Landlord-Tenant Law by State (2026)
The rules that actually bind small landlords — deposits, late fees, notice periods — with the statute cited and a last-verified date on every value. States appear here once enough of their rules are verified; we never publish a guess.
Alaska
4 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 14 days
Arizona
4 verified rules — e.g. maximum deposit: 1.5 months' rent (a tenant may voluntarily pay more).
California
6 verified rules — e.g. maximum deposit: One month's rent (AB 12, effective July 1, 2024). A small landlord who owns no more than 2 residential properties with 4 or fewer total units may collect up to two months' rent.
Colorado
6 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 30 days
Connecticut
6 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 30 days
Delaware
5 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 20 days
Florida
8 verified rules — e.g. maximum deposit: No statutory limit on the deposit amount.
Hawaii
4 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 14 days
Illinois
4 verified rules — e.g. maximum deposit: No statewide limit. Some cities (e.g., Chicago) impose their own rules.
Iowa
6 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 30 days
Maine
5 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 30 days
Maryland
6 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 45 days
Massachusetts
8 verified rules — e.g. maximum deposit: One month's rent.
Michigan
4 verified rules — e.g. maximum deposit: 1.5 months' rent.
Minnesota
7 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 21 days
Montana
4 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 30 days
Nevada
5 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 30 days
New Hampshire
4 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 30 days
New Jersey
6 verified rules — e.g. maximum deposit: 1.5 months' rent.
New Mexico
6 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 30 days
New York
8 verified rules — e.g. maximum deposit: One month's rent (since the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act).
North Carolina
4 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 30 days
Ohio
5 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 30 days
Oregon
6 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 31 days
Pennsylvania
5 verified rules — e.g. maximum deposit: Up to 2 months' rent in the first year; no more than 1 month's rent thereafter.
Rhode Island
4 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 20 days
South Dakota
4 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 14 days
Texas
7 verified rules — e.g. maximum deposit: No statutory limit on the deposit amount.
Vermont
4 verified rules — e.g. return deadline: 14 days
Virginia
6 verified rules — e.g. maximum deposit: 2 months' rent.
In the verification queue
Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. Their pages publish as we verify each rule against the statute — the state-aware calculators already cover several of these with per-value confidence flags.