Security Deposit & Lease Laws by State

Every state writes its own rules for residential leases: how much security deposit a landlord may charge, how fast it must come back after move-out, what notice ends a tenancy, and where local ordinances stack extra limits on top. Pick your state below for the numbers, the statute citation and a lease generator that already knows them.

What each state page covers

Four numbers decide most deposit disputes: the cap (usually one or two months’ rent, occasionally unlimited), the return deadline (fourteen to sixty days after move-out in most states), whether interest must be paid on held deposits, and the exact statute that says so. Each state page also carries the practical layer — documented deduction requirements, move-out inspection habits, and the city-level caps that sit on top of state law in places with rent regulation. Of the fifty states, 27 cap deposits at a defined amount; the rest leave the market to set the number, which makes the lease clause itself the only protection.

How to use this reference

Landlords: open your state, read the cap and deadline, then generate a lease that quotes them — a clause that mirrors statute ends arguments before they start. Tenants: check your state’s page before signing anything with a deposit above the cap or a return deadline longer than statute; both are fixable at the negotiation stage and nearly unfixable after. Every page links straight into the generator with your state pre-loaded, so the numbers on the page become the numbers in your lease with no retyping.

Choose your state

Rules verified against statute — citations on every page. Last update October 10, 2026.