Tools · Security Deposit
Security Deposit Demand Letter by State
A written request for the return of your deposit, with your state's statute citation, return deadline, and penalty filled in from the law. You add the dates and the amount; the letter stays on your device.
50 states. Each letter cites that state's statute and uses its deadline and penalty.
Pick your state
Each letter uses that state's own citation, deadline, and penalty.
Alaska
Return deadline14 days with proper notice, otherwise 30 days
StatuteAS 34.03.070
Read the full Alaska lawArizona
Return deadline14 days (excluding weekends and legal holidays)
StatuteA.R.S. §33-1321
Read the full Arizona lawCalifornia
Return deadline21 days
StatuteCal. Civ. Code §1950.5 (subdivisions renumbered by AB 2801, 2025)
Read the full California lawColorado
Return deadline1 month (up to 60 days if the lease says so)
StatuteC.R.S. §§38-12-102.5, 38-12-103
Read the full Colorado lawConnecticut
Return deadline21 days after tenancy ends, or 15 days after you give a forwarding address, whichever is later
StatuteConn. Gen. Stat. §47a-21
Read the full Connecticut lawFlorida
Return deadline15 days (no claim) / 30 days to notice a claim
StatuteFla. Stat. §83.49
Read the full Florida lawGeorgia
Return deadline30 days
StatuteO.C.G.A. §§44-7-30 to 44-7-37 (cap §44-7-30.1)
Read the full Georgia lawIdaho
Return deadline21 days by default, up to 30 days if the agreement sets a longer time
StatuteIdaho Code §§6-321, 6-324
Read the full Idaho lawIllinois
Return deadline45 days to return; 30 days to itemize
Statute765 ILCS 710/1; 765 ILCS 715
Read the full Illinois lawIndiana
Return deadline45 days
StatuteInd. Code §§32-31-3-12, 32-31-3-13, 32-31-3-14, 32-31-3-15
Read the full Indiana lawKansas
Return deadline14 days after deductions are set, and never more than 30 days total
StatuteKan. Stat. Ann. §58-2550
Read the full Kansas lawKentucky
Return deadlineNo fixed deadline; 30 or 60 days depending on what the tenant does
StatuteKRS §383.580
Read the full Kentucky lawLouisiana
Return deadline1 month (30 days)
StatuteLa. Rev. Stat. §§9:3251-9:3254
Read the full Louisiana lawMaine
Return deadline30 days (written lease) or 21 days (tenancy at will)
Statute14 M.R.S. §§6031-6038
Read the full Maine lawMinnesota
Return deadlineThree weeks (five days if the building is condemned)
StatuteMinn. Stat. §504B.178
Read the full Minnesota lawMontana
Return deadline10 days if no deductions, 30 days with an itemized list
StatuteMont. Code Ann. §§70-25-101 to 70-25-206
Read the full Montana lawNew Hampshire
Return deadline30 days
StatuteN.H. RSA 540-A:5 through 540-A:8
Read the full New Hampshire lawNew Jersey
Return deadline30 days (5 business days after displacement; 15 after a domestic-violence termination)
StatuteN.J.S.A. §§46:8-19 to 46:8-26
Read the full New Jersey lawNorth Carolina
Return deadline30 days (final accounting within 60 days if damages are unsettled)
StatuteN.C.G.S. §§42-50 to 42-56
Read the full North Carolina lawOklahoma
Return deadline45 days after three things happen: the tenancy ends, you hand back possession, and you make a written demand
StatuteOkla. Stat. tit. 41, §115
Read the full Oklahoma lawPennsylvania
Return deadline30 days
Statute68 P.S. §§250.511a, 250.511b, 250.512
Read the full Pennsylvania lawSouth Carolina
Return deadline30 days
StatuteS.C. Code Ann. §27-40-410 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act)
Read the full South Carolina lawTennessee
Return deadlineNo fixed statutory return deadline; a 60-day notice rule applies
StatuteTenn. Code Ann. §66-28-301
Read the full Tennessee lawUtah
Return deadline30 days after you leave, or 15 days after you give a forwarding address (whichever is later)
StatuteUtah Code §§57-17-1 to 57-17-5
Read the full Utah lawVermont
Return deadline14 days (60 days for seasonal, non-primary rentals)
Statute9 V.S.A. §4461
Read the full Vermont lawWashington
Return deadline30 days
StatuteRCW §§59.18.260, .270, .280, .285
Read the full Washington lawWest Virginia
Return deadline60 days after the tenancy ends, or 45 days after a new tenant moves in, whichever comes first
StatuteW. Va. Code §§37-6A-1, 37-6A-2, 37-6A-5
Read the full West Virginia lawHow the demand letter works
Each state letter states the facts of your tenancy, the return deadline that state's statute sets, and what the statute provides when a deposit is wrongfully withheld, then asks for the deposit or the itemized statement the law requires. Everything runs in your browser: nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere. A dated written demand is usually the first thing a court or legal-aid office asks about, and in some states it starts or preserves the penalty.
The template is informational only and not legal advice. Open your state for the full rule, the exceptions, and the official citation, or see the security deposit reference by state.