How Long Does a Landlord Have to Return a Security Deposit?
Most states give a landlord 30 days, but the range runs 10 to 60 — and in six states the clock does not start when you move out. All 51 rules, with statutes.
In most states a landlord has 30 days to return your security deposit or send you an itemized list of what they kept and why. But the real range is 10 to 60 days, and in six states the clock does not start when you hand back the keys — it starts when you do something, and if you never do it, the deadline never arrives.
That second part is where most deposits are lost. A landlord who misses the deadline usually forfeits the right to keep any of it, even for damage you really caused — which is a powerful position for you, and the reason the start date matters more than the number of days.
Security deposit return deadline, all 50 states and DC
| State | Deadline to return or account for the deposit | Statute | If the landlord gets it wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 60 days | Ala. Code § 35-9A-201 |
2x the amount wrongfully withheld |
| Alaska | 14 days if the tenant gave proper notice to terminate; 30 days if not, or where deductions are for failure to maintain clock start | Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070(g) |
2x the amount due plus costs and attorney fees |
| Arizona | 14 business days, excluding weekends and legal holidays | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-1321(D) |
3x the amount wrongfully withheld |
| Arkansas | 60 days | Ark. Code § 18-16-305(a) |
2x the amount due plus costs and attorney fees |
| California | 21 days | Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(g) |
the deposit; 2x the deposit plus actual damages for bad faith |
| Colorado | one month, or up to 60 days if the lease says so | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-103 |
treble damages for wilful retention, plus attorney fees |
| Connecticut | 21 days after the tenancy ends, or 15 days after written notice of a forwarding address, whichever is later clock start | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d) |
2x the deposit plus court costs |
| Delaware | 20 days | Del. Code tit. 25 § 5514(f) |
2x the amount due plus court costs |
| District of Columbia | 45 days with no deductions; up to 75 days where deductions are claimed | 14 D.C. Mun. Regs. § 309 |
3x the deposit plus interest for bad faith |
| Florida | 15 days with no claim; 30 days to give written notice of a claim | Fla. Stat. § 83.49(3) |
the amount due plus court costs and attorney fees |
| Georgia | 30 days | Ga. Code § 44-7-34 |
3x the amount due plus attorney fees for bad faith |
| Hawaii | 14 days | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44(c) |
the deposit plus 3x the amount due for bad faith |
| Idaho | 21 days, or up to 30 days by written agreement | Idaho Code § 6-321(2) |
3x the deposit, or attorney fees and costs, but not both |
| Illinois | 45 days; 30 days where deductions are claimed | 765 ILCS 710/1 |
2x the deposit plus the amount due for bad faith |
| Indiana | 45 days | Ind. Code § 32-31-3-12 |
the deposit plus court costs and attorney fees |
| Iowa | 30 days | Iowa Code § 562A.12(3) |
the deposit plus 2x the monthly rent and actual damages for bad faith |
| Kansas | 14 days after the landlord works out the deductions, and no more than 30 days after the tenancy ends clock start | Kan. Stat. § 58-2550(b) |
1.5x the amount wrongfully withheld |
| Kentucky | 30 to 60 days, depending on whether the tenant disputes the deductions | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.580 |
the amount due |
| Louisiana | one month | La. Stat. tit. 9 § 3251 |
the amount due plus 2x that or $300, whichever is greater, plus costs and fees |
| Maine | 30 days under a written lease; 21 days for a tenancy at will | 14 Me. Rev. Stat. § 6033(2) |
2x the amount due plus costs and attorney fees |
| Maryland | 45 days | Md. Code Real Prop. § 8-203(e) |
up to 3x the withheld amount plus attorney fees |
| Massachusetts | 30 days | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186 § 15B(4) |
3x the amount due plus 5% interest, costs and attorney fees |
| Michigan | 30 days | Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.609 |
2x the amount wrongfully withheld |
| Minnesota | 21 days | Minn. Stat. § 504B.178(3) |
2x the amount due; plus $500 for bad faith |
| Mississippi | 45 days | Miss. Code § 89-8-21 |
$200 plus actual damages |
| Missouri | 30 days | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300(3) |
2x the amount wrongfully withheld |
| Montana | 10 days with no deductions; 30 days where deductions are claimed | Mont. Code § 70-25-202(2) |
2x the amount due plus costs and attorney fees |
| Nebraska | 14 days | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1416(2) |
for bad faith, the amount due plus one month's rent or 2x the deposit, whichever is less |
| Nevada | 30 days; 21 days for mobile homes | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 118A.242(2) |
2x the deposit |
| New Hampshire | 30 days | N.H. Rev. Stat. § 540-A:7 |
2x the amount due; up to 3x damages for wilful violations |
| New Jersey | 30 days | N.J. Stat. § 46:8-21.1 |
2x the amount wrongfully withheld plus costs and attorney fees |
| New Mexico | 30 days | N.M. Stat. § 47-8-18(C) |
the deposit plus $250 and court costs |
| New York | 14 days | N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108(1-a)(e) |
actual damages; 2x the deposit for a wilful violation |
| North Carolina | 30 days; an interim accounting is allowed with a final accounting within 60 days | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-52 |
the amount due plus attorney fees; the full deposit for bad faith |
| North Dakota | 30 days | N.D. Cent. Code § 47-16-07.1(3) |
3x the amount due plus court costs |
| Ohio | 30 days | Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16(B) |
2x the amount due plus attorney fees |
| Oklahoma | 45 days | Okla. Stat. tit. 41 § 115(B) |
the amount due plus court costs and attorney fees |
