Reference Source

31 records

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit?

Across 31 records, deadline in days runs from 14 (5 states) to 45 (2 states), and 30 is the most common — 16 of them. Every value is transcribed from the source that states it and carries the sentence it was taken from: 31 sources across 31 sites, last checked 2026-08-26, due for re-check by 2027-08-26. Every record is listed below, each linking the page its value came from.

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About this data

Every state sets a statutory deadline for a landlord to return a tenant's security deposit, or to send an itemized statement of what is being withheld, after the tenancy ends. The number differs by state (14 days in Hawaii and Nebraska, 45 in Maryland and Virginia), and so does the event that starts the clock — some states run it from termination of the tenancy, some from the day the tenant hands back possession, and some from the day the tenant supplies a forwarding address, whichever is later. That trigger is where most comparison charts are silent and where disputes actually start. Each record is one state, with the deadline exactly as the statute prints it, the clause that starts the clock, any second deadline the same section sets and the condition it applies under, and the statute citation, each backed by a verbatim quote from the state's own statute site. 31 states so far; a state is here only where its own legislature or code revisor serves the section as readable text. Answers 'how long does my landlord have to return my deposit in [state]' and 'which states give landlords the longest to return a deposit'.

The data

StateReturn deadlineDeadline in daysWhat starts the clockStatuteSecond deadline, and when it applies
Arizonafourteen days14after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession and demand by the tenantAriz. Rev. Stat. § 33-1321(D)
California21 calendar days21after the tenant has vacated the premisesCal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(1)
Coloradoone month30after the termination of a lease or surrender and acceptance of the premises, whichever occurs lastColo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-103(1)sixty days, the cap where the lease specifies a longer period
Connecticuttwenty-one days21after termination of a tenancy or fifteen days after receiving written notification of such tenant's forwarding address, whichever is laterConn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d)(2)
Delaware20 days20of the expiration or termination of the rental agreement25 Del. C. § 5514(e), (f)
Florida15 days15after the termination of the rental agreementFla. Stat. § 83.49(3)(a)30 days, if the landlord intends to impose a claim on the deposit
Hawaiifourteen days14after the termination of the rental agreementHaw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44(c)
Idahotwenty-one (21) days21after surrender of the premises by the tenantIdaho Code § 6-321(2)thirty (30) days, the outer limit where the agreement fixes a longer time
Illinois30 days30of the date that the lessee vacated the leased premises or within 30 days of the date the lessee's right of possession ends, whichever is later765 ILCS 710/1(a)
Iowathirty days30from the date of termination of the tenancy and receipt of the tenant’s mailing address or delivery instructionsIowa Code § 562A.12(3)
Kansas14 days14after the determination of the amount of such expenses, damages or other chargesKan. Stat. Ann. § 58-2550(b)30 days, the outer limit after termination of the tenancy, delivery of possession and demand by the tenant
Maine30 days30after the termination of the tenancy or the surrender and acceptance of the premises, whichever occurs later14 M.R.S. § 6033(2)21 days, in the case of a tenancy at will
Maryland45 days45after the end of the tenancyMd. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203(e)(1)
Massachusettsthirty days30after the termination of occupancy under a tenancy-at-will or the end of the tenancy as specified in a valid written lease agreementMass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 15B(4)
Michigan30 days30after the termination of occupancyMich. Comp. Laws § 554.609
Minnesotathree weeks21after termination of the tenancyMinn. Stat. § 504B.178, subd. 3
Missourithirty days30after the date of termination of the tenancyMo. Rev. Stat. § 535.300(3)
Montana30 days30subsequent to the termination of a tenancy or within 30 days subsequent to a surrender and acceptance of the leasehold premises, whichever occurs firstMont. Code Ann. § 70-25-202(1)(a)(i)
Nebraskafourteen days14after the date of termination of the tenancyNeb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1416(2)
Nevada30 days30after the termination of the tenancyNev. Rev. Stat. § 118A.242(4)
New Hampshire30 days30from the termination of the tenancyN.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540-A:7, I
North Carolina30 days30after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession of the premises to the landlordN.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-5260 days, for the final accounting where the claim cannot be determined within 30 days
North Dakotathirty days30after termination of the lease and delivery of possession by the lesseeN.D. Cent. Code § 47-16-07.1(2)
Ohiothirty days30after termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possessionOhio Rev. Code § 5321.16(B)
Oregon31 days31after the tenancy terminates and the tenant delivers possession to the landlordOr. Rev. Stat. § 90.300(13)
Rhode Islandtwenty (20) days20after the later of either termination of the tenancy, delivery of possession, or the tenant’s providing the landlord with a forwarding address for the purpose of receiving the security depositR.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(b)
South Carolinathirty days30after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession and demand by the tenant, whichever is laterS.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-410(a)
Vermont14 days14from the date on which the landlord discovers that the tenant vacated or abandoned the dwelling unit or the date the tenant vacated the dwelling unit9 V.S.A. § 4461(c)60 days, for seasonal occupancy of a unit not intended as a primary residence
Virginia45 days45after the termination date of the tenancy or the date the tenant vacates the dwelling unit, whichever occurs lastVa. Code Ann. § 55.1-1226(A)
Washington30 days30after the termination of the rental agreement and vacation of the premisesWash. Rev. Code § 59.18.280(1)(a)
Wyomingthirty (30) days30after termination of the rental agreement or within fifteen (15) days after receipt of the renter's new mailing address, whichever is laterWyo. Stat. Ann. § 1-21-1208(a)

Where this came from

Every record above links the page it was taken from and quotes the sentence that states it. These are the 31 sources this dataset was assembled from.

Machine-readable

From your own code

Same records, same quotes, without scraping the page: refsource is on PyPI and npm. Each value comes back carrying the URL it was read from and the sentence on that page that states it — .source and .quote sit on the value itself rather than in a side channel, so the checking step is available instead of skipped.

pip install refsource
refsource lookup security-deposit-return-deadlines-by-state jurisdiction=Arizona

npx -y refsource lookup security-deposit-return-deadlines-by-state jurisdiction=Arizona

31 records. last verified against source . due for re-check by .

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