Security Deposit Return Deadlines by State (2026)
Missing the deposit return deadline is one of the easiest ways for a small landlord to end up owing a tenant money. Here is the rule for every state, straight from the official statute, with the date we last checked it.
Why the deadline matters
Every state sets its own rule for when a landlord must give back a security deposit after the tenant moves out, and many also require a written, itemized list of any deductions. The clock, the paperwork, and the penalty for getting it wrong all differ from state to state, so the safest move is to read the exact rule for the state where your rental is.
Deadlines in all 50 states and DC
Each row below is the verified rule for that state, linked to the official code section. Click a state name for its full deposit page.
| State | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Refund or itemized list of deductions within 60 days after the tenancy ends and possession is delivered; if late, the landlord owes double the original deposit. | Ala. Code § 35-9A-201(b), (c), (f) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Alaska | Within 14 days, or 30 days if deductions are made for damage or the tenant didn't give proper notice. | AS 34.03.070(g) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Arizona | Within 14 days (excluding weekends and legal holidays) after the tenancy ends, possession is returned, and the tenant demands it: an itemized list of deductions plus any amount due. | A.R.S. § 33-1321(D) checked 2026-10-18 |
| Arkansas | Within 60 days after the tenancy ends, the deposit must be returned, less unpaid rent and damages itemized in a written notice; mailing by first class mail to the last known address complies. Does not apply to individual owners of 5 or fewer units unless a third party manages them for a fee. | Ark. Code Ann. §§ 18-16-305, 18-16-303 checked 2026-10-23 |
| California | No later than 21 calendar days after the tenant vacates, the landlord must send an itemized statement of deductions and return any remaining deposit (by personal delivery, first-class mail, or electronically where rent or deposit was paid that way). Since April 1, 2025, the landlord must photograph the unit after it is returned and before repairs or cleaning that will be deducted, and again after those are done. | Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(g)(2), (h) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Colorado | Within 30 days after the lease ends or the premises are surrendered, whichever is later (a lease may extend this to no more than 60 days). Include a written statement of the exact reasons for anything kept. | C.R.S. § 38-12-103(1) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Connecticut | Within 21 days after the tenancy ends, or 15 days after receiving the tenant's written forwarding address, whichever is later. Includes accrued interest and an itemized statement of deductions. Penalty for violations: twice the deposit. | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Delaware | Within 20 days after the lease ends, provide an itemized list of damages and return the balance; failure entitles the tenant to double the amount wrongfully withheld. | 25 Del. C. § 5514 checked 2026-10-15 |
| District of Columbia | Within 45 days after the tenancy ends, the owner must either return the deposit with interest due, or give written notice (in person or by certified mail) of intent to withhold. If notice is given, the owner must refund the balance with an itemized statement within 30 days after it. Bad-faith withholding can bring treble damages. | 14 DCMR §§ 309.1-309.5 checked 2026-10-23 |
| Florida | Return within 15 days if the landlord makes no claim. Otherwise, written notice of the claim within 30 days, sent by certified mail or email. | Fla. Stat. § 83.49(3)(a) checked 2026-10-28 |
| Georgia | Within 30 days after the landlord regains possession: return the deposit, or a written statement of the exact reasons for withholding plus the balance (Georgia Attorney General's summary of the statute). | O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34 checked 2026-10-15 |
| Hawaii | Under HRS § 521-44(c), at the termination of a rental agreement in which the landlord required and received a security deposit, if the landlord proposes to retain any amount for a purpose specified in subsection (a), the landlord shall so notify the tenant in writing, unless the tenant had wrongfully quit the dwelling unit, together with the particulars of and grounds for the retention, including written evidence of the costs of remedying tenant defaults or of the costs of cleaning. The security deposit, or the remaining portion after any amounts authorized under this section have been claimed and retained, shall be returned to the tenant not later than fourteen days after the termination of the rental agreement. If the landlord does not furnish the written notice and other information required by subsection (c) within those fourteen days, the landlord shall not be entitled to retain the security deposit or any part of it, and shall return the entire amount. A return of the deposit or the required notice is presumptively proven if mailed to the tenant at an address supplied by the tenant, with acceptable proof of mailing and postmarked before midnight of the fourteenth day after termination, or if the tenant acknowledges receipt within the fourteen-day limit. Actions for recovery of a landlord's complete or partial retention of the security deposit shall be instituted not later than one year