FHA Loans in Alaska: Juneau and Sitka Get Higher Limits, Anchorage Does Not

Kodiak Island Borough made HUD's 2026 list of Alaska areas above the national FHA floor by $363. Its one-unit limit is $541,650, and the floor is $541,287. Juneau is at the other end of that short list, with a one-unit limit of $596,850.

26 of the 30 boroughs and census areas Alaska uses instead of counties, Anchorage and Fairbanks among them, have the $541,287 national floor as their 2026 FHA limit for a one-unit home. Four are above it: Juneau, Sitka, the Aleutians West Census Area and Kodiak.

I'm Jeff Moran, NMLS #483943, licensed to originate mortgages in Alaska through C2 Financial Corporation. The national explainer on FHA loans covers how the program works, and this page covers Alaska.

Alaska FHA loan limits for 2026: the four areas above the floor

HUD's Mortgagee Letter 2025-23, dated December 11, 2025, sets the 2026 limits for FHA case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2026. These are the Alaska areas its county file lists above the floor:

Area	One unit	Two units	Three units	Four units
Juneau City and Borough	$596,850	$764,050	$923,600	$1,147,800
Sitka City and Borough	$586,500	$750,800	$907,550	$1,127,900
Aleutians West Census Area	$585,350	$749,350	$905,800	$1,125,700
Kodiak Island Borough	$541,650	$693,400	$838,150	$1,041,650

Everywhere else in Alaska, including the Municipality of Anchorage and the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the limit is $541,287 for one unit, $693,050 for two, $837,700 for three and $1,041,125 for four.

HUD's FHA handbook lets limits in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the Virgin Islands go higher than anywhere else in the country, because building costs more there. That only sets how high an Alaska limit is allowed to go. The limit for your borough is whatever HUD's county file says, and for 2026 that file has just four Alaska areas above the floor. Even Juneau's $596,850 is well below the $1,249,125 conforming limit that the Federal Housing Finance Agency lists for Alaska. If you need a loan larger than the FHA limit allows, we would be looking at a conventional or jumbo loan instead.

Closing costs on an FHA loan in Alaska

FHA asks you to bring at least 3.5 percent of the adjusted value, meaning the lower of the purchase price and the appraised value, and closing costs come on top of that.

Alaska's Division of Insurance says closing fees, including title insurance, are negotiated between you and the seller. The state's title-insurance rules also bar a title company from rebating or reducing what it charges to issue a policy, including its escrow, settlement and closing charges, unless the rules specifically allow it. So a title agent in Alaska cannot give you a private discount, and the way to shop is to compare different companies' filed rates and their separately listed settlement charges.

The seller, the builder or anyone else with a stake in the sale is allowed under FHA's rules to cover up to 6 percent of the sales price toward your closing costs, prepaid items and discount points. Since who pays the title charges is already something you and the seller work out in Alaska, that contribution belongs in the same conversation, and in the offer.

Recording fees, taxes and signing in Alaska

A recording fee is charged on your deed and on your mortgage. The state recorder charges the same page-based fee on every document, and Alaska's tax, recording and insurance publications list no general state transfer tax and no tax based on the size of a mortgage. A borough or municipality can have a charge of its own; the Alaska page explains that caveat, and your closing agent confirms it for the specific property.

An attorney is not required at an Alaska closing; title and escrow companies commonly handle residential closings. If you cannot sign in person, a notary can take your signature over video, and the notary you use has to be one the Office of the Lieutenant Governor has approved for that.

Refinancing an FHA loan in Alaska

If you already have an FHA-insured mortgage, a streamline refinance lets you skip the appraisal. It comes in two versions: one reviews your credit and your ability to repay, and the other does not. When you weigh whether a refinance pays for itself, the state adds only recording fees to that math, since there is no state mortgage tax on the list. The Alaska refinance page has more.

Pricing an FHA loan for your Alaska purchase

I'd like you to see FHA and conventional side by side for your own scenario, with closing costs set for Alaska, and you can do that on the site whenever you're ready. A pre-approval turns that into a letter, and Which mortgage fits you lays the programs out next to each other.

Nothing here is a loan approval, a denial, or a commitment to lend. HUD republishes the limits every year, so the figures for your file are the ones in force when your FHA case number is assigned.

Common questions

What is the FHA loan limit in Anchorage?

The Municipality of Anchorage is at the national floor in HUD's 2026 file, the same as Fairbanks and most of Alaska, so its limits for one to four units are the floor figures for those home types.

Which Alaska areas have a higher FHA limit?

There are four in 2026: Juneau City and Borough, Sitka City and Borough, the Aleutians West Census Area and Kodiak Island Borough. Juneau has the highest limit of the four, and Kodiak is the one just above the floor.

Does Alaska have a higher FHA limit because it is Alaska?

HUD's handbook allows Alaska limits to go higher than in the rest of the country because of construction costs there, and that only sets how high they can go. Each borough's limit comes from HUD's county file, which shows only four Alaska areas above the national floor for 2026.

Can I negotiate closing costs on an FHA loan in Alaska?

You can negotiate who pays them. The Division of Insurance says closing fees are negotiated between the two sides of the sale, and FHA lets the seller and others with a stake in the sale contribute toward your closing costs up to the handbook's limit. The charge for issuing the title policy itself is the part a title agent cannot discount, because Alaska's title-insurance rules bar rebates unless the rules specifically allow them.

Do I need an attorney to close an FHA loan in Alaska?

Alaska does not require one for an ordinary residential purchase or refinance, and title and escrow companies commonly conduct closings there.

Does Alaska charge a mortgage tax on an FHA loan?

The state's publications list no tax based on the size of a mortgage. Recording fees still apply, and the closing agent confirms any local charge for the specific borough or municipality.