Security deposit return deadlines by state

Your landlord's deadline to return your deposit depends on the state, and ranges from 14 to 60 days after you move out. In 9 states there are two deadlines: a shorter one when nothing is withheld, and a longer one when deductions are claimed. The table below lists every state with the statute behind it.

How to read the table

Return deadline is in days after move-out unless your state counts from another event. Where two numbers appear, the first applies when the landlord keeps nothing and the second when deductions are claimed.

Itemized statement means the landlord must send a written breakdown of anything they keep, not just a total.

Statute links to the primary source, so you can read the rule yourself rather than take ours for it.

Deadlines by state

Why do some states have two deadlines?

Because keeping none of the deposit is a simpler transaction than keeping some of it.

In 9 states the law gives the landlord less time when there is nothing to explain, and more time when they need to prepare an itemization: Alaska (14/30), Florida (15/30), Illinois (45/30), Kansas (14/30), Kentucky (30/60), Maine (21/30), Montana (10/30), North Carolina (30/60), South Dakota (14/45).

If you are counting days, count against the deadline that matches what actually happened in your case.

What if I left before the lease ended?

The re-rent column matters most here. In 38 of the 51 jurisdictions a landlord cannot simply charge you the remaining term — they must make reasonable efforts to re-let, and can generally claim only what they actually lost. In 10 the position is weaker, and in three — New Hampshire, South Dakota and West Virginia — the law is genuinely unsettled.

Either way the deposit still has to be itemized and still has to meet your state's deadline. See I left before my lease ended, and if problems with the property are why you left, I left because of problems with the rental.

When does the clock start?

Usually at move-out, but not always.

Some states start it when you return possession, some when the tenancy legally ends, and some when you provide a forwarding address in writing. That last one matters: if your state counts from the forwarding address and you never sent one, the landlord may have a defence — and sending one now, in writing, may start the clock.

What if my landlord missed the deadline?

It is generally a breach of the statute, and in many states it weakens or removes the landlord's right to keep any of the deposit, even for real damage. Most states also allow a penalty above the deposit where the landlord acted in bad faith.

What follows depends on your state and your facts. We cover the general picture in my landlord didn't return my security deposit.

What is the next step?

A written demand naming the deadline that was missed, sent in a way that proves delivery.

SecurityDeposit.co creates that letter for your state and your situation, ready to sign and send by certified mail.

Last reviewed: 30 August 2026. Deadlines and limits change. Each row cites the statute so you can confirm the current text before relying on it.

Sources. Every row names the statute it comes from, so each figure can be checked against the statute text directly. Small claims limits and procedures come from each state's court system; deadline values were verified against statute text.

SecurityDeposit.co applies these rules to a renter's own facts and produces the written demand that follows.