Security Deposit Limits by State (2026): Maximum Deposit, Return Deadline and Interest Rules in All 50 States + DC
A security deposit limit is the most a landlord may collect up front against unpaid rent or damage. As of September 2026, 29 states and DC cap the deposit and 21 set no cap. Every state fixes a deadline to return it, from 10 to 60 days, and 12 require the landlord to pay interest on it.
- One month's rent, flat: AL, DC, HI, MD, MA, NE, NY, RI, SD.
- Fastest return deadlines (14 days or less): Alaska (14), Arizona (14), Hawaii (14), Montana (10), Nebraska (14), New York (14), South Dakota (14), Vermont (14).
- Interest required: CT, DC, IL, MD, MA, MN, NH, NJ, NY, ND, OH, PA.
- No statutory cap: FL, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MN, MS, MT, OH, OK, OR, SC, TN, TX, UT, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY.
| State | Maximum deposit | Return deadline | Interest | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1 month's rent | 60 days | No | Ala. Code § 35-9A-201(a) |
| Alaska | 2 months' rent; no cap if monthly rent exceeds $2,000 | 14 days (30 days if tenant failed to give proper notice) | No | Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070(a) |
| Arizona | 1.5 months' rent | 14 days (14 business days, excluding weekends and holidays) | No | A.R.S. § 33-1321(A) |
| Arkansas | 2 months' rent | 60 days | No | Ark. Code § 18-16-304 (applies to landlords with 6+ units) |
| California | 1 month's rent; 2 months if landlord is a natural person/LLC owning no more than 2 properties with 4 or fewer units total (AB 12, eff. 7/1/2024) | 21 days | No | Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5 |
| Colorado | 2 months' rent | 30 days (, or up to 60 days if lease specifies; HB 25-1249 eff. 1/1/2026) | No | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-102.5 (SB 23-184); pet deposit ≤ $300 (§ 38-12-106) |
| Connecticut | 2 months' rent; 1 month if tenant is 62 or older | 21 days (after termination or 15 days after receiving forwarding address, whichever is later) | Yes | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(b) |
| Delaware | 1 month's rent for leases of 1 year or more; no cap for month-to-month tenancies or furnished units; pet deposit up to 1 month | 20 days | No | 25 Del. C. § 5514 |
| District of Columbia | 1 month's rent | 45 days | Yes | 14 DCMR § 308.2 |
| Florida | No statutory cap | 15 days (if no claim; written claim notice within 30 days if deducting) | No | Fla. Stat. § 83.49 |
| Georgia | 2 months' rent | 30 days | No | Ga. Code § 44-7-30.1 |
| Hawaii | 1 month's rent | 14 days | No | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44(b) (plus up to 1 month pet deposit) |
| Idaho | No statutory cap | 21 days (, or up to 30 if lease so provides) | No | Idaho Code § 6-321 |
| Illinois | No statutory cap | 45 days (itemized statement within 30 days; balance within 45 days; applies to 5+ units) | Yes | 765 ILCS 710 |
| Indiana | No statutory cap | 45 days | No | Ind. Code § 32-31-3 |
| Iowa | 2 months' rent | 30 days | No | Iowa Code § 562A.12(1) |
| Kansas | 1 month's rent unfurnished; 1.5 months furnished; plus up to 0.5 month pet deposit | 30 days (itemized within 14 days if deducting; balance within 30 days) | No | Kan. Stat. § 58-2550(a) |
| Kentucky | No statutory cap | 60 days (landlord must notify tenant of refund; unclaimed after 60 days is forfeited) | No | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.580 |
| Louisiana | No statutory cap | 30 days | No | La. R.S. 9:3251 |
| Maine | 2 months' rent | 30 days (21 days for tenancy at will) | No | 14 M.R.S. § 6032 (Portland: 1 month by ordinance) |
| Maryland | 1 month's rent | 45 days (1) | Yes | Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203 |
| Massachusetts | 1 month's rent | 30 days (4) | Yes | M.G.L. c. 186 § 15B |
| Michigan | 1.5 months' rent | 30 days | No | Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.602 |
| Minnesota | No statutory cap | 21 days | Yes | Minn. Stat. § 504B.178 |
| Mississippi | No statutory cap | 45 days (3) | No | Miss. Code § 89-8-21 |
| Missouri | 2 months' rent | 30 days (3) | No | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300(1) |
| Montana | No statutory cap | 10 days (if no deductions; 30 days if deductions) | No | Mont. Code § 70-25-201 |
| Nebraska | 1 month's rent | 14 days (2) | No | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1416(1) (plus up to 0.25 month pet deposit) |
| Nevada | 3 months' rent | 30 days (4) | No | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 118A.242(1) |
| New Hampshire | 1 month's rent or $100, whichever is greater | 30 days (if landlord shares the dwelling) | Yes | N.H. RSA 540-A:6(I)(a) |
| New Jersey | 1.5 months' rent | 30 days | Yes | N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.2 |
| New Mexico | 1 month's rent for leases under 1 year; no cap for leases of 1 year or more (interest required if deposit exceeds 1 month) | 30 days | No | N.M. Stat. § 47-8-18(A) |
| New York | 1 month's rent | 14 days | Yes | N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108(1-a) |
| North Carolina | 2 weeks' rent for weekly tenancies; 1.5 months for month-to-month; 2 months for leases longer than month-to-month; plus reasonable nonrefundable pet deposit | 30 days (interim accounting and up to 60 days if damages not yet determinable) | No | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-51(b) |
