We publish only deadlines checked against the current statute text — several popular guides still carry outdated numbers (Washington's 21 days became 30 in 2023, Connecticut's 30 became 21 under the 2023 reform act, Illinois's 30 became 45 in 2024, and Alabama is 60 days, not the 35 many sites print). Kentucky, Tennessee and Wyoming have no statutory return deadline — there the lease terms govern. Meanwhile HUD's tenant-rights portal links each state's official resources, and USA.gov lists every state consumer-protection office for complaints.
| State | Refund deadline | Clock starts on | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 21 calendar days | Move-out (vacate) | Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5 |
| New York | 14 calendar days | Move-out (vacate) | N.Y. GOL §7-108(1-a) |
| Texas | 30 calendar days | Surrender (move-out) | Tex. Prop. Code §92.103 |
| Florida | 15 calendar days (30-day written notice if claiming) | Lease termination | Fla. Stat. §83.49(3) |
| Washington | 30 calendar days | Later of termination or move-out | RCW 59.18.280 |
| Colorado | 1 calendar month (lease may extend to 60 days max) | Later of termination or surrender | C.R.S. §38-12-103 |
| Arizona | 14 days excluding weekends & legal holidays | Latest of termination, surrender, or written demand | A.R.S. §33-1321(D) |
| Wisconsin | 21 calendar days | Earliest of termination, new tenant start, or knowledge of vacancy | Wis. Adm. Code ATCP 134.06(2) |
| Alabama | 60 calendar days | Later of termination and possession | Ala. Code §35-9A-201 |
| Pennsylvania | 30 calendar days | Later of termination or surrender | 68 P.S. §250.512 |
| Illinois | 45 calendar days (30-day statement deadline; 30 before the 2024 amendment) | Move-out (vacate) | 765 ILCS 710/1 |
| Massachusetts | 30 calendar days | Termination of tenancy | Mass. Gen. Laws c.186 §15B |
| New Jersey | 30 calendar days | Lease termination | N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.9 |
| Connecticut | 21 calendar days — or 15 days after your forwarding address, whichever is later | Termination of tenancy | Conn. Gen. Stat. §47a-21 |
| Ohio | 30 calendar days | Later of termination and possession | Ohio Rev. Code §5321.16 |
| Michigan | 30 calendar days | Termination of occupancy | Mich. Comp. Laws §554.614 |
| Indiana | 45 calendar days | Later of termination and possession | Ind. Code §32-31-3-12 |
| Missouri | 30 calendar days | Termination of tenancy | Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.300 |
| Georgia | 30 calendar days (one month) | Later of termination and possession | O.C.G.A. §44-7-55 |
| North Carolina | 30 calendar days | Termination of tenancy | N.C.G.S. §42-52 |
| South Carolina | 30 calendar days | Latest of termination, possession, or written demand | S.C. Code §27-40-410 |
| Minnesota | 21 calendar days | Tenancy end plus forwarding address | Minn. Stat. §504B.178 |
| Maryland | 45 calendar days plus interest | End of tenancy | Md. Code, Real Prop. §8-203 |
| Virginia | 45 calendar days | Lease termination | Va. Code §55.1-1226 |
| Idaho | 21 calendar days (lease may set longer, never past 30) | Surrender (move-out) | Idaho Code §6-321 |
| Montana | 30 calendar days (10 days when nothing is deducted) | Move-out (vacate) | Mont. Code Ann. §70-25-202/206 |
| Nebraska | 14 calendar days | Termination with demand or payment location | Neb. Rev. Stat. §76-1416 |
| Iowa | 30 calendar days | Later of termination and possession | Iowa Code §562A.12 |
| Kansas | 14 days after deductions are set — never past 30 days | Termination with possession or forwarding address | K.S.A. §58-2550 |
| Nevada | 30 calendar days | End of tenancy | NRS §118A.242 |
| Utah | 30 calendar days — or 15 days after your forwarding address, whichever is later | Vacate and possession | Utah Code §57-17-3 |
| Oregon | 31 calendar days | Later of termination and possession | ORS §90.300 |
| New Mexico | 30 calendar days | Lease termination | NMSA §47-8-18 |
| North Dakota | 30 calendar days | Move-out (vacate) | N.D. Cent. Code §47-16-07.1 |
| South Dakota | 14 days after termination and forwarding address (45 days when estimates are needed) | Termination and forwarding address | S.D. Codified Laws §43-32-24 |
| Oklahoma | 45 calendar days (30 for deposits under $125); request within 6 months | Termination and forwarding address | 41 O.S. §115 |
| Arkansas | 60 calendar days | Move-out (vacate) | A.C.A. §18-16-305 |
| Louisiana | One calendar month | Lease termination | La. Rev. Stat. §9:3251 |
