Kentucky sets no statutory maximum on a residential security deposit. Your lease sets the amount.
Maximum depositNo cap
Return deadline30 / 60 days
Interest to tenantNot required
Separate accountRequired + disclose account
ItemizationRequired (both ends)
PenaltyForfeits right to withhold
Statute§383.580
What your landlord can hold, and when it's due back
Enter your rent for the Kentucky maximum, plus the return-deadline clock.
Deposit calculator · Kentucky
$
Most a landlord can hold
No legal maximum
Kentucky sets no statutory cap; the lease controls the amount.
—days
Return clock: No fixed deadline; 30 or 60 days depending on what the tenant does
The deadline runs after the tenant vacates, the timing depends on whether the tenant demands the deposit back and whether rent is owed. Give your landlord a written forwarding address at move-out so the clock starts.
Estimate only, based on Kentucky's statutory cap. Your lease may set a lower deposit, and local ordinances can be stricter. Not legal advice.
The full rules, with the statute
Every requirement and where it comes from in the code.
Maximum deposit
No statutory limit
Exceptions: Kentucky law places no cap on the amount of a residential security deposit. The figure is set by the lease agreement. This holds in the jurisdictions that have adopted the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA); elsewhere the lease and common law govern.
Return deadline
Kentucky does not set a single fixed return deadline. If a tenant leaves owing the last month of rent and does not demand the deposit back, the landlord may apply it to the debt after 30 days. If the landlord sends a refund notice to the tenant’s last known address and gets no response within 60 days, the landlord may keep the balance. When a tenant does demand the deposit, the landlord must return the undisputed part.
Interest to tenant
Not requiredKentucky does not require a landlord to pay interest on a security deposit, even though the deposit must sit in a separate account.
Separate account
RequiredIn URLTA jurisdictions the landlord must hold every tenant’s deposit in an account used only for that purpose, at a bank or lending institution regulated by Kentucky or the United States, and must tell the tenant the location and account number of that account. A landlord who does not keep the separate account loses the right to retain any part of the deposit.
Itemization
Required at both ends of the tenancy in URLTA jurisdictions. Before taking the deposit, the landlord must give the tenant a written list of any existing damage and the estimated repair cost, and the tenant may inspect the unit to check it. At move-out the landlord must compile a similar list; the tenant may inspect and both parties sign it, and those signatures are treated as conclusive proof of the list’s accuracy. If the tenant refuses to sign, the tenant must note the disputed items in writing. A landlord who does not provide the move-in and move-out lists forfeits the right to keep any part of the deposit.
Local ordinances
This is the most important thing to check in Kentucky: KRS 383.580 is part of the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA), and URLTA applies only in the cities and counties that have adopted it. Adopting jurisdictions include Jefferson County (Louisville), Fayette County (Lexington), Oldham County, Pulaski County, and the cities of Barbourville, Bellevue, Bromley, Covington, Dayton, Florence, Georgetown, Ludlow, Melbourne, Newport, Shelbyville, Silver Grove, Southgate, Taylor Mill, and Woodlawn. If your rental is outside an adopting jurisdiction, none of the separate-account, disclosure, or damage-list rules apply by statute; your lease and Kentucky common law control instead. Confirm the city or county where the unit sits before relying on these rules.
Penalties & recent changes
What happens if the landlord keeps your deposit wrongfully.
If the landlord withholds wrongfully
Kentucky sets no fixed money penalty like double or triple damages. Instead the sanction is forfeiture: a landlord who fails to keep the deposit in a separate account, or who fails to provide the move-in and move-out damage lists, is not entitled to retain any part of the deposit and must return it in full. A tenant who has to sue can generally recover the wrongfully held amount and court costs.
What Kentucky renters get wrong
Kentucky's standout security deposit rule is about where your money sits. In cities and counties that have adopted the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, your landlord must keep every tenant's deposit in a separate account used only for that purpose, at a bank or lending institution regulated by Kentucky or the United States, and must tell you the location and account number of that account. Before you hand over a deposit, the landlord also has to give you a written list of any existing damage with estimated repair costs, and you can inspect the unit to check it; the same kind of list is required at move-out. A landlord who skips the separate account or the damage lists loses the right to keep any part of your deposit. The big catch is coverage. KRS 383.580 applies only in the Kentucky jurisdictions that have adopted URLTA, such as Louisville and Lexington, so if your rental is somewhere else, your lease and common law control instead. Kentucky also sets no cap on the deposit amount and no single fixed return deadline.
Common questions
Does the security deposit law apply everywhere in Kentucky?
No. KRS 383.580 is part of the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, which applies only in the cities and counties that have adopted it. These include Jefferson County (Louisville), Fayette County (Lexington), Oldham County, Pulaski County, and a group of smaller cities. If your rental sits outside an adopting jurisdiction, the separate-account and damage-list rules do not apply by statute, and your lease and Kentucky common law govern instead. Check the city or county first.
Does my Kentucky landlord have to keep my deposit in a separate account?
Yes, in URLTA jurisdictions. The landlord must hold the deposit in an account used only for that purpose, at a bank or lending institution regulated by Kentucky or the United States, and must tell you the location and account number of that account. A landlord who does not keep the separate account is not entitled to retain any part of your deposit.
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Kentucky?
There is no statutory cap. Kentucky law does not limit the deposit to a set number of months of rent, so the amount is whatever your lease states. This is true both in URLTA jurisdictions and elsewhere in the state.
How long does a Kentucky landlord have to return my deposit?
There is no single fixed deadline. If you leave owing the last month of rent and do not ask for the deposit back, the landlord can apply it to the debt after 30 days. If the landlord sends a refund notice to your last known address and gets no response within 60 days, the landlord can keep the balance. When you do demand your deposit, the landlord must return the undisputed part and can only keep amounts backed by the required move-in and move-out damage lists.
Draft: pending editorial review Every figure is corroborated by four or more independent sources (DoorLoop, LeaseLenses, LeaseRunner, LegalClarity, and a web search snippet that quotes KRS 383.580 subsections 1 through 4 nearly verbatim). The official Kentucky Legislature portal (apps.legislature.ky.gov) refused the connection on every fetch attempt this session, so the record stays draft until a human confirms the section text in a browser. Editorial standards →
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.