Tools · Security Deposit

South Dakota Security Deposit Calculator (2026)

Enter your rent and move-out date to see the most a South Dakota landlord can charge and the exact date your deposit is due back — up to 1 month of rent, returned 21 days after the tenancy ends and the landlord receives the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions.

Cited to SDCL §§43-32-6.1, 43-32-24Source: South Dakota Legislature, SDCL §§43-32-6.1 and 43-32-24.

South Dakota security deposit calculator

Security deposit · South Dakota

State

Monthly rent

Move-out date

South Dakota rule applied to your numbers

Maximum deposit

$2,000

Up to 1 month’s rent under South Dakota law. Under SDCL 43-32-6.1, a landlord of residential premises may not demand or receive a security deposit worth more than one month's rent. The only exception is a larger deposit agreed to by both the landlord and the tenant where special conditions pose a danger to maintenance of the premises.

Return deadline

21 days

21 days after the tenancy ends and the landlord receives the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions. Enter your move-out date for the exact deadline.

These are the South Dakota figures applied to what you entered: a plain summary of the rule and the dates, not a determination that anyone did or did not comply.

If a deposit is wrongly kept

A landlord who keeps a deposit, or any part of it, in bad faith, or who in bad faith fails to provide the required written statement or itemized accounting, is subject to punitive damages not to exceed $200. Missing the return or accounting rules also makes the landlord forfeit the right to withhold any part of the deposit.

Interest on the deposit

South Dakota law does not require a landlord to pay interest on a residential security deposit.

PlainStatute

Security deposit — South Dakota

Maximum deposit: $2,000 · 1 month’s rent
Monthly rent: $2,000
Move-out date: Not entered
Return deadline: 21 days after the tenancy ends and the landlord receives the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions

Source: SDCL §§43-32-6.1, 43-32-24

https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/43-32-24

Printed from plainstatute.com
Plain-language summary, not legal advice.

Informational only, not legal advice. Security-deposit rules carry exceptions (lease type, small landlords, city ordinances) this summary cannot weigh. See the full statute and exceptions on the South Dakota security deposit reference, cited to SDCL §§43-32-6.1, 43-32-24.

How South Dakota security deposits work

South Dakota caps a residential security deposit at one month's rent under SDCL 43-32-6.1, and a landlord can ask for more only where special conditions pose a danger to the premises and you agree to it. After you move out and give the landlord your mailing address or delivery instructions, the landlord has 21 days to return the deposit or send a written statement explaining any amount kept. That return window was two weeks until a 2026 law (SB 4) extended it to 21 days, effective July 1, 2026. Getting a full breakdown works differently: the landlord must provide an itemized accounting of anything withheld within 45 days of the tenancy ending, but only if you request it. A landlord who ignores these steps forfeits all right to keep any part of your deposit, and bad-faith retention adds punitive damages of up to $200.

This calculator shows the South Dakota figures applied to your own rent and dates. It is informational only and not legal advice — exceptions this summary cannot weigh may apply. For the full rules, penalties, and citations, see the South Dakota security deposit reference.

Security deposit calculators for other states

Same tool, each with its own cap and return deadline.