after termination of the rental agreement. Under subsection (d), a tenant absent from the dwelling unit for a continuous period of twenty days or more without written notice to the landlord is deemed to have wrongfully quit, except that the tenant is not considered absent without notice during any period for which the landlord has received payment of rent; in that wrongful-quit case the landlord may retain the entire deposit. Subsections (a) and (b) define allowed deposit uses and the cap, including the pet-animal additional deposit and the assistance-animal exception; subsections (e) through (h) address postdated instruments, transfers of the landlord's interest, small-claims proceedings, and damages, including an award of three times the amount wrongfully and wilfully retained. Those other subsections are not fully restated here. Example: if a tenancy ends on the 1st and the landlord wants to keep part of the deposit for documented cleaning costs, the remaining deposit and the written notice with that evidence must be furnished by the 15th, or the landlord must return the entire deposit. | HRS § 521-44(c) checked 2026-11-12 |
| Idaho | The landlord must refund the deposit within 21 days after the tenant surrenders the premises, or within a period set in the lease of up to 30 days (Idaho Code § 6-321(2)). Any partial refund must come with a signed, itemized statement of the amounts kept. | Idaho Code § 6-321 checked 2026-10-16 |
| Illinois | To withhold for damage: send an itemized statement with costs within 30 days after the tenant vacates (paid receipts within 30 days if estimates were used). With no statement, return the full deposit within 45 days of move-out. Bad faith can cost twice the deposit. | 765 ILCS 710/1 checked 2026-10-15 |
| Indiana | Itemized notice of deductions and the balance are due within 45 days after the lease ends and possession is delivered. | IC 32-31-3-12(a) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Iowa | Within 30 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant gives a mailing address: return the deposit or give a written statement of specific reasons for withholding. | Iowa Code § 562A.12(3) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Kansas | Within 14 days after the amount of deductions is determined, and no later than 30 days after the tenancy ends, possession is delivered and the tenant demands it. | K.S.A. 58-2550(b) checked 2026-10-15 |
| Kentucky | Applies only where a city or county has adopted the URLTA (KRS 383.500). No fixed refund deadline: the landlord must send the tenant notice of any refund due, and may keep the deposit if the tenant doesn't respond within 60 days. If the tenant leaves owing the last month's rent and doesn't ask for the deposit, the landlord may apply it after 30 days. | KRS 383.580(6), (7) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Louisiana | Within one month after the lease ends. An itemized statement of any amounts kept is due within one month, or within 15 days after that one-month date. | La. R.S. 9:3251(A) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Maine | Written lease: within the time stated in the lease, but no more than 30 days. Tenancy at will: within 21 days after the tenancy ends or the premises are surrendered, whichever is later. | 14 M.R.S. § 6033 checked 2026-10-15 |
| Maryland | Within 45 days after the tenancy ends, the landlord must return the security deposit with interest (the 1-year Treasury rate or 1.5% a year, whichever is greater), less damages rightfully withheld. Any withholding must be itemized in writing as required by § 8-203.1. | Md. Code, Real Prop. §§ 8-203(e), 8-203.1 checked 2026-10-23 |
| Massachusetts | Within 30 days after the tenancy ends: return the deposit or balance. Any deduction for damage needs a sworn, itemized list plus estimates, bills, or receipts within the same 30 days, or the right to keep any of it is lost. | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 15B(4) checked 2026-10-22 |
| Michigan | To claim damages, mail the tenant an itemized notice of damages, with estimated repair costs, within 30 days after occupancy ends. | MCL 554.609 checked 2026-10-23 |
| Minnesota | Within three weeks after the tenancy ends (and after receiving the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions): return the deposit with interest, or a written statement of reasons for withholding. | Minn. Stat. § 504B.178 checked 2026-10-15 |
| Mississippi | The landlord may keep only amounts reasonably needed for unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear and tear, cleaning or other default costs, itemized in writing. The rest must be returned within 45 days after the tenancy ends, possession is delivered and the tenant makes a demand. Bad-faith retention can add up to $200 in damages on top of actual damages. | Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-21(3)–(4) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Missouri | Within 30 days after the tenancy ends: return the full deposit, or an itemized list of damages for any amount kept. | RSMo § 535.300(3) checked 2026-10-15 |
