Housing · Tenant edition · 50 states + DC
When does your landlord owe you your deposit back?
Pick your state and the day you moved out. You’ll get the legal deadline, whether your deposit was over your state’s cap, and what the law lets you do if the money doesn’t show up.
The rules
What to do now
General information and an estimate only, not legal advice. Deposit law is set state by state, changes often, and can be stricter in some cities (for example Chicago or parts of New York). Exceptions apply to some landlords and rentals. Always read the current statute cited above, or ask a local legal aid office or your school’s student legal services, before relying on a date or sending a demand. State data last checked September 2026.
Security deposit deadlines and caps: all 50 states + DC
The deadline below is the main period the landlord has to return your deposit, or send an itemized list of deductions with whatever’s left. Where the statute sets a different period for a special case (no deductions, a longer period allowed by the lease, an interim accounting), the calculator above shows those dates too. The status column shows how firmly each row is sourced.
| State | Return deadline | Deposit cap | Data status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 60 days | 1 month’s rent (extra deposits allowed for pets, alterations or added liability) | Statute checked |
| Alaska | 30 days | 2 months’ rent (the rules don’t apply if rent is over $2,000/month) | Statute checked |
| Arizona | 14 business days | 1.5 months’ rent | Sources differed |
| Arkansas | 60 days | 2 months’ rent (the deposit rules don’t apply to landlords owning 5 or fewer units who manage them personally) | Statute checked |
| California | 21 days | 1 month’s rent; 2 months for certain small landlords (an individual owning no more than 2 properties with 4 or fewer units) | Sources differed |
| Colorado | 30 days | 2 months’ rent | Statute checked |
| Connecticut | 21 days | 2 months’ rent (1 month if you’re 62 or older) | Statute checked |
| Delaware | 20 days | 1 month’s rent for leases of a year or more (no cap on furnished units) | Statute checked |
| District of Columbia | 45 days | 1 month’s rent | Sources differed |
| Florida | 30 days | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
| Georgia | 30 days | 2 months’ rent (leases signed or renewed on or after July 1, 2024) | Sources differed |
| Hawaii | 14 days | 1 month’s rent (plus an optional pet deposit of up to 1 month) | Statute checked |
| Idaho | 21 days | No statewide cap | Secondary only |
| Illinois | 45 days | No statewide cap (some cities, like Chicago, have their own rules) | Sources differed |
| Indiana | 45 days | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
| Iowa | 30 days | 2 months’ rent | Statute checked |
| Kansas | 30 days | 1 month’s rent unfurnished; 1.5 months furnished (plus up to ½ month for pets) | Statute checked |
| Kentucky | No fixed deadline | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
| Louisiana | 1 month | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
| Maine | 30 days | 2 months’ rent | Statute checked |
| Maryland | 45 days | 1 month’s rent (since Oct. 1, 2024) | Statute checked |
| Massachusetts | 30 days | 1 month’s rent | Statute checked |
| Michigan | 30 days | 1.5 months’ rent | Statute checked |
| Minnesota | 21 days | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
| Mississippi | 45 days | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
| Missouri | 30 days | 2 months’ rent | Statute checked |
| Montana | 30 days | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
| Nebraska | 14 days | 1 month’s rent (plus up to ¼ month for pets) | Secondary only |
| Nevada | 30 days | 3 months’ rent | Sources differed |
| New Hampshire | 30 days | 1 month’s rent or $100, whichever is greater | Statute checked |
| New Jersey | 30 days | 1.5 months’ rent | Statute checked |
| New Mexico | 30 days | 1 month’s rent for leases under a year; no set cap for a year or longer | Statute checked |
| New York | 14 days | 1 month’s rent | Statute checked |
| North Carolina | 30 days | 2 months’ rent for leases longer than month-to-month (1.5 months if month-to-month) | Statute checked |
| North Dakota | 30 days | 1 month’s rent (up to 2 in limited cases) | Statute checked |
| Ohio | 30 days | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
| Oklahoma | 45 days | No statewide cap | Secondary only |
| Oregon | 31 days | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
| Pennsylvania | 30 days | 2 months’ rent in the first year; 1 month after that | Statute checked |
| Rhode Island | 20 days | 1 month’s rent | Statute checked |
| South Carolina | 30 days | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
| South Dakota | 21 days | 1 month’s rent | Sources differed |
| Tennessee | No fixed deadline | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
| Texas | 30 days | No statewide cap | Sources differed |
| Utah | 30 days | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
| Vermont | 14 days | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
| Virginia | 45 days | 2 months’ rent | Statute checked |
| Washington | 30 days | No statewide cap (you can usually pay it in installments) | Sources differed |
| West Virginia | 60 days | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
| Wisconsin | 21 days | No statewide cap | Secondary only |
| Wyoming | 60 days | No statewide cap | Statute checked |
How we sourced this
Every state was compared across three independent compilations: Nolo’s deadline chart (updated January 2026) and deposit-limit chart (updated August 2026), LandlordStudio’s statute-quoting state guide (verified September 2026), and DepositHawk’s state dataset (2026). Wherever they disagreed, we went to the statute text itself.
