Security Deposit Return Timelines by State

State law sets how long your landlord has to return your security deposit or send an itemized list of what it kept: 14 days in Hawaii, Nebraska, New York, and Vermont, 21 days in California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and 60 days in Alabama and Arkansas. Thirty days is the most common deadline. The clock usually starts when the tenancy ends or you move out; in Texas, Minnesota, and Iowa it also waits for your forwarding address, and in Arizona, Kansas, and Oklahoma for your request. A landlord that misses the deadline often loses the right to deduct anything, and many of the states below add a penalty of two or three times the amount withheld.

Deadlines and penalties in every state

"Move-out" means you have moved out and returned possession; "surrender" means handing the unit back. A penalty such as "2x" is the total award, twice the amount wrongfully withheld, unless the cell says "plus".

In Kentucky and Tennessee, the deposit rules apply only where the state's landlord-tenant act is in force. If you leave owing nothing, the landlord sends a notice of the refund due and can keep it if you do not respond within 60 days.

Some small landlords are exempt. Arkansas's law does not cover an individual who owns 5 or fewer units unless a paid manager runs them. In New Hampshire, the law skips owner-occupied buildings of 5 or fewer units, except for tenants 60 or older, and single-family homes whose owner has no other rentals. In New Jersey, it skips owner-occupied two- and three-family homes unless you ask in writing for it to apply.

Timing rules the table does not show

• Leaving early. Under a Massachusetts lease, the 30 days run from the end of the lease term, so moving out early does not start them.
• A notice instead of the refund. In Florida, the 30 days are for a notice of claim, sent by certified mail or by email if you agreed to it, and you then have 15 days to object in writing. In Michigan, you must answer the landlord's notice of damages by mail within 7 days; if you dispute it, the landlord must sue within 45 days after you move out or return the money.
• Mailing. Hawaii, Minnesota, and Washington count a refund or notice mailed by the deadline as on time.
• No forwarding address. In South Carolina, if you give no written forwarding address, you lose the penalty when the landlord did not know where you were and mailed the refund to your last known address.

To cover every version, give your landlord a written forwarding address and a written request for the deposit on or before move-out day, and get a dated receipt when you return the keys. Our guide to getting your security deposit back covers the other move-out steps.

What to do when the deadline passes

1. Count the days from the event your state uses. Arizona's 14 days skip weekends and legal holidays.
2. Send a written demand with your move-out date, forwarding address, the deadline that passed, the statute, the amount owed, and the penalty. Keep proof of delivery.
3. Give any notice required before suing. Colorado and Maine require 7 days' notice of your intent to sue, and Colorado's triple damages apply only if the landlord has not paid after those 7 days. Utah requires its statutory notice and 5 business days before the $100 penalty applies, and in Louisiana a landlord that ignores your written demand for 30 days is treated as acting willfully.
4. File in small claims court if the landlord still does not pay. See taking your landlord to small claims court and what to do when your landlord won't return your deposit.

New York security deposit rights and California security deposit rights cover those states in more detail, and the overview of state security deposit laws explains caps, holding rules, and deductions.