Security Deposit Return Deadlines by State

By CleaningCalcs Editorial · Updated October 18, 2026

Verified against official state sources on 2026-10-18. 51 of 51 jurisdictions cite a statute or official agency page; the rest say "See state law" because no official source could be confirmed.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check your lease and local (city) rules, which can be stricter.

Fastest and slowest deadlines

14 days is the shortest deadline in the table: Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Nebraska, New York, Vermont. 60 days is the longest: Alabama, Arkansas, West Virginia.

Kentucky and Tennessee have no fixed deadline in the statute, so the deadline there turns on the lease and the general obligation to account for the deposit.

How to protect your deposit when you move out

Most deposit disputes are about cleanliness, not damage. Three things reduce the risk:

1. Clean to the checklist the landlord uses. The move-out cleaning checklist covers the rooms and surfaces that get flagged most: oven, fridge, inside cabinets, bathrooms, floors and window tracks.
2. Document the condition before and after. Photograph and video every room on the day you move in and the day you move out, with a date visible. Keep them for at least a year after you leave.
3. Know what a fair clean costs before you pay someone. Use the move-out cleaning cost calculator so you can tell a normal price from an inflated one, and keep the cleaner's invoice.

Can a landlord charge cleaning out of the deposit?

In most states, yes - but only to return the unit to the condition it was in when you moved in, apart from normal wear and tear. The difference that matters in practice is scope: a charge for a clean that restores the original condition is usually allowed, while a charge for routine wear, repainting between tenants, or "make-ready" work the landlord would do anyway is usually not. The table above says what each state's statute actually provides, and where the statute is silent it says so instead of guessing.

If your deposit is not returned

Keep it factual and in writing. Send the landlord a dated letter or email listing the deposit amount, the date you moved out and vacated, the date the deadline fell, and what you are asking for. Attach your move-out photos and the cleaning invoice. Many states allow extra damages or a penalty when a deposit is withheld past the deadline, and several require the landlord to pay them if a court finds the withholding was not justified - the state row above links the statute that applies to you.

Small claims court is the usual route for a deposit dispute. It is designed for people without a lawyer, and the filing fees are modest. Check your state court's self-help pages for the process and the limit in your state.

Every source, state by state

The table above is built from these pages, opened one by one. Quotes are the sentence that establishes the deadline.

