Guide · updated 2026-11-04
Security deposit return deadlines by state (2026)
How long a landlord has to return a security deposit is state law, not one national rule. The table below covers the 12 states we have checked against the statute and a second state-official source: the deadline, whether an itemized statement is required, and what the statute says a late return can cost.
| State | Deadline | If the deadline is missed | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 21 calendar days after the date you moved out | If the deposit is not returned on time and if a court finds the landlord acted in bad faith, the statute allows statutory damages of up to 2× the amount of the deposit, in addition to actual damages. | Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5 |
| Florida | 15 calendar days after the date you moved out | If if the required written notice was not given, the landlord forfeits the right to impose a claim on the deposit. | Fla. Stat. § 83.49(3) |
| Illinois | 45 calendar days after the later of the date your right of possession ended and the date you moved out | If if the landlord refused to supply the itemized statement, or supplied it in bad faith, and also failed to return the deposit within the time limits, the statute provides for 2× the security deposit due to the tenant, plus reasonable… | 765 ILCS 710/1 |
| Maryland | 45 calendar days after the date the tenancy ended | If if the condition the statute sets out is met, the statute provides for 3× the amount due to the tenant, plus reasonable attorney’s fees. | Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203 |
| Massachusetts | 30 calendar days after the date your occupancy ended | If if the statutory deadline is missed, the statute awards damages equal to 3× the amount of the security deposit or the balance of it, plus reasonable attorney’s fees. | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 15B |
| Michigan | 30 calendar days after the date your occupancy ended | If if the condition the statute sets out is met, the statute provides for 2× the amount due to the tenant. | MCL 554.609, 554.610, 554.613 (Act 348 of 1972) |
| New Jersey | 30 calendar days after the date the tenancy ended | If if the court finds for the tenant, the statute provides for 2× the moneys due to the tenant, plus attorney’s fees in the court’s discretion and court costs. | N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.1 |
| New York | 14 calendar days after the date you moved out | If if the failure was willful, the statute provides: forfeiture of any right to retain any portion of the deposit; punitive damages of up to 2× the amount of the deposit. | N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108 |
| North Carolina | 30 calendar days after the later of the date the tenancy ended and the date you returned possession | If if the failure was willful, the landlord forfeits any right to retain any portion of the deposit, and damages resulting from the noncompliance may also be recoverable; attorney’s fees in the court’s discretion may also be awarded. | N.C.G.S. §§ 42-51, 42-52, 42-55 |
| Pennsylvania | 30 calendar days after the earlier of the date the tenancy ended and the date you surrendered the premises | If if the 30-day deadline was missed, the statute provides for 2× the amount by which the escrow deposit exceeds the actual damages. | 68 P.S. § 250.512 |
| Texas | 30 calendar days after the date you surrendered the premises | If if a court finds the landlord acted in bad faith, the statute provides: a fixed amount of $100.00; 3× the portion of the deposit wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney’s fees. | Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.103, 92.104, 92.109 |
| Virginia | 45 calendar days after the later of the date the tenancy ended and the date you moved out | If if the failure was willful, the statute provides for return of the deposit plus actual damages and reasonable attorney’s fees. No fixed multiplier is recorded for this state, so this page does not state one. | Va. Code § 55.1-1226 |
What the deadline actually counts
Three things decide the date, and they are easy to mix up: the event the clock starts from (the day you moved out, the day the tenancy ended, or the later of the two), whether the count is in calendar days or business days, and whether the landlord must also send an itemized statement of deductions by the same date. A demand letter that names the wrong start event looks careless even when the rest of it is right.
Why a second official source matters
A state row on this site opens for purchase only after two official sources agree on the deadline, the deduction rules and the penalty: the statute itself and a second state-official page — a court self-help page, an attorney general guide, or a housing agency. Where the sources disagree, or only one covers a point, the state stays closed and its page says why.
Get the letter for your state
Pick your state, enter the deposit, what came back and your dates, and read the whole letter before paying — watermarked, no card. $9.99 for the letter, $19.99 for the pack with the follow-up letter, complaint options and the small-claims checklist.
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Compiled from each state's own statute; every state page carries the official source links and the review date. This is general information, not legal advice, and deadlines change — check the linked statute before relying on a row. 3 more states are researched but still under review and are not offered yet.