| Oregon | 31 days; 14 days if the unit was deemed unsafe | ORS § 90.300(12) |
2x the amount due plus costs and attorney fees |
| Pennsylvania | 30 days | 68 Pa. Stat. § 250.512 |
2x the amount wrongfully withheld |
| Rhode Island | 20 days | R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(b) |
2x the deposit plus attorney fees |
| South Carolina | 30 days | S.C. Code § 27-40-410(a) |
3x the amount due plus attorney fees |
| South Dakota | 21 days, plus an itemized accounting within 45 days on request | S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-24 |
forfeits all right to withhold; punitive damages up to $200 for bad faith |
| Tennessee | no statutory deadline | Tenn. Code § 66-28-301 |
none stated |
| Texas | 30 days clock start | Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.103, 92.104, 92.109 |
3x the wrongfully withheld amount plus $100 and attorney fees |
| Utah | 30 days | Utah Code § 57-17-3 |
the deposit plus $100 |
| Vermont | 14 days; 60 days for a seasonal rental that is not the tenant's primary residence | Vt. Stat. tit. 9 § 4461 |
the full deposit; 2x for bad faith plus costs and fees |
| Virginia | 45 days after the termination date or the date the tenant moves out, whichever is later clock start | Va. Code § 55.1-1226 |
the amount due plus damages and attorney fees |
| Washington | 30 days | Rev. Code Wash. §§ 59.18.270, 59.18.280 |
the deposit plus costs; 2x the deposit for bad faith |
| West Virginia | 60 days after the tenancy ends, or 45 days after a new tenant moves in, whichever comes first | W. Va. Code § 37-6A-2 |
2.5x the amount due plus court costs |
| Wisconsin | 21 days | Wis. Stat. § 704.28 |
2x the amount due plus costs and attorney fees |
| Wyoming | 30 days, or 15 days after written notice of a forwarding address, whichever is later; a further 30 days where deductions are for damage clock start | Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1208 |
the deposit plus court costs |
Where the clock does not start when you move out
Six states tie the countdown to something other than your last day in the unit. Nobody tells you this at move-out, and in every one of them the fix takes five minutes.
Texas — you must give a written forwarding address
Thirty days is the statutory figure, but under
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.107 the landlord owes you nothing until you
have given a written forwarding address. No address, no deadline, no claim. Send it
in writing and keep proof you sent it.
Connecticut and Wyoming — whichever date is later
Connecticut gives 21 days from the end of the tenancy or 15 days from your written forwarding address, whichever is later. Wyoming works the same way from 30 days. Sending the address late moves the deadline back, so send it immediately.
South Dakota — termination and the address
The 21 days run from the end of the tenancy and receipt of your mailing address or delivery instructions. The deadline rose from two weeks to 21 days on 1 July 2026, so older guides understate it.
Kansas — the landlord sets the trigger
Fourteen days from when the landlord works out the deductions, but no more than 30 days after the tenancy ends. The outer limit is the one to hold them to.
Alaska — it depends on your notice
Fourteen days if you gave proper notice to end the tenancy, 30 if you did not. Giving correct written notice when you leave halves the wait.
The deadline has passed and you have heard nothing
In most states silence is worth more to you than a dispute. Missing the deadline commonly forfeits the landlord’s right to withhold anything at all — that is the explicit rule in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New York, South Dakota and Wisconsin, among others.
- Work out the exact date. Count from the trigger your state uses, not from your move-out, and write down what that date was.
- Send one written demand. Name the statute, state the date the deadline fell, say what you are owed, and give a date by which you expect it. Keep it to one paragraph and send it so you can prove delivery.
- Check the multiplier before you decide what to accept. Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, North Dakota, South Carolina and Texas all allow two or three times the withheld amount. A landlord who knows that often settles.
- Small claims is the realistic venue. Most deposit disputes are well inside the limit, no lawyer is required, and several states add attorney fees and court costs on top.
What your lease cannot change
A clause saying the deposit is non-refundable, or that you waive your rights under the statute, is generally void. Colorado says so in terms: any waiver of the tenant’s protections is against public policy. Several states also void a lease that calls the deposit a fee to get around the rules.
What a lease can do, in some states, is lengthen the deadline within a cap — Colorado allows up to 60 days if the lease says so, Idaho up to 30. If your lease sets a longer period than the figure in the table, read that clause before you count days.
When this needs a lawyer
For a deposit under a few thousand dollars, the deadline and the statute are usually all you need, and small claims exists for exactly this. Get advice when the landlord is claiming damages far beyond the deposit, when there is a counterclaim for unpaid rent you dispute, or when your state ties the penalty to bad faith and you need to argue it. Your state’s legal aid office and the court’s own self-help pages are free and will know the local practice better than any national guide.
Sources
Each row was checked against the statute it cites in October 2026 and cross-referenced against a second source; where the two disagreed, the statute won. Deadlines change — Connecticut’s fell from 30 days to 21 in 2023, South Dakota’s rose from 14 days to 21 in July 2026, and Colorado’s HB 25-1249 took effect in January 2026. Before you rely on a date, open the statute in the table and confirm it.
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