| Montana | Generally within 30 days after the tenancy ends or the premises are surrendered (whichever comes first), with a written list of charges and the refund; subsection (2) sets exceptions. | MCA § 70-25-202(1) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Nebraska | Under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1416(2), upon termination of the tenancy, property or money held by the landlord as prepaid rent and security may be applied to the payment of rent and the amount of damages which the landlord has suffered by reason of the tenant's noncompliance with the rental agreement or section 76-1421. The balance, if any, and a written itemization shall be delivered or mailed to the tenant within fourteen days after the date of termination of the tenancy. If no mailing address or instructions are provided by the tenant, the landlord shall mail, by first-class mail, the balance of the security deposit to be returned, if any, and a written itemization of the amount of the security deposit not returned, to the tenant's last-known mailing address. If the mailing is returned as undeliverable, or if the returned balance of the security deposit remains outstanding for one year, it shall be considered abandoned property to be reported and paid to the State Treasurer in accordance with the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act. Under subsection (3), if the landlord fails to comply with subsection (2), the tenant may recover the property and money due, court costs, and reasonable attorney's fees, and if that failure is willful and not in good faith, an amount equal to one month's periodic rent or two times the amount of the security deposit, whichever is less, as liquidated damages. Subsection (4) does not preclude other damages under the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, but a tenant shall not be liable for damages directly related to the tenant's removal from the premises by order of any governmental entity as a result of the premises not being fit for habitation due to the negligence or neglect of the landlord. The holder of the landlord's interest in the premises at the time of termination is bound by this section. Subsection (1)'s cap on security, including the pet-deposit allowance and the housing-agency exception, is a separate limit and is not restated here as the deposit-return rule. Example: after a tenancy ends, the landlord has fourteen days to deliver or mail any remaining deposit with a written itemization; if the tenant left no forwarding instructions, that mailing goes by first-class mail to the last-known mailing address. | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1416(2) checked 2026-11-12 |
| Nevada | Itemized accounting and the remaining deposit are due within 30 days after the tenancy ends. | NRS 118A.242(4) checked 2026-10-23 |
| New Hampshire | Within 30 days after the tenancy ends, with any interest due and a written itemized list of damages. These deposit rules do not apply to a landlord renting a single-family home who owns no other rental property, or to units in an owner-occupied building of 5 units or fewer, except units occupied by someone 60 or older (RSA 540-A:5, I). | RSA 540-A:7, I checked 2026-10-23 |
| New Jersey | Within 30 days after the tenant moves out: return the deposit plus interest, less itemized deductions. A tenant who wins in court gets double the amount owed, plus costs. | N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.1 checked 2026-10-23 |
| New Mexico | Itemized list of deductions and any balance within 30 days after the agreement ends or the tenant leaves, whichever is later. | NMSA 1978, § 47-8-18(C) checked 2026-10-23 |
| New York | Within 14 days after the tenant moves out, the landlord must return the deposit or provide an itemized statement of any amounts kept. | N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108(1-a)(e) checked 2026-10-23 |
| North Carolina | Itemized accounting plus balance within 30 days after the tenancy ends and possession is returned. If the claim can't be determined by then, send an interim accounting within 30 days and a final accounting within 60 days. | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-52 checked 2026-10-15 |
| North Dakota | Return with a written notice within 30 days after the lease ends and the tenant delivers possession. | N.D.C.C. § 47-16-07.1 checked 2026-10-15 |
| Ohio | Itemized written notice of deductions plus any amount due within 30 days after the rental agreement ends and possession is returned. The tenant must give a forwarding address in writing. | Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(B) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Oklahoma | Within 45 days after the tenancy ends, possession is delivered and the tenant makes a written demand (the demand must be made within 6 months). | 41 O.S. § 115(B) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Oregon | Landlord must give a written accounting and return any unclaimed deposit within 31 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant delivers possession. | ORS 90.300(12)-(13) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Pennsylvania | Written list of damages plus the remaining deposit (with any unpaid interest) within 30 days after the lease ends or the tenant surrenders the premises. Missing the list forfeits the right to withhold. | 68 P.S. § 250.512 (Landlord and Tenant Act § 512) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Rhode Island | Within 20 days after the tenancy ends, possession is delivered, or the tenant gives a forwarding address, whichever is later. | R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(b) checked 2026-10-20 |
| South Carolina | Itemized deductions and any refund are due within 30 days after the tenancy ends, possession is delivered and the tenant makes a demand, whichever is later. | S.C. Code § 27-40-410(a) checked 2026-10-27 |
