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
New York	One month's rentOne month's rent, set by the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019. The limit does not apply to seasonal-use units or to owner-occupied cooperative apartments (GOL 7-108(1-a)(a)). Subdivision 1-a does not cover units under the city rent and rehabilitation law or the emergency housing rent control law, or licensed continuing care, assisted living, adult care, and certain senior and not-for-profit retirement communities. The deposit must be refundable in full except for lawful deductions (7-108(1-a)(b)).	14 days	Required	N.Y. General Obligations Law 7-108(1-a) and 7-103
New Jersey	One and a half months' rentOne and a half times one month's rent for a dwelling unit. Any additional security collected later can be no more than 10% of the current deposit per year (N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.2). The Security Deposit Act covers all residential rentals except owner-occupied buildings with no more than two rental units, unless the tenant gives the landlord 30 days' written notice invoking the act (46:8-26).	30 days	Required	N.J.S.A. 46:8-19 to 46:8-26 (Security Deposit Act), including 46:8-21.1 and 46:8-21.2
Massachusetts	One month's rentA security deposit equal to the first month's rent, and only if it is deposited as required and the tenant gets a statement of condition (c.186 s.15B(1)(b)(iii)). At or before move-in the landlord can collect nothing beyond first month's rent, last month's rent at the same rate, the deposit, and the cost to buy and install a new lock and key (15B(1)(b)). After move-in the landlord cannot demand a deposit above this limit (15B(1)(d)). The statute lets the state housing office write regulations allowing an optional fee in lieu of a deposit, capped at one month's rent combined with any deposit. A 2025 amendment effective August 1, 2025 extends the up-front payment limit to the landlord's agent. Does not apply to vacation or recreational rentals of 100 days or less (15B(9)).	30 days	Required	Mass. Gen. Laws c. 186, s. 15B
Maryland	One month's rentOne month's rent per dwelling unit regardless of the number of tenants, effective October 1, 2024 under the Renters' Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024 (Ch. 124, HB 693). Before that date the cap was two months. The landlord may still charge up to two months if the tenant qualifies for utility assistance through the Department of Human Services, the lease requires the tenant to pay utilities directly to the landlord, and both sides agree to the amount in writing (8-203(b)(2)). A tenant charged more can recover up to three times the extra amount plus attorney's fees (8-203(b)(3)). A surety bond bought instead of or alongside a deposit is capped at two months' rent in total (8-203(i)(3)).	45 days	Required	Md. Code, Real Property 8-203 and 8-203.1
Washington	No statewide capOther deposit rules still apply, and a city or county may set its own limit.	30 days	Required	RCW 59.18.260, 59.18.270, 59.18.280, 59.18.610
Virginia	Two months' rentA landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit, however it is labeled, of more than two months' periodic rent (Va. Code 55.1-1226(A)). The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies to all single-family and multifamily dwelling units statewide, and localities cannot modify it (55.1-1201(A)-(B)). A landlord may allow a tenant to buy damage insurance instead of paying a deposit, and the tenant can switch to paying the full deposit at any time (55.1-1226(I)-(J)).	45 days	Required	Va. Code 55.1-1226 (Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act)
Colorado	Two months' rentSince August 7, 2023, a landlord may not require a security deposit greater than two monthly rent payments under the rental agreement (C.R.S. 38-12-102.5(1), added by SB23-184). Starting January 1, 2027, the cap does not apply when the landlord bought the home from the tenant and the two signed a post-closing occupancy agreement under the purchase contract (38-12-102.5(2), added by SB26-054). Any lease provision that waives or modifies a tenant protection in this part of the statute is void (38-12-103(7)(a)).	30 days	Required	C.R.S. 38-12-102.5 and 38-12-103 (as amended by HB25-1168, HB25-1249 effective January 1, 2026, and SB26-054)
Iowa	Two months' rentA landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit of more than two months' rent (Iowa Code 562A.12(1)). The cap applies to all residential tenancies covered by the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law, with no length-of-lease exceptions in the statute.	30 days	Required	Iowa Code 562A.12 (Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Law)
New Mexico	One month's rentThe one-month cap applies only to rental agreements shorter than one year: the owner may not demand or receive a deposit above one month's rent (NMSA 47-8-18(A)(2)). For an annual rental agreement there is no fixed cap, but the deposit must be reasonable, and if it exceeds one month's rent the owner must pay the resident interest on it every year at the passbook rate referenced in the statute (47-8-18(A)(1)). Last month's prepaid rent required by the lease is not counted as a deposit under this section (47-8-18(B)).	30 days	Required	NMSA 1978, 47-8-18 (Uniform Owner-Resident Relations Act)
Indiana	No statewide capOther deposit rules still apply, and a city or county may set its own limit.	45 days	Required	Indiana Code 32-31-3-9 through 32-31-3-16
Missouri	Two months' rentA landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit of more than two months' rent (RSMo 535.300.1). The statute's definition of security deposit excludes money or property denominated as a deposit for a pet, so a separately labeled pet deposit is outside this section (535.300.8). The two-times damages remedy has been held not to apply to commercial tenants (PDQ Tower Services, Inc. v. Adams, Mo. App. 2007, noted on the official section page).	30 days	Required	RSMo 535.300

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, California and Washington 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, Arizona, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, Colorado, Iowa, New Mexico and Missouri cap the deposit. Illinois, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Washington and Indiana 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

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.

Rent increase notice periods by state