2026 report · 50 states + DC
Late fees and security deposits by state: the 2026 report
We read the residential tenancy statute of every state and the District of Columbia — the text itself, not a summary — and wrote down what each one says about late fees and security deposits. Here is what we found.
By Ben, Co-founder of Proprietio · Statutes read on 2026-11-09
Key findings
- Late fees: 12 jurisdictions put a number on them in the statute, 7 more set a rule that depends on the situation, and 27 set no cap at all — the fee only has to be in the lease and reasonable. (5 could not be confirmed against the statute text and are left out of every count.)
- 13 require a grace period before any late fee. The longest: Massachusetts (30 days), Maine (15 days), Connecticut (9 days).
- Security deposits: 22 jurisdictions cap them — 11 at 1 month, 3 at 1.5 months, 7 at 2 months, 1 at 3 months of rent — 9 set a cap that depends on the lease or the landlord, and 20 set none.
- The shortest return deadline is 14 days (Alaska, Hawaii, Nebraska, New York, Vermont); the longest is 60 days (Alabama, Arkansas, West Virginia).
- 12 require interest on the deposit in some situations: Connecticut, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania.
- 10 changes since 2023 in the rules below, listed with their dates.
What changed since 2023
- 2023 — Connecticut shortened the deposit return deadline from 30 to 21 days, and capped late fees (P.A. 23-207). statute
- 2024-01-01 — Illinois's deposit return rules now cover every residential landlord, not only those with five or more units. statute
- 2024-07-01 — California limits the security deposit to one month of rent, furnished or not (AB 12), with an exception for small landlords. statute
- 2024-07-01 — Georgia caps the security deposit at two months of rent for leases signed or renewed on or after July 1, 2024 (HB 404). statute
- 2024-10-01 — Maryland cut the security deposit cap from two months to one month of rent (Renters' Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024). statute
- 2025-06-20 — New Mexico cut its late fee cap from 10% to 5% of the rent for the period in default (SB 267). statute
- 2025-10-01 — Maryland's 5% late fee cap now applies to the unpaid rent, not the whole rent due. statute
- 2025-11 — New York extended its one-month deposit cap and 14-day return rule to rent-stabilized units (Chapter 436 of 2025). statute
- 2026-01-01 — Colorado bars late fees on anything other than rent, such as separately billed utilities (HB25-1090). statute
- 2026-07-01 — South Dakota extended the deposit return deadline from two weeks to 21 days (SB 4). statute
State by state
Statewide rules only. A city or county can add its own. Each source is the page we read the statute on.
| State | Late fee cap | Grace | Deposit cap | Return deadline | Interest | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No statutory cap | None | 1 month | 60 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Alaska | No statutory cap | None | Depends — see the rule | 14 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Arizona | No statutory cap | None | 1.5 months | 14 business days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Arkansas | No statutory cap | None | Depends — see the rule | 60 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| California | No statutory cap | None | Depends — see the rule | 21 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Colorado | Greater of 5% of the overdue rent or $50 | 7 days | 2 months | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Connecticut | Depends — see the rule | 9 days | 2 months | 21 days | Yes, in some cases | late fee · deposit |
| Delaware | 5% of monthly rent | 5 days | Depends — see the rule | 20 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| District of Columbia | 5% of monthly rent | 5 days | 1 month | 45 days | Yes, in some cases | late fee · deposit |
| Florida | No statutory cap | None | No statutory cap | 15 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Georgia | No statutory cap | None | 2 months | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Hawaii | 8% of monthly rent | None | 1 month | 14 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Idaho | No statutory cap | None | No statutory cap | 21 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Illinois | Not yet verified | — | No statutory cap | 45 days | — | deposit |
| Indiana | Not yet verified | — | No statutory cap | 45 days | No | deposit |
| Iowa | Depends — see the rule | None | 2 months | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Kansas | No statutory cap | None | Depends — see the rule | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Kentucky | Not yet verified | — | Depends — see the rule | See the rule | No | deposit |
| Louisiana | Not yet verified | — | No statutory cap | See the rule | No | deposit |
| Maine | 4% of monthly rent | 15 days | 2 months | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Maryland | 5% of the overdue rent | None | 1 month | 45 days | Yes, in some cases | late fee · deposit |
| Massachusetts | No statutory cap | 30 days | 1 month | 30 days | Yes, in some cases | late fee · deposit |
| Michigan | No statutory cap | None | 1.5 months | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Minnesota | 8% of the overdue rent | None | No statutory cap | 21 days | Yes, in some cases | late fee · deposit |
| Mississippi | Not yet verified | — | No statutory cap | 45 days | No | deposit |
| Missouri | No statutory cap | None | 2 months | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Montana | No statutory cap | None | No statutory cap | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Nebraska | No statutory cap | None | 1 month | 14 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Nevada | 5% of monthly rent | 3 days | 3 months | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| New Hampshire | No statutory cap | None | 1 month | 30 days | Yes, in some cases | late fee · deposit |
| New Jersey | Depends — see the rule | None | 1.5 months | 30 days | Yes, in some cases | late fee · deposit |
| New Mexico | 5% of monthly rent | None | Depends — see the rule | 30 days | Yes, in some cases | late fee · deposit |
| New York | Lesser of 5% of monthly rent or $50 | 5 days | 1 month | 14 days | Yes, in some cases | late fee · deposit |
| North Carolina | Greater of 5% of monthly rent or $15 | 5 days | Depends — see the rule | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| North Dakota | No statutory cap | None | 1 month | 30 days | Yes, in some cases | late fee · deposit |
| Ohio | No statutory cap | None | No statutory cap | 30 days | Yes, in some cases | late fee · deposit |
| Oklahoma | No statutory cap | None | No statutory cap | 45 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Oregon | Depends — see the rule | 4 days | No statutory cap | 31 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Pennsylvania | No statutory cap | None | Depends — see the rule | 30 days | Yes, in some cases | late fee · deposit |
| Rhode Island | No statutory cap | None | 1 month | 20 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| South Carolina | No statutory cap | None | No statutory cap | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| South Dakota | No statutory cap | None | 1 month | 21 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Tennessee | Depends — see the rule | 4 days | No statutory cap | See the rule | No | late fee · deposit |
| Texas | Depends — see the rule | 2 days | No statutory cap | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Utah | Greater of 10% of monthly rent or $75 | None | No statutory cap | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Vermont | No statutory cap | None | No statutory cap | 14 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Virginia | Depends — see the rule | None | 2 months | 45 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Washington | No statutory cap | 5 days | No statutory cap | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| West Virginia | No statutory cap | None | No statutory cap | 60 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Wisconsin | No statutory cap | None | No statutory cap | 21 days | No | late fee · deposit |
| Wyoming | No statutory cap | None | No statutory cap | 30 days | No | late fee · deposit |
How we did it
For each jurisdiction we read the statute text — on the legislature's own site, or a full-text copy of the code when the official site was down — including amendments passed from 2023 to 2026, and kept the operative sentence and the page we read it on. Where a rule could not be confirmed against the text that day, we say so and give no number. Statewide residential rules only; city ordinances (Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia…) are not in the numbers.
The same data runs our free late fee calculator and security deposit calculator, which compute the cap for a given rent. This is not legal advice.
Cite this report
Journalists, associations and educators: you are welcome to cite these figures with a link to this page.
Proprietio, « Late fees and security deposits by state: the 2026 report », 2026-11-09. https://www.proprietio.com/late-fee-and-security-deposit-laws-by-state-2026