Security deposit laws by state
How long a landlord has to return a security deposit, whether the state caps it, and what the itemized statement has to say. Every row is read from the state's own statute or official agency text, cited below and linked from that state's guide.
| State | Deposit cap | Return deadline | Itemized statement | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | No statewide capOther deposit rules still apply, and a city or county may set its own limit. | 45 days | Required | 765 ILCS 710/1; 765 ILCS 715/1-2 |
| Texas | No statewide capOther deposit rules still apply, and a city or county may set its own limit. | 30 days | Required | Tex. Prop. Code 92.101-92.110 (esp. 92.103, 92.104, 92.107, 92.109) |
| Florida | No statewide capOther deposit rules still apply, and a city or county may set its own limit. | 15 days | Required | Fla. Stat. 83.49 |
| California | One month's rentOne month's rent regardless of whether the unit is furnished, since July 1, 2024 (AB 12). Exception: a landlord who is a natural person (or an LLC of natural persons) owning no more than two residential rental properties with no more than four units total may collect up to two months' rent, but not from a tenant who is a service member. 'Security' is defined broadly, so pet deposits and similar refundable charges count against the cap. | 21 days | Required | Cal. Civ. Code 1950.5 |
| Ohio | No statewide capOther deposit rules still apply, and a city or county may set its own limit. | 30 days | Required | Ohio Rev. Code 5321.16 |
| Pennsylvania | Two months' rentTwo months' rent during the first year of a lease; one month's rent during the second and subsequent years (or any renewal after the first year). After five years of occupancy, rent increases can no longer trigger a deposit increase. Residential only; tenant waiver of these limits is void (68 P.S. 250.511a). | 30 days | Required | 68 P.S. 250.511a-250.512 (Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, secs. 511.1-512) |
| Georgia | Two months' rentTwo months' rent, for residential leases entered into or renewed on or after July 1, 2024 (Safe at Home Act, HB 404, adding O.C.G.A. 44-7-30.1). The cap is on the "security deposit" as O.C.G.A. 44-7-30(3) defines it, and that definition expressly includes damage deposits, advance rent deposits, and pet deposits, so a refundable pet deposit counts against the two months. It excludes fees the lease states are nonrefundable, and money to be applied toward rent or to reimburse services or utilities. The statute bars a landlord from demanding as well as receiving more than the cap, so it binds at signing and not only on what is ultimately held. | 30 days | Required | O.C.G.A. 44-7-30 to 44-7-36 (definitions, cap, escrow, lists, return, penalty, exemption) |
| North Carolina | Two months' rentTwo months' rent for terms longer than month to month; 1.5 months' rent for month-to-month tenancies; two weeks' rent for week-to-week (N.C.G.S. 42-51). A reasonable, nonrefundable pet fee is allowed on top (42-53). | 30 days | Required | N.C. Gen. Stat. 42-50 to 42-56 (Tenant Security Deposit Act) |
| Michigan | One and a half months' rentDeposit may not exceed one and one-half months' rent (MCL 554.602). No furnished-unit or pet carve-out; a required 'pet deposit' is part of the security deposit and counts against the cap. | 30 days | Required | MCL 554.602-554.613 (Landlord and Tenant Relationships Act, Act 348 of 1972) |
| Arizona | One and a half months' rentLandlord may not demand or receive more than one and one-half months' rent as security; a tenant may voluntarily pay more (A.R.S. 33-1321(A)). The stated purpose of any nonrefundable fee must be in writing; any fee or deposit not designated nonrefundable is refundable (33-1321(B)). | 14 business days | Required | A.R.S. 33-1321 |
Reading the table
- The deadline column is not one clock. States start it from different events: termination of the tenancy, surrender and acceptance, delivery of possession, or the tenant's own demand. Several also run a separate, shorter clock for the itemized statement than for the money. Each state's guide gives that state's trigger in its own words.
- The cap column never travels without its conditions. Caps here vary by tenancy type, by lease year, and by the size of the landlord's portfolio, so the bare number is the wrong thing to plan around.
- Deadline units differ. Arizona counts in business days; the rest are calendar days.
- Cities can require more than the state. Illinois and California carry local rules that go beyond the statewide statute; see those states' guides.
Common questions
Is there a nationwide security deposit law?
No. Security deposits are state law, and a city or county can require more than the state does. The table above covers the states verified so far, each cited to its own statute, and each state's own guide carries the detail the table cannot hold.
Which of these states cap the deposit?
California, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan and Arizona cap the deposit. Illinois, Texas, Florida and Ohio have no statewide cap, which is not the same as no rules: the holding, itemization, and return duties still apply. Every cap in the table carries its own conditions, and the conditions are frequently the part that decides the answer.
Does the return deadline count weekends and holidays?
It depends on the state, and this is the single easiest way to get a deadline wrong. Arizona counts the deadline in business days, so weekends and legal holidays do not count against it: the window is 14 business days, which lands materially later than the same figure in calendar days. Every other state in this table is stated in calendar days.
What usually happens when a landlord misses the deadline?
Most of these states answer it with a multiplier on the deposit plus the tenant's attorney's fees, and several also strip the landlord of the right to withhold anything at all once the deadline passes. The exact figure and the exact trigger are per state, and are on each state's own page.
The deposit paperwork is the part that gets lost. PropManager keeps the deposit on the lease, the move-out itemization with the tenant's file, and the refund in the ledger, so the record exists before a dispute does.Every state guide
- Security deposit return law in Illinois
- Security deposit return law in Texas
- Security deposit return law in Florida
- Security deposit return law in California
- Security deposit return law in Ohio
- Security deposit return law in Pennsylvania
- Security deposit return law in Georgia
- Security deposit return law in North Carolina
- Security deposit return law in Michigan
- Security deposit return law in Arizona
Sources
Each row cites its own statute and links the state's primary source on that state's guide. Verified 2026-08-06.
General information, not legal advice. Check your own lease and any city or county ordinance before you rely on it.