STATE LIHTC RESEARCH

North Dakota
QAP scoring guide.

North Dakota Housing Finance Agency (NDHFA) · 2027 QAP

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● Verified guideChecked Sep 12, 2026View source QAP ↗

THE POINT TABLE

Competitive scoring

14 categories

Not stated. The QAP publishes only the 55-point minimum required for further consideration (Section 7); no QAP text, scoring summary, or award data reviewed states a typical/historical winning score.

Select a category to read its scoring criteria.

A. Serves Lowest Income Groups

45 pts

Points scale with the % of total units having gross rent based on ≤50%, ≤40%, or ≤30% AMI (tenant portion + utility allowance), via a tiered table. Examples: 20%+ of units at ≤50% AMI = 10 pts; 20%+ at ≤40% AMI = 15 pts; 50%+ of units at ≤30% AMI = 45 pts (the ≤30% AMI column runs from 0 to 45 points across its tiers).

B. Redevelopment and Revitalization

5 pts

Adaptive reuse projects only (not mere rehab of habitable housing) qualify if the site is previously developed, is in a QCT/city-adopted revitalization or Main Street area, or is in a federal Opportunity Zone.

C. Historic Properties

4 pts

Property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is receiving Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits.

D. Service Coordinator

5 pts

Commitment (employment or contract) to provide an on-site Service Coordinator available at least 30 minutes per unit per month, performing HUD SCMF-model core functions (needs assessment, service coordination, monitoring, wellness programming, community partnerships, resource directory).

E. Design Standards

5 pts

Choose one of: elevator in each residential building (5 pts), or a separate outside main entrance for each unit (5 pts). Only one option may be scored; multi-building projects must apply the chosen standard to every building.

F. Universal Design

9 pts

3 pts for 100% implementation of the Agency's Project Standards (architect-certified); plus up to 3 pts scaled by the share of units meeting Unit Standards (1 pt for >0-<5%, 2 pts for 5-<10%, 3 pts for 10-<25% of units); plus 1 pt per qualifying 2-bedroom-or-larger universal design unit, up to 3 pts.

G. Green Communities

5 pts

Tiered points for meeting Green Communities certification criteria. Rehab projects: 10 criteria = 2 pts, 17 criteria = 3 pts, full LEED/Green Communities/ICC 700 certification = 5 pts. Non-rehab projects: 10 criteria = 1 pt, 15 criteria = 2 pts, 20 criteria = 3 pts, full certification = 5 pts.

H. Rent Rebate

2 pts

Binding commitment to rebate ≥5% of all tenant-paid rent toward a future home purchase (vesting ≤3 years), or for HUD-assisted projects, commitment to HUD's Family Self-Sufficiency Program. Mutually exclusive with category K.

I. Tenant Ownership

2 pts

Feasible plan to eventually transfer the property (individually platted buildings with separate addresses/BINs) to tenants, including future purchase price and homebuyer counseling. Mutually exclusive with category K.

J. Family Housing

5 pts

At least 20% of low-income units are 3-bedroom or larger. Mutually exclusive with category K.

K. Housing for Older Persons

6 pts

Housing meeting the Fair Housing Act's 'Housing for Older Persons' exemption (e.g., 100% occupied by 62+, or 80%+ of units house at least one person 55+) with a free community room/kitchen for residents. Mutually exclusive with H, I, and J.

L. Preserve Existing Affordability

8 pts

Sub-options: Asset Preservation — up to 8 pts if the project demonstrably preserves an at-risk state/federal-assisted asset within 30 months of loss (4 pts if within 60 months; capped at 4 pts for identity-of-interest transfers). LIHTC with waived Extended Use Period — 4 pts. Subsidy Preservation — up to 8 pts for securing an at-risk long-term subsidy transfer (capped at 4 pts for identity-of-interest transfers).

M. Committed Leverage

4 pts

Points scale with firm, non-repayable committed funding as a % of total development costs (one tier only): twin 9%-LIHTC/4%-tax-exempt-bond financing = 2 pts; 1%-5% = 2 pts; >5%-7.5% = 3 pts; >7.5% = 4 pts.

N. Geographic Location

See criteria

Not a scored category — a hard restriction: no more than two projects may be approved in any one city during a competitive round (projects receiving additional-year allocations for an already-approved project are excluded from the count).

Scoring source

ND 2027 LIHTC Allocation Plan (QAP), Section 7 "Project Ratings," pp.10-14 (scoring categories A-N -- note N "Geographic Location" is a no-point hard cap, not a scored line item: max 2 projects approved per city per round -- the 55-point minimum applies to competitive 9% credits only, not noncompetitive 4% credits); Section 8 "Set-Asides and Targeted Areas," p.14 (non-profit and Native American set-asides); Section 4 "Application Process," p.5 (9% vs. 4% application windows).

WHEN SCORES ARE CLOSE

Tie-breakers

Review the agency’s tie-breaker rules alongside the scoring criteria.

Project requiring fewer LIHTCs per unit is selected first

MODEL ASSUMPTIONS

Underwriting parameters

North Dakota 2027 LIHTC Allocation Plan (QAP), effective 04/02/2026: Section 2 "General Provisions" pp.1-4 (Basis Boost 2.B, Developer/Contractor Fee caps 2.C-D, Average Income 2.E, Monitoring Fee 2.G, Maximum Credit Limit 2.H, Reserve Accounts 2.M); Section 5 "Threshold Requirements," subsection G "Financial Projections" (DCR/expense-coverage floor) pp.6-9; Section 6 "Application and Allocation Fees" pp.9-10. Companion documents: LIHTC Compliance Manual (rev. 4/9/2026), Sections 1.31 (Reserve Accounts) and 4.6 (vacancy waiver threshold); Multifamily Application Exhibit A workbook, "Operating Budget" tab (vacancy-factor default, cell G56 comment) and "30-Year Cash Flow Projection" tab (income/expense trending defaults, cells J2/L2) — this workbook is the Agency's mandatory underwriting template per QAP Section 2.G but its built-in defaults are not restated as rules in the QAP prose.

OPERATING ASSUMPTIONS

Utility allowance

Preferred method: local_pha

NDHFA LIHTC Program Compliance Manual, Section 1.19 "Utility Allowance Procedures" (pp. 12-14 of the manual; the 2027 QAP itself has no dedicated UA section and instead incorporates the Compliance Manual by reference in Section on Compliance Monitoring)

YOUR NEXT STEPS

Development guides for North Dakota

PHASE 1Site sourcing and screening PHASE 2Site control and due diligence PHASE 3Entitlement pathway election PHASE 4Program election (9% vs. 4% vs. hybrid)PHASE 5Rents, income limits, and the operating pro forma PHASE 6Cost, construction type, and the labor package PHASE 7One agency runs LIHTC, HOME, HTF, and HIF -- but a PILOT only works if a nonprofit controls the deal PHASE 8One competitive round a year for 9%, a rolling window for 4% -- both on NDHFA's own forms PHASE 9A firm December 15, a firm 180 days, and no stated winter accommodation PHASE 10Carryover, cost certification, and getting to Form 8609 PHASE 11Compliance, Year 15, and North Dakota's 30-year extended-use floor

Use the LIHTC feasibility checklist →