| North Dakota | 1 month's rent; 2 months if tenant has a felony conviction or prior lease-violation judgment; pet deposit up to the greater of $2,500 or 2 months' rent | 30 days (3) | Yes | N.D. Cent. Code § 47-16-07.1(1)-(2) |
| Ohio | No statutory cap | 30 days | Yes | Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16 |
| Oklahoma | No statutory cap | 45 days | No | Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 115 |
| Oregon | No statutory cap | 31 days (13) | No | PCC 30.01.087 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 months' rent during first year; 1 month's rent during subsequent years | 30 days | Yes | 68 P.S. § 250.511a |
| Rhode Island | 1 month's rent | 20 days | No | R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(a) |
| South Carolina | No statutory cap | 30 days | No | S.C. Code § 27-40-410 |
| South Dakota | 1 month's rent | 14 days (itemized accounting within 45 days on request) | No | S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-6.1 (more allowed by agreement for special conditions) |
| Tennessee | No statutory cap | 30 days (itemized list to tenant; deposit unclaimed after 60 days is forfeited) | No | Tenn. Code § 66-28-301 |
| Texas | No statutory cap | 30 days | No | Tex. Prop. Code § 92.102 |
| Utah | No statutory cap | 30 days (2) | No | Utah Code § 57-17-1 |
| Vermont | No statutory cap | 14 days (60 days for seasonal rentals) | No | 9 V.S.A. § 4461 |
| Virginia | 2 months' rent | 45 days | No | Va. Code § 55.1-1226(A) |
| Washington | No statutory cap | 30 days | No | RCW 59.18.260; holding fee ≤ 25% of first month's rent per RCW 59.18.253 |
| West Virginia | No statutory cap | 60 days (after termination or 45 days after new tenant occupies, whichever shorter) | No | W. Va. Code § 37-6A-1 |
| Wisconsin | No statutory cap | 21 days (4) | No | Wis. Stat. § 704.28 |
| Wyoming | No statutory cap | 30 days (after termination or 15 days after receiving forwarding address, whichever later; 60 days if damage deductions) | No | Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1208 |
How to read this table
Maximum deposit is the statutory ceiling, expressed in months of rent; "No statutory cap" means the legislature has not set one and the lease controls. Several caps depend on the lease term, the tenant's age, furnishing or the number of units the landlord owns — the wording in the row is the statute's own condition. Return deadline is the number of days the landlord has after the tenancy ends (or after receiving a forwarding address, where the statute says so) to return the deposit or send an itemized statement of deductions. Interest says whether the statute requires it at all; the rate and thresholds are in the cited section.
Cities can be stricter than their state: Portland caps deposits at one month although Oregon does not, and Chicago requires interest although Illinois does not statewide.
Put the right deposit in your lease
Our state-specific residential lease applies the cap for the state you pick — the deposit clause and the return-deadline clause come from the same data as this table, and the form will not accept a deposit above the statute.
Cite this page
FormsByState, "Security Deposit Limits by State (2026): Maximum Deposit, Return Deadline and Interest Rules in All 50 States + DC," https://formsbystate.com/guides/security-deposit-limits-by-state/ (reviewed September 2026). Free to link and quote with attribution.
Questions
Is there a federal limit on security deposits?
No. Deposit caps, return deadlines and interest rules are all state law, and a few cities add their own (Portland, Oregon caps deposits at one month; Chicago and several others require interest). Where a state sets no cap, the market and the lease decide.
Does a pet deposit count toward the cap?
It depends on the state. Some statutes carve out a separate pet deposit (Hawaii, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Delaware); in most others any refundable deposit, whatever it is called, counts toward the limit. Nonrefundable fees are a different animal and are banned outright in some states.
What happens if the landlord misses the return deadline?
Typically the landlord forfeits the right to keep any of it and may owe a penalty — double or treble the deposit in several states (for example Massachusetts, Maryland, Texas for bad-faith retention) — plus attorney's fees. The deadline in the table is the statutory one; many run from the day the tenant moves out or gives a forwarding address.
Which states require interest on the deposit?
12 jurisdictions require interest by statute: Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania. Rates and thresholds differ (some apply only above a certain number of units or lease length), so read the cited section.
How current is this table?
Reviewed September 2026, from the same dataset our state-specific lease enforces. Statutes change; verify the cited section before relying on a figure, and tell us if you find one we missed.
This page is general information about state statutes, not legal advice, and FormsByState is not a law firm. Statutes change; verify the cited section for your situation.