• Alabama — Ala. Code 35-9A-201 — "all as itemized by the landlord in a written notice delivered to the tenant together with the amount due 60 days after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession"
• Alaska — Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070(g) — "the landlord shall mail the written notice and refund required by (b) of this section within 14 days after the tenancy is terminated and possession is delivered by the tenant, except the landlord shall have 30 days after the tenancy is terminated to mail the refund if costs are deducted for damages"
• Arizona — A.R.S. § 33-1321 — "Within fourteen days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays or other legal holidays, after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession and demand by the tenant the landlord shall provide the tenant an itemized list of all deductions together with the amount due and payable to the tenant, if any."
• Arkansas — Ark. Code Ann. 18-16-305 — "Within sixty (60) days of termination of the tenancy, property or money held by the landlord as security shall be returned to the tenant."
• California — Cal. Civ. Code 1950.5(h)(1) — "No later than 21 calendar days after the tenant has vacated the premises"
• Colorado — C.R.S. 38-12-103 — "A landlord shall, within one month after the termination of a lease or surrender and acceptance of the premises, whichever occurs last, return to the tenant the full security deposit"
• Connecticut — Conn. Gen. Stat. 47a-21 — "Not later than twenty-one days after termination of a tenancy or fifteen days after receiving written notification of such tenant's forwarding address, whichever is later"
• Delaware — 25 Del. C. § 5514 — "Within 20 days after the termination or expiration of any rental agreement, the landlord shall provide the tenant with an itemized list of damages to the premises and the estimated costs of repair for each"
• Florida — Fla. Stat. § 83.49(3) — "if the landlord does not intend to impose a claim on the security deposit, the landlord must return the security deposit, together with interest if otherwise required, within 15 days after the termination of the rental agreement"
• Georgia — O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34 (Georgia DCA handbook) — "All landlords, regardless of the number of units owned, must return the security deposit within thirty (30) days after termination of the lease"
• Hawaii — Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44 — "The security deposit, or the portion of the security deposit remaining, shall be returned to the tenant not later than fourteen days after the termination of the rental agreement."
• Idaho — Idaho Code § 6-321 — "Refunds shall be made within twenty-one (21) days if no time is fixed by agreement and, in any event, within thirty (30) days after surrender of the premises by the tenant."
• Illinois — Illinois Attorney General, Landlord and Tenant Rights — "If your landlord refuses to return all or any portion of your security deposit, he/she must give you an itemized statement of the damages along with paid receipts within 30 days of the date you moved."
• Indiana — Ind. Code 32-31-3-12 — "all as itemized by the landlord with the amount due in a written notice that is delivered to the tenant not more than forty-five (45) days after termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession"
• Iowa — Iowa Code 562A.12 — "A landlord shall, within thirty days from the date of termination of the tenancy and receipt of the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions, return the rental deposit to the tenant or furnish to the tenant a written statement showing the specific reason for withholding"
• Kansas — K.S.A. 58-2550 — "the landlord shall return the balance of the security deposit to the tenant within 14 days after the determination of the amount of such expenses, damages or other charges, but in no event to exceed 30 days after termination of the tenancy, delivery of possession and demand by the tenant"
• Kentucky — KRS 383.580 — "the landlord shall send notification to the last known or reasonably determinable address, of the amount of any refund due the tenant"
• Louisiana — La. R.S. 9:3251 — "shall be returned to the tenant or lessee of residential or dwelling premises within one month after the lease shall terminate"
• Maine — 14 M.R.S. § 6033 — "In the case of a written rental agreement, within the time, not to exceed 30 days, stated in the agreement; and in the case of a tenancy at will, within 21 days after the termination of the tenancy or the surrender and acceptance of the premises, whichever occurs later."
• Maryland — Md. Code, Real Property 8-203 — "Within 45 days after the end of the tenancy, the landlord shall return the security deposit"
• Massachusetts — Mass. G.L. c. 186 § 15B — "The lessor shall, within thirty days after the termination of occupancy under a tenancy-at-will or the end of the tenancy as specified in a valid written lease agreement, return to the tenant the security deposit or any balance thereof"
• Michigan — MCL 554.609 — "the landlord shall mail to the tenant, within 30 days after the termination of occupancy, a notice of damages that contains an itemized list of damages claimed"
• Minnesota — Minn. Stat. 504B.178 — "within three weeks after termination of the tenancy ... furnish to the tenant a written statement showing the specific reason for the withholding of the deposit"
• Mississippi — Miss. Code Ann. 89-8-21 — "Any remaining portion of such payment or deposit shall be returned to the tenant no later than forty-five (45) days after the termination of his tenancy, the delivery of possession and demand by the tenant."
• Missouri — RSMo 535.300 — "Within thirty days after the date of termination of the tenancy, the landlord shall:"
• Montana — Mont. Code Ann. § 70-25-202 — "within 30 days subsequent to the termination of a tenancy or within 30 days subsequent to a surrender and acceptance of the leasehold premises, whichever occurs first, shall provide the departing tenant with a written list of any rent due and any damage and cleaning charges"
• Nebraska — Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1416 — "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."
• Nevada — NRS 118A.242 — "The landlord shall provide the tenant with an itemized, written accounting of the disposition of the security deposit, and return any remaining portion of the security deposit to the tenant no later than 30 days after the termination of the tenancy"
