Home / Deposit rules
Security deposit limits and return deadlines by state
30 states cap the deposit; the rest leave it to the market. Return deadlines run from 14 to 60 days. Verified against the statutes 2026-10-21.
| State | Maximum deposit | Return deadline | Interest | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1 month's rent (additional deposits allowed for pets, alterations to the premises, or increased liability risks) | 60 days | Ala. Code § 35-9A-201 | |
| Alaska | 2 months' rent (cap does not apply to units renting for more than $2,000/month); plus an optional additional pet deposit of up to 1 month's rent | 14 days | Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070 | |
| Arizona | 1.5 months' rent (security 'however denominated', including prepaid rent; tenant may voluntarily pay more) | 14 days | A.R.S. § 33-1321 | |
| Arkansas | 2 months' rent (Arkansas Residential Security Deposit Act applies only to landlords who own 6 or more dwelling units, or who use a third-party manager; smaller landlords have no statutory cap) | 60 days | Ark. Code § 18-16-304; § 18-16-305; § 18-16-303 | |
| California | 1 month's rent (2 months if the landlord is a natural person or an LLC owned entirely by natural persons that owns no more than 2 residential properties totaling 4 or fewer units; service members may never be charged more than 1 month) | 21 days | Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(c), (h) | |
| Colorado | 2 months' rent (effective August 7, 2023); a separate refundable pet deposit is capped at $300 | 30 days | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-102.5; § 38-12-103(1); § 38-12-106 | |
| Connecticut | 2 months' rent (1 month's rent if the tenant is 62 or older) | 21 days | Required | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(b), (d), (h), (i) |
| Delaware | 1 month's rent for leases of 1 year or more, and for month-to-month or undefined-term tenancies once they have lasted 1 year (excess must then be credited back); no statutory cap for shorter fixed terms or furnished units | 20 days | Del. Code tit. 25, § 5514(a), (e)-(g), (i) | |
| District of Columbia | 1 month's rent (may not exceed the first full month's rent charged to the tenant, and may be charged only once) | 45 days | Required | D.C. Code § 42-3502.17; 14 DCMR §§ 308-311 |
| Florida | No statutory limit | 15 days | Fla. Stat. § 83.49 | |
| Georgia | 2 months' rent (for residential leases entered into or renewed on or after July 1, 2024; no cap for older leases) | 30 days | O.C.G.A. §§ 44-7-30, 44-7-30.1, 44-7-34 | |
| Hawaii | 1 month's rent, plus an optional pet deposit of up to 1 additional month's rent if the tenant keeps a pet (not for assistance animals) | 14 days | HRS § 521-44 | |
| Idaho | No statutory limit | 21 days | Idaho Code § 6-321 | |
| Illinois | No statutory limit (statewide); local ordinances such as the Chicago RLTO and Cook County RTLO impose their own rules | 45 days | 765 ILCS 710/1 (Security Deposit Return Act); 765 ILCS 715/1-2 (Security Deposit Interest Act) | |
| Indiana | No statutory limit | 45 days | Ind. Code § 32-31-3-12; § 32-31-3-14 | |
| Iowa | 2 months' rent | 30 days | Iowa Code § 562A.12 | |
| Kansas | 1 month's rent for an unfurnished unit; 1.5 months' rent if the landlord furnishes furniture; plus up to an additional half month's rent if pets are allowed | 30 days | K.S.A. § 58-2550 | |
| Kentucky | No statutory limit | — | KRS 383.580 | |
| Louisiana | No statutory limit | 30 days | La. R.S. 9:3251 | |
| Maine | 2 months' rent | 30 days | 14 M.R.S. § 6032; § 6033 | |
| Maryland | 1 month's rent | 45 days | Required | Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203 |
| Massachusetts | 1 month's rent (security deposit); landlord may also collect first month, last month, and lock/key cost but nothing else up front | 30 days | Required | M.G.L. c. 186 § 15B(1)(b), (3)(b), (4) |
| Michigan | 1.5 months' rent | 30 days | MCL 554.602 (cap); MCL 554.609 (30-day itemized list); MCL 554.613 (double damages) | |
