Renters' Rights · Security Deposit
Security Deposit Laws by State
The most a landlord can charge and how fast they must return it, state by state, with interest, separate-account, and itemization rules, each cited to the official statute.
Tightest caps and fastest returns
Where tenants are best protected on the deposit amount and the return clock.
Lowest deposit caps
Fastest deposit return
Five published states set no cap at all (the deposit is whatever the lease says); those are omitted from the caps column. Return days show the baseline deadline; some states extend it for disputed damage.
Pick your state
Deposit cap and return clock shown on each card; full rules inside.
How to read security deposit law
Two numbers answer most questions: the maximum deposit (usually stated as a multiple of monthly rent, though about half the states set no cap at all) and the return deadline (how many days after you move out the landlord must refund it, typically 14 to 45). Miss the deadline or withhold without cause, and most states let you recover extra — often double or triple the amount, plus attorney's fees.
Two supporting rules trip people up because they're rarely a clean yes or no. Interest and a separate account are often conditional — required only above a unit-count threshold, after a holding period, or depending on how the landlord chose to store the money. We show that condition in full rather than flattening it. Every figure links to the official statute it comes from, and pages still pending final statute verification say so plainly.