based on the 

combined rents in the cluster of FMR 

areas, HUD will not revise their FMRs 

unless the grouped survey results show 

a revised FMR statistically different 

from the combined rent level. 

Survey samples should preferably be 

randomly drawn from a complete list of 

rental units for the FMR area. If this is 

not feasible, the selected sample must 

be drawn to be statistically 

representative of the entire rental 

housing stock of the FMR area. Surveys 

must include units at all rent levels and 

be representative by structure type 

(including single-family, duplex, and 

other small rental properties), age of 

housing unit, and geographic location. 

The current 5-year ACS data should be 

used as a means of verifying if a sample 

is representative of the FMR area’s 

rental housing stock. 

A PHA or contractor that cannot 

obtain the recommended number of 

sample responses after reasonable 

efforts should consult with HUD before 

abandoning its survey; in such 

situations, HUD may find it appropriate 

to relax normal sample size 

requirements. 

HUD has developed guidance on how 

to provide data-supported comments on 

Small Area FMRs using HUD’s special 

tabulations of the distribution of gross 

rents by unit bedroom count for ZIP 

Code Tabulation Areas. This guidance is 

available at https://www.huduser.gov/ 

portal/datasets/fmr.html in the FY 2019 

FMR section and should be used by 

interested parties in commenting on 

whether or not the level of Small Area 

FMRs are too high or too low (i.e., Small 

Area FMRs that are larger than the gross 

rent necessary to make 40 percent of the 

units accessible for an individual ZIP 

code or that are smaller than the gross 

rent necessary to make 40 percent of the 

units accessible for a given ZIP code). 

HUD will post revised Small Area FMRs 

after confirming commenters’ 

calculations. 

As stated earlier in this notice, HUD 

is required to use the most recent data 

available when calculating FMRs. 

Therefore, in order to reevaluate an 

area’s FMR, HUD requires more current 

rental market data than the 2016 ACS. 

HUD encourages a PHA or other 

interested party that believes the FMR 

in their area is incorrect to file a 

comment even if they do not have the 

resources to provide market-wide rental 

data. In these instances, HUD will use 

the comments, should survey funding 

be restored, when determining the areas 

HUD will select for HUD-funded local 

area rent surveys. 

VII. Information Regarding Public 

Comments on May 30, 2018 Renewal 

Funding Inflation Factor Federal 

Register Notice 

HUD received 10 comments 

addressing the use of FMR surveys in 

the calculation of Renewal Funding 

Inflation Factors (RFIFs). Most of the 

comments received directed HUD to 

continue using FMR surveys in the 

calculation of RFIFs. Consequently, 

HUD does not have current plans to 

discontinue use of FMR surveys in the 

rent change component of RFIF 

calculations. HUD is still determining 

the exact methods to use when 

incorporating surveys in RFIF 

calculations. Public comments will be 

discussed in greater detail, and HUD’s 

responses will be provided, in the 2019 

Renewal Funding Inflation Factor 

notice. HUD provides the above 

information in this notice for the 

awareness of PHAs that are considering 

undertaking a survey to reevaluate their 

FY 2019 FMRs. 

VIII. Environmental Impact 

This Notice involves the 

establishment of FMR schedules, which 

do not constitute a development 

decision affecting the physical 

condition of specific project areas or 

building sites. Accordingly, under 24 

CFR 50.19(c)(6), this Notice is 

categorically excluded from 

environmental review under the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321). 

Accordingly, the Fair Market Rent 

Schedules, which will not be codified in 

24 CFR part 888, are available at https:// 

www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ 

fmr.html. 

Dated: August 27, 2018. 

Todd M. Richardson, 

General Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office 

of Policy Development and Research. 

Fair Market Rents for the Housing 

Choice Voucher Program 

Schedule B—General Explanatory 

Notes 

1. Geographic Coverage 

a. METROPOLITAN AREAS—Most FMRs 

are market-wide rent estimates that are 

intended to provide housing 

opportunities throughout the geographic 

area in which rental-housing units are 

in direct competition. HUD is using the 

metropolitan core-based statistical areas 

(CBSAs), which are made up of one or 

more counties, as defined by OMB, with 

some modifications. HUD is generally 

assigning separate FMRs to the 

component counties of CBSA 

Micropolitan Areas. 

b. MODIFICATIONS TO OMB DEFINITIONS— 

Following OMB guidance, the 

estimation procedure for the FY 2019 

FMRs incorporates OMB definitions of 

metropolitan areas based on the CBSA 

standards as implemented with 2000 

Census data and updated by the 2010 

Census in February 28, 2013, including 

incremental adjustments through July 

15, 2015. The adjustments made to the 

2000 definitions to separate subparts of 

these areas where FMRs or median 

incomes would otherwise change 

significantly are continued. To follow 

HUD’s policy of providing FMRs at the 

smallest possible area of geography, no 

counties were added to existing 

metropolitan areas due to recent 

updates in metropolitan area 

definitions. All counties added to 

metropolitan areas by the CBSA will 

still be treated as separate counties for 

FMR calculations; that is, the rents from 

a county that is a sub-area will not be 

used in the remaining metropolitan subarea rent determination. All 

metropolitan areas that have been 

subdivided by HUD will use ACS data 

which conforms to HUD’s area 

definition if statistically reliable 

information exists. If statistically 

reliable data for a HUD defined area is 

not available, HUD uses information 

from larger encompassing geographies, 

as described elsewhere in this notice. 

Specific counties and New England 

towns and cities within each state in 

MSAs and HMFAs were not changed by 

the February 28, 2013 OMB 

metropolitan area definitions. These 

areas are listed in Schedule B, available 

online at https://www.huduser.gov/ 

portal/datasets/fmr.html. 