| Minnesota | No statutory limit | 21 days | Required | Minn. Stat. § 504B.178 subd. 2 (interest), subd. 3 (return) |
| Mississippi | No statutory limit | 45 days | Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-21(3)-(4) | |
| Missouri | 2 months' rent | 30 days | RSMo § 535.300 | |
| Montana | No statutory limit | 10 days | MCA § 70-25-202; § 70-25-201 | |
| Nebraska | 1 month's rent, plus a pet deposit of up to one-fourth of 1 month's rent when appropriate | 14 days | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1416 | |
| Nevada | 3 months' periodic rent (security deposit plus any surety bond, including last month's rent collected as security) | 30 days | NRS 118A.242 | |
| New Hampshire | The greater of 1 month's rent or $100 | 30 days | Required | RSA 540-A:6; RSA 540-A:7 |
| New Jersey | 1.5 months' rent (1 1/2 times one month's rent); annual additional security collections capped at 10% of the current deposit | 30 days | Required | N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.2; 46:8-21.1; 46:8-19 |
| New Mexico | 1 month's rent for rental agreements shorter than 1 year; no cap for annual (1-year) leases, but deposits above 1 month's rent on an annual lease must earn interest paid to the tenant | 30 days | NMSA 1978 § 47-8-18 | |
| New York | 1 month's rent | 14 days | Required | N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108; § 7-103 |
| North Carolina | 2 weeks' rent for week-to-week tenancies, 1.5 months' rent for month-to-month, and 2 months' rent for terms longer than month-to-month (e.g., a 1-year lease) | 30 days | N.C.G.S. § 42-51(b); § 42-52; § 42-53 | |
| North Dakota | One month's rent (up to two months' rent for a tenant with a felony conviction or a prior judgment for violating a rental agreement) | 30 days | Required | N.D.C.C. § 47-16-07.1 |
| Ohio | No statutory limit | 30 days | Required | Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16 |
| Oklahoma | No statutory limit | 45 days | 41 Okla. Stat. § 115 | |
| Oregon | No statutory limit | 31 days | ORS 90.300 | |
| Pennsylvania | Two months' rent during the first year of the lease; one month's rent in the second and later years (no deposit increase required after five years of occupancy) | 30 days | Required | 68 P.S. § 250.511a; § 250.511b; § 250.512 |
| Rhode Island | One month's periodic rent (plus a separate furniture deposit of up to one month's rent for furnished units where the furniture is worth $5,000 or more) | 20 days | R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19 | |
| South Carolina | No statutory limit | 30 days | S.C. Code § 27-40-410 | |
| South Dakota | One month's rent (a larger deposit may be agreed where special conditions pose a danger to maintenance of the premises) | 21 days | SDCL § 43-32-6.1; § 43-32-24 | |
| Tennessee | No statutory limit | — | Tenn. Code § 66-28-301 | |
| Texas | No statutory limit | 30 days | Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103; § 92.107 | |
| Utah | No statutory limit | 30 days | Utah Code § 57-17-3 | |
| Vermont | No statutory limit | 14 days | 9 V.S.A. § 4461 | |
| Virginia | Two months' periodic rent | 45 days | Va. Code § 55.1-1226 | |
| Washington | No statutory limit | 30 days | RCW 59.18.280 | |
| West Virginia | No statutory limit | 60 days | W. Va. Code § 37-6A-2; § 37-6A-1(7) | |
| Wisconsin | No statutory limit | 21 days | Wis. Stat. § 704.28(4); Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06 | |
| Wyoming | No statutory limit | 30 days | Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1208(a) |
Reading the table
The cap is the general rule; several states allow more for furnished units, pets, or tenants with a prior judgment, and the state pages carry those details. Return deadlines usually start on move-out, and in many states only once the tenant has given a forwarding address. Interest is covered separately: the deposit interest calculator handles the sixteen jurisdictions that require it.