| Mississippi | 45 calendar days | Later of end of tenancy and possession | Miss. Code §89-8-21 |
| Maine | 21 calendar days (tenancies at will; written leases set their own) | Later of termination or surrender | 14 M.R.S. §6033 |
| New Hampshire | 30 calendar days plus interest (20 extra days to itemize) | Termination of tenancy | N.H. RSA 540-A |
| Rhode Island | 20 calendar days | Latest of termination, possession, or forwarding address | R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-19 |
| Vermont | 14 calendar days (60 for seasonal rentals) | When the landlord learns you left | 9 V.S.A. §4461 |
| Delaware | 20 calendar days | Later of lease termination and vacating | 25 Del. C. §5514 |
| West Virginia | 60 calendar days (45 without a forwarding address) | Termination of tenancy | W. Va. Code §37-6A-1 |
| Alaska | 14 calendar days (30 when deductions are claimed) | Surrender and vacate | Alaska Stat. §34.03.070 |
| Hawaii | 14 calendar days | Later of termination or surrender | HRS §521-44 |
| District of Columbia | 45 calendar days plus interest | Termination of tenancy | D.C. Code §42-3502.17 |
The deadline is not "move-out plus 30 days" everywhere. Most states start the clock on the move-out or surrender date, but several start it on the lease termination date instead — Washington, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Alabama take whichever is later, Wisconsin takes the earliest of three different events, and Arizona won't even start the clock until the tenant demands the deposit in writing. Arizona is also the only verified state that counts business days rather than calendar days. Colorado's clock advances a full calendar month (with the lease allowed to stretch it to 60 days), which is why a January 31 move-out lands on February 28, not March 2 or 3.
The statement travels with the check: in every verified state the itemized list of deductions is due at the same time as the refund, and skipping it costs the landlord the right to withhold anything in New York, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. Interest rules exist but are conditional — Florida pays interest only where the deposit sat in a bond or designated account, and Pennsylvania escrow interest starts in year three — so this calculator shows them as notes rather than computing them.
Deadline passed and the check still hasn't come? The security deposit demand letter generator turns this same verified statute data into a formal, printable letter — deadline, citation and demand amount filled in.
It depends on the state, and the stakes differ sharply. Florida, New York, and Washington: the landlord forfeits the right to keep any part of the deposit. Texas: missing the 30-day window is presumptively bad faith — $100 plus three times the wrongfully withheld amount plus attorney's fees. Colorado: three times the wrongfully withheld portion for willful retention, after a 7-day written demand. Alabama: twice the entire deposit. Washington adds up to 2× more for willful refusal. The result card above shows your state's exact rule.
No. The clock starts on the trigger event — vacating, surrender, lease termination, or in Arizona the tenant's written demand — and the deadline falls the stated number of days after that day. A landlord who returns the deposit early is fine; one who waits until the last calendar day is also fine, even if that day lands on a weekend (except in Arizona, which skips weekends and legal holidays).
Unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear and tear, and cleaning to return the unit to move-in condition — itemized, with receipts where required (California requires receipts for any deduction over $125, and allows a good-faith estimate for unfinished repairs with 14 days to send final receipts). Some states add their own wrinkles: Washington bars carpet-cleaning charges unless there is damage beyond ordinary wear, Wisconsin caps deductions at six statutory categories unless the lease signed nonstandard provisions, and Colorado requires a 7-day written demand before a tenant sues for the triple penalty.
No — it's a calculator over the statutes, cited and dated so you can read the source yourself. Local ordinances (some California cities, for example) can add rules on top of state law, and commercial leases are governed by different law entirely. For a real dispute, a local tenant-rights clinic or attorney is the right call; this page exists so you walk in knowing the deadline and the statute.