| South Dakota | Within 21 days after the tenancy ends and the landlord receives the tenant's mailing address: return the deposit or give written reasons for withholding. An itemized accounting is due within 45 days on request. | SDCL § 43-32-24 checked 2026-10-15 |
| Tennessee | Deposits must be kept in a separate escrow account at a regulated bank, and tenants must be told where it is at lease signing. Move-out damage must be listed (with a mutual inspection if the tenant requests one) or the landlord cannot keep any of the deposit. If a refund is due, the landlord must notify the tenant. A refund unclaimed after 60 days may be kept. The statute sets no fixed return deadline. (Applies in counties covered by the URLTA, those with more than 75,000 people.) | Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-301(a)–(c), (f), (h) checked 2026-10-15 |
| Texas | Under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103(a), except as provided by Section 92.107, the landlord shall refund a security deposit to the tenant on or before the 30th day after the date the tenant surrenders the premises. A requirement that a tenant give advance notice of surrender as a condition for refunding the deposit is effective only if the requirement is underlined or is printed in conspicuous bold print in the lease. Under § 92.107, the landlord is not obligated to return the deposit or give a written description of damages and charges until the tenant gives a written statement of the tenant's forwarding address, but the tenant does not forfeit the right to a refund or to that description merely for failing to give a forwarding address. Under § 92.104, before returning the deposit the landlord may deduct damages and charges for which the tenant is legally liable under the lease or as a result of breaching the lease, but may not retain any portion to cover normal wear and tear, and must give the balance, if any, together with a written description and itemized list of all deductions, except that the itemized list is not required if the tenant owes rent when he surrenders possession and there is no controversy concerning the amount of rent owed. Under § 92.109(d), a landlord who fails either to return a security deposit or to provide a written description and itemization of deductions on or before the 30th day after the date the tenant surrenders possession is presumed to have acted in bad faith. Other sections of the subchapter, including records, change of owner, a fee in lieu of a security deposit, and the dollar amounts of landlord or tenant liability, are not fully restated here. Example: the 30-day refund clock in § 92.103(a) runs from the date the tenant surrenders the premises, but the landlord's obligation to actually send the refund or the itemized description does not begin until the tenant has given a written forwarding address under § 92.107; failing to give that address does not forfeit the tenant's right to the refund. | Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.103, 92.104, 92.107, 92.109(d) checked 2026-11-12 |
| Utah | Within 30 days after the renter moves out, the owner must mail or deliver the deposit balance, any prepaid rent, and an itemized list of deductions. If the owner doesn't, the renter can serve a 5-business-day demand. Failing that, the owner owes the full deposit plus a $100 penalty. | Utah Code §§ 57-17-3(2)–(3), 57-17-5 checked 2026-10-15 |
| Vermont | Within 14 days after the tenant vacates (60 days for seasonal non-primary rentals). If the landlord misses the deadline, they forfeit the right to withhold; if the failure is willful, they owe double. | 9 V.S.A. § 4461 checked 2026-10-15 |
| Virginia | Itemized written notice plus any amount owed within 45 days after the tenancy ends or the tenant moves out, whichever is later. | Va. Code § 55.1-1226(A) checked 2026-10-15 |
| Washington | Within 30 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant moves out: a full, specific statement of reasons for any retention (with estimates or invoices) plus any refund owed. | RCW 59.18.280 checked 2026-10-31 |
| West Virginia | Within the notice period: 60 days after the tenancy ends, or 45 days after a new tenant moves in, whichever is shorter. | W. Va. Code §§ 37-6A-1(7), 37-6A-2(a) checked 2026-10-23 |
| Wisconsin | Within 21 days after the trigger date (usually the date the rental agreement ends): return the deposit, less permitted amounts, with a written itemized statement of anything withheld. | Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06(2), (4) checked 2026-10-31 |
| Wyoming | Within 30 days after the lease ends or within 15 days after receiving the renter's new address, whichever is later; extended by 30 days if there is damage. | W.S. § 1-21-1208(a) checked 2026-10-23 |
How to stay on the right side of the deadline
Put the move-out date and your state's deadline on your calendar the day the tenant gives notice. Do the move-out walkthrough promptly, take dated photos, and keep receipts for any repairs you plan to deduct. Send the refund and any itemized statement in a way you can prove, such as a tracked mailing, to the forwarding address the tenant gives you. These are good-practice habits, not legal requirements.
Cities can add their own rules on top of state law, so check the city pages if your rental is in a city we cover.
- Free move-in/move-out checklist
- Security deposit limits by state
- Cities with their own rules
- Landlord law FAQ
Not legal advice. General information only. Laws change, and local rules, lease terms and your facts matter. Check the official source linked for each rule and talk to a licensed attorney in your state before you act.