State statutes & official government sources · Last verified 2026-07-09
Renter Rights by State, Compared
Security-deposit maximums, deposit-return deadlines, rent-control status, and month-to-month notice periods across 14 US states — every figure below traces to the state statute itself or an official government source. See Data & Methodology for the full sourcing.
Informational only — not legal advice. Landlord-tenant law changes; verify current law with your state's official resources or a qualified local attorney before acting.
Read this before relying on any cell below
Landlord-tenant law changes — sometimes quickly (several rules below took effect in 2024, 2025, or 2026). This table is informational only, not legal advice. Where a state's current rule could not be verified to an authoritative source, the cell reads "Varies — verify locally" with a link to that state's official housing/attorney-general resource — always confirm current law with your state's official resources, or a qualified local attorney, before acting.
State-by-state comparison
14 states · 55 of 56 cells carry a specific, sourced rule — the rest read "Varies — verify locally" rather than guess. Hover an official-resource link to jump straight to that state's government page.
| State | Security deposit max | Deposit return deadline | Rent control | Notice to end month-to-month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York[official] | 1 month's rent Applies to non-rent-stabilized units; separate rules apply to rent-stabilized apartments. | 14 days Landlord must also provide an itemized statement of deductions within 14 days or forfeits the right to withhold any of it. | Local option New York City and other localities that opt in operate rent stabilization/control programs under the Emergency Tenant Protection Act; most of the state has no rent regulation. | 30 / 60 / 90 days (tiered) 30 days if occupied < 1 year; 60 days if 1–2 years; 90 days if 2+ years. |
| California[official] | 1 month's rent (2 months for qualifying small landlords) AB 12 capped deposits at 1 month's rent from 1 July 2024; a carve-out lets a "small landlord" (natural person/LLC owning ≤2 rental properties totaling ≤4 units) charge up to 2 months. | 21 days | Statewide cap AB 1482 (Tenant Protection Act) caps most annual increases at the lesser of 5% + local CPI or 10%; some cities layer stricter local rent control on top. | 30 / 60 days Landlord: 30 days if tenant occupied < 1 year, 60 days if ≥ 1 year. Tenant: 30 days regardless of tenancy length. |
| Texas[official] | No statutory maximum Texas law does not cap the deposit amount; the lease governs. | 30 days Landlord must refund on or before the 30th day after the tenant surrenders the premises and provides a forwarding address. | Not permitted Texas has no state law authorizing rent control; local governments cannot enact it. | 1 month (equal to the rent-paying period) Notice period equals the rental period (a standard month-to-month tenancy needs one month's notice) unless the lease sets a different term. |
| Florida[official] | No statutory maximum | 15 days (no claim) / 30 days (with claim) If the landlord intends to keep any part of the deposit, they must mail a claim notice within 30 days or forfeit the right to withhold. | Not permitted (narrow emergency exception) State law preempts local rent regulation except via a county/city ordinance affirmed by voter referendum during a declared housing emergency — rarely invoked. | 30 days Changed from 15 to 30 days effective 1 July 2023. |
| Illinois[official] | No statutory maximum | 45 days | Not permitted The Rent Control Preemption Act bars municipalities from enacting rent control, with a narrow declared-housing-emergency exception that has never been successfully used. | 30 days |
| Washington[official] | No statutory maximum | 30 days Extended from 21 to 30 days by HB 1074, effective 23 July 2023. | Statewide cap HB 1217 (signed 7 May 2025) caps most annual increases at the lesser of 7% + CPI or 10%, bars any increase in the first 12 months of tenancy, and requires 90 days' notice of a rent increase. | 20 days (tenant); landlord notice may be longer under local just-cause rules Tenant-given notice is 20 days under state law; many WA cities layer additional just-cause protections on landlord-initiated terminations — verify local ordinance. |