- Statute checked: the deadline, cap and penalty match the statute’s own wording.
- Sources differed: at least one source was out of date or wrong. We used the statute’s figure, or, where it’s genuinely ambiguous, the more conservative one (the later deadline). The calculator explains each case.
- Secondary only: the deadline is solid, but part of the entry (usually the penalty) comes from secondary sources we couldn’t confirm against the statute. Check it yourself before relying on it.
We deliberately lean conservative: when in doubt we show the later deadline, so you don’t accuse a landlord of being late when they’re not.
Common questions
How long does my landlord have to return my security deposit?
It depends on your state: anywhere from 14 days (in states like New York, Hawaii and Nebraska) to 60 days (Alabama, Arkansas, West Virginia), with 30 days the most common. A couple of states, Kentucky and Tennessee, set no fixed statewide deadline at all.
Watch what starts the clock. In many states it’s the day you move out and return the keys, but some wait until you give a forwarding address in writing (Texas, for example) or make a written demand (Oklahoma and Arizona, among others).
What can a landlord legally deduct from my deposit?
Generally: unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear and tear, and, in many states, cleaning needed to bring the unit back to its move-in condition. Most states require an itemized written list of deductions, and some require receipts or photos.
A landlord generally can’t charge you for ordinary aging of the unit: faded paint, carpet worn down by normal walking, a few small nail holes, or loose door handles.
What should I do if my landlord misses the deadline?
Start in writing. Send a short demand letter by a trackable method (certified mail or e-mail you can prove was sent) with the amount owed, your move-out date, your forwarding address, the state law and deadline, and a date by which you expect payment. Some states require a notice like this before you can sue for penalties; Colorado, for example, requires 7 days’ notice.
If that doesn’t work, small claims court is built for disputes like this: filing fees are modest and you usually don’t need a lawyer. In many states, a landlord who missed the deadline also loses the right to keep any of the deposit, and may owe a penalty of double or triple the amount withheld.
Do I have to give my landlord a forwarding address?
You should, in writing, on or before move-out day. In several states the landlord’s deadline doesn’t start, or your right to penalties disappears, until you do. Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana and South Carolina all tie something important to a written forwarding address. A text message may not be enough; an e-mail or letter you keep a copy of is safer.
What counts as “normal wear and tear”?
Deterioration from ordinary, careful everyday living: light scuffs, small nail holes from hanging pictures, sun-faded blinds, worn carpet in walkways. Damage is what goes beyond that: large holes, burns, pet stains, broken fixtures, or walls you painted without permission.
Your best defense is photos. Take date-stamped photos or video of every room at move-in and again at move-out, and keep the move-in checklist if your landlord gave you one.
Can I just skip my last month’s rent and let the landlord keep the deposit?
Usually not, and it can backfire. Several states expressly bar tenants from using the deposit as last month’s rent unless the lease allows it. Texas, Minnesota and Missouri are examples, and in Texas a tenant who does it in bad faith can owe a penalty. Pay the rent, then get the deposit back through the normal process.