• New Hampshire — N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540-A:7 — "A landlord shall return a security deposit to a tenant and pay the interest due, if any, within 30 days from the termination of the tenancy."
• New Jersey — N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.1 (NJDCA Truth in Renting) — "Within 30 days after the termination of a tenancy, a landlord must return the security deposit, plus interest earned less deductions, to the tenant (N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.1)."
• New Mexico — NMSA 1978 § 47-8-18 — "the owner shall provide the resident with an itemized written list of the deductions from the deposit and the balance of the deposit, if any, within thirty days of the date of termination of the rental agreement or resident departure, whichever is later"
• New York — N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108 — "Within fourteen days after the tenant has vacated the premises, the landlord shall provide the tenant with an itemized statement indicating the basis for the amount of the deposit retained, if any, and shall return any remaining portion of the deposit to the tenant."
• North Carolina — N.C.G.S. § 42-52 — "the landlord in writing shall itemize any damage and mail or deliver same to the tenant, together with the balance of the security deposit, no later than 30 days after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession of the premises to the landlord"
• North Dakota — N.D.C.C. § 47-16-07.1 — "Application of any portion of a security deposit not paid to the lessee upon termination of the lease must be itemized by the lessor within thirty days after termination of the lease and delivery of possession by the lessee"
• Ohio — Ohio R.C. 5321.16(B) — "Any deduction from the security deposit shall be itemized and identified by the landlord in a written notice delivered to the tenant together with the amount due, within thirty days after termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession."
• Oklahoma — 41 O.S. § 115 — "the landlord shall return the balance of the security deposit without interest to the tenant within forty-five (45) days after the termination of tenancy, delivery of possession and written demand by the tenant"
• Oregon — ORS 90.300 — "not later than 31 days after the tenancy terminates and the tenant delivers possession to the landlord"
• Pennsylvania — 68 P.S. § 250.512 — "Every landlord shall within thirty days of termination of a lease or upon surrender and acceptance of the leasehold premises, whichever first occurs, provide a tenant with a written list of any damages to the leasehold premises for which the landlord claims the tenant is liable."
• Rhode Island — R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19 — "The landlord shall deliver the notice, together with the amount of the security deposit due to the tenant, within twenty (20) days after the later of either termination of the tenancy, delivery of possession, or the tenant's providing the landlord with a forwarding address"
• South Carolina — S.C. Code 27-40-410 — "Any deduction from the security/rental deposit must be itemized by the landlord in a written notice to the tenant ... within thirty days after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession and demand by the tenant, whichever is later"
• South Dakota — SDCL § 43-32-24 — "within twenty-one days after the termination of the tenancy and receipt of the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions, return the security deposit"
• Tennessee — Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-301 — "costs of any physical damage to the premises may only be recovered if the damage was discovered by the landlord prior to the earlier of: Thirty (30) days after the tenant vacated or abandoned the premises; or Seven (7) days after a new tenant takes possession"
• Texas — Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103, § 92.104 — "the landlord shall refund a security deposit to the tenant on or before the 30th day after the date the tenant surrenders the premises"
• Utah — Utah Code 57-17-3 — "No later than 30 days after the day on which a renter vacates and returns possession of a rental property"
• Vermont — 9 V.S.A. § 4461(c) — "A landlord shall return the security deposit along with a written statement itemizing any deductions to a tenant within 14 days from the date on which the landlord discovers that the tenant vacated or abandoned the dwelling unit"
• Virginia — Va. Code § 55.1-1226 — "The security deposit and any deductions, damages, and charges shall be itemized by the landlord in a written notice given to the tenant, together with any amount due to the tenant, within 45 days after the termination date of the tenancy or the date the tenant vacates the dwelling unit, whichever occurs last."
• Washington — RCW 59.18.280 — "Within 30 days after the termination of the rental agreement and vacation of the premises the landlord shall give a full and specific statement of the basis for retaining any of the deposit"
• West Virginia — W. Va. Code § 37-6A-1(7); § 37-6A-2 — ""Notice period" means: (A) within 60 days of the termination of the tenancy; or (B) within 45 days of the occupation of the premise by a subsequent tenant, whichever time period is shorter."
• Wisconsin — Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06 — "within 21 days after any of the following"
• Wyoming — W.S. § 1-21-1208(a) — "The balance of any deposit and prepaid rent and a written itemization of any deductions from the deposit together with reasons therefor, shall be delivered or mailed without interest to the renter within thirty (30) days after termination of the rental agreement or within fifteen (15) days after receipt of the renter's new mailing address, whichever is later."
• District of Columbia — D.C. Code § 42-3502.17 — "Within 45 days after termination of the tenancy, the housing provider shall notify the tenant in writing of any alleged unpaid amounts due"

Method

Each row was checked against the state's own published law, or where the statute is hard to read, against an official attorney general or housing agency guide. Where no official source could be confirmed, the row says "See state law" rather than repeating a number from a commercial summary site. Deadlines sometimes run from the day the tenancy ends and sometimes from the day the tenant returns possession or provides a forwarding address, which is why the qualifier is shown next to the number. City ordinances can add stricter rules, so check those too.

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