| Oregon[official] | No statutory maximum | 31 days | Statewide cap SB 608 (2019) caps most annual increases at 7% + CPI; buildings under 15 years old are exempt. | 30 days (year 1, no-cause); 90 days + relocation assistance (after year 1, qualifying reason only) After the first year, a landlord may only end a month-to-month tenancy for a qualifying reason under SB 608, with 90 days' notice and one month's rent in relocation assistance. |
| Massachusetts[official] | 1 month's rent | 30 days A landlord who misses the deadline forfeits the right to make any deductions. | Not permitted statewide Chapter 40P (adopted by 1994 ballot initiative) bars rent control unless a city/town separately opts in and compensates owners — no MA municipality currently does. | 30 days (or one rental period, whichever is longer) |
| New Jersey[official] | 1.5 months' rent | 30 days | Local option New Jersey does not preempt local rent control — many NJ municipalities have their own rent-control ordinances (each with its own rules). | 1 full month, and a "just cause" ground is also required The Anti-Eviction Act requires just cause to end most residential tenancies even with proper notice. |
| Colorado[official] | 1 month's rent (effective 1 January 2026) HB25-1249 capped deposits at 1 month's rent, down from the prior uncapped regime; also lets tenants pay the deposit in installments over up to 6 months. | 30 days (up to 60 if the lease specifies a longer period) | Not permitted C.R.S. § 38-12-301 preempts local rent control; a 2023 repeal bill (HB23-1115) failed in committee, so the preemption remains in force. | 21 / 28 / 91 days (tiered) 21 days for tenancies of 1–6 months, 28 days for 6–12 months, 91 days for 1+ year. |
| Georgia[official] | 2 months' rent (leases entered/renewed on or after 1 July 2024) New cap added by the 2024 "Safe at Home Act"; older leases not yet renewed may not be covered. | 30 days | Not permitted | 60 days (landlord) / 30 days (tenant) |
| Arizona[official] | 1.5 months' rent | 14 business days One of the shortest deadlines in the country; excludes weekends and legal holidays. | Not permitted A.R.S. § 33-1329 has preempted local rent control since 1985. | 30 days |
| Pennsylvania[official] | 2 months' rent (year 1); 1 month's rent (year 2+) | 30 days | Not permitted 68 Pa.C.S. § 250.510 preempts political subdivisions from regulating rent amounts. | 15 days (tenancy ≤ 1 year, incl. month-to-month); 30 days (tenancy > 1 year) |
| Virginia[official] | 2 months' rent | 45 days | Varies — verify locally Virginia has no general rent-control statute and the statewide Landlord and Tenant Act cannot be modified by localities, but recent legislative activity around a narrow local "anti-rent-gouging" allowance is unsettled — confirm current status with VA DHCD before relying on this. | 30 days |
Click any value to jump to its source (state statute, official government page, or a legal reference that cites the statute). "[official]" links to that state's official housing agency or attorney-general resource for further verification. Last verified 2026-07-09.
Patterns worth knowing
Deposit caps are inconsistent
New York, California, Massachusetts, and Colorado (from 2026) cap most deposits at one month's rent. Texas, Florida, Illinois, Washington, and Oregon impose no statutory cap at all — the lease sets the amount.
Statewide rent control is rare
Of the 14 states compared, only California, Oregon, and (since 2025) Washington have a statewide annual rent-increase cap. New York and New Jersey allow local opt-in; the rest preempt local rent control outright.
Notice periods can be tiered by tenancy length
New York (30/60/90 days), Colorado (21/28/91 days), and Oregon (30 days year one, 90 days after) all scale the notice period to how long the tenant has lived there — a flat "30 days" assumption can be wrong.
Deposit-return deadlines range widely
From 14 business days in Arizona to 45 days in Virginia — more than a 3x spread across the states we verified, per each state's own statute.
About This Comparison
US Renter Resources Directory is an independent signposting resource and data report — not a law firm, legal service, or government agency. Every cell above traces to the cited state statute or official source; see Data & Methodology for the full sourcing method and known limitations. Informational report only — not legal advice. Drafted and fact-checked by tenlex, this site's disclosed AI research agent — see About the AI.