2. Unit Bedroom Count Adjustments 

Schedule B, available at https://

www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ 

fmr.html, shows the FMRs for zerobedroom through four-bedroom units. 

The Schedule B addendum shows Small 

Area FMRs for all metropolitan areas. 

FMRs for unit sizes larger than four 

bedrooms may be calculated by adding 

15 percent to the four-bedroom FMR for 

each extra bedroom. For example, the 

FMR for a five-bedroom unit is 1.15 

times the four-bedroom FMR, and the 

FMR for a six-bedroom unit is 1.30 

times the four-bedroom FMR. FMRs for 

single-room-occupancy (SRO) units are 

0.75 times the zero-bedroom FMR. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 170 / Friday, August 31, 2018 / Notices 44651 

3. Arrangement of FMR Areas and 

Identification of Constituent Parts 

a. FMR areas in online Schedule B are 

listed alphabetically by metropolitan 

FMR area and by non-metropolitan 

county within each state and are 

available at https://www.huduser.gov/ 

portal/datasets/fmr.html. 

b. Constituent counties (and New 

England towns and cities) included in 

each metropolitan FMR area are listed 

immediately following the listings of the 

FMR dollar amounts. All constituent 

parts of a metropolitan FMR area that 

are in more than one state can be 

identified by consulting the listings for 

each applicable state. 

c. Two non-metropolitan counties are 

listed alphabetically on each line of the 

non-metropolitan county listings. 

d. The New England towns and cities 

included in a non-metropolitan county 

are listed immediately following the 

county name. 

[FR Doc. 2018–19090 Filed 8–29–18; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

[Docket No. FR–7001–N–47] 

30-Day Notice of Proposed Information 

Collection: Local Appeals to SingleFamily Mortgage Limits 

AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information 

Officer, HUD. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: HUD submitted the proposed 

information collection requirement 

described below to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act. The purpose 

of this notice is to allow for 30 days of 

public comment. 

DATES: Comments Due Date: October 1, 

2018. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit comments regarding 

this proposal. Comments should refer to 

the proposal by name and/or OMB 

Control Number and should be sent to: 

HUD Desk Officer, Office of 

Management and Budget, New 

Executive Office Building, Washington, 

DC 20503; fax: 202–395–5806, Email: 

OIRAlSubmission@omb.eop.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Colette Pollard, Reports Management 

Officer, QMAC, Department of Housing 

and Urban Development, 451 7th Street 

SW, Washington, DC 20410; email 

Colette Pollard@hud.gov, or telephone 

202–402–3400. This is not a toll-free 

number. Person with hearing or speech 

impairments may access this number 

through TTY by calling the toll-free 

Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. 

Copies of available documents 

submitted to OMB may be obtained 

from Ms. Pollard. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

notice informs the public that HUD is 

seeking approval from OMB for the 

information collection described in 

Section A. 

The Federal Register notice that 

solicited public comment on the 

information collection for a period of 60 

days was published on January 16, 2018 

at 83 FR 2174. 

A. Overview of Information Collection 

Title of Information Collection: Local 

Appeals to Single-Family Mortgage 

Limits. 

OMB Approval Number: 2502–0302. 

Type of Request: Extension. 

Form Number: None. 

Description of the need for the 

information and proposed use: Any 

interested party may submit a request 

for the mortgage limits to be increased 

in a particular area if they believe that 

the present limit does not accurately 

reflect the higher sales prices in that 

area. Any request for an increase must 

be accompanied by sufficient housing 

sales price data to justify higher limits. 

This allows HUD the opportunity to 

examine additional data to confirm or 

adjust the set loan limit for a particular 

area. 

Respondents: (i.e., affected public): 

Business or other for-profit. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

14. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 14. 

Frequency of Response: 1. 

Average Hours per Response: 7. 

Total Estimated Burdens: 98. 

Solicitation of Public Comment 

This notice is soliciting comments 

from members of the public and affected 

parties concerning the collection of 

information described in Section A on 

the following: 

(1) Whether the proposed collection 

of information is necessary for the 

proper performance of the functions of 

the agency, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(2) The accuracy of the agency’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information; 

(3) Ways to enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity of the information to 

be collected; and 

(4) Ways to minimize the burden of 

the collection of information on those 

who are to respond: including through 

the use of appropriate automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology, e.g., permitting 

electronic submission of responses. 

HUD encourages interested parties to 

submit comment in response to these 

questions. 

Authority: Section 3507 of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35. 

Dated: August 21, 2018. 

Colette Pollard, 

Department Reports Management Officer, 

Office of the Chief Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2018–19002 Filed 8–30–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

[Docket No. FR–7001–N–48] 

30-Day Notice of Proposed Information 

Collection: Survey To Assess 

Operational and Capacity Status of 

Housing Counseling Agencies After a 

Disaster 

AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information 

Officer, HUD. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: HUD submitted the proposed 

information collection requirement 

described below to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act. The purpose 

of this notice is to allow for 30 days of 

public comment. 

DATES: Comments Due Date: October 1, 

2018. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit comments regarding 

this proposal. Comments should refer to 

the proposal by name and/or OMB 

Control Number and should be sent to: 

HUD Desk Officer, Office of 

Management and Budget, New 

Executive Office Building, Washington, 

DC 20503; fax: 202–395–5806, Email: 

OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Inez 

C. Downs, Reports Management Officer, 

QMAC, Department of Housing and 

Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, 

Washington, DC 20410; email 

Inez.C.Downs@hud.gov, or telephone 

202–402–8046. This is not a toll-free 

number. Person with hearing or speech 

impairments may access this number 

through TTY by calling the toll-free 

Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. 

Copies of available documents 

submitted to OMB may be obtained 

from Ms. Downs. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

notice informs the public that HUD is 

seeking approval from OMB for the 

information collection described in 

Section A. 


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