Readable version: Security deposit rules by state, explained state by state. Summary figures and charts: the data roundup. All site datasets: open data · data roundups.
What this dataset covers
The deposit cap in months of rent, the deadline to return a deposit and when it starts, the itemized statement, interest, how the deposit must be held and the penalty for keeping it wrongly, each with its statute citation.
Most often unconfirmed in this release: interest (24), holding (21), maxDeposit (11), penalty (7), itemizedStatement (2). Every row carries all of its official sources.
Field dictionary
| Field | Meaning | Type | In this release |
|---|---|---|---|
jurisdiction_code | Two-letter postal code of the state or DC. | string | 51 of 51 filled |
jurisdiction | State name (or District of Columbia). | string | 51 of 51 filled |
statute.cite | Statute section. | string | 49 of 51 filled |
statute.url | Link to the statute. | string (URL) | 35 of 51 filled |
statute.check | Note when the statute could not be read directly. | string (free text) | 16 of 51 filled |
maxDeposit.months | Cap on the deposit, in months of rent. | number | 29 of 51 filled; 1 to 3 |
maxDeposit.none | True when the state sets no cap. | boolean | 11 of 51 filled: true (11) |
maxDeposit.text | The cap rule in plain English. | string (free text) | 40 of 51 filled |
maxDeposit.check | Where to check when the cap is not confirmed. | string (free text) | 11 of 51 filled |
returnDeadline.days | Deadline to return the deposit. | integer | 49 of 51 filled; 1 to 60 |
returnDeadline.unit | days (calendar), business or month. | string (code) | 49 of 51 filled: days (47), business (1), month (1) |
returnDeadline.text | The deadline rule in plain English. | string (free text) | 50 of 51 filled |
returnDeadline.starts | When the deadline starts counting. | string (free text) | 49 of 51 filled |
returnDeadline.addressStart | Whether the clock waits for the tenant's forwarding address. | boolean | 51 of 51 filled: false (47), true (4) |
returnDeadline.noneStated | True when the law sets no general deadline. | boolean | 1 of 51 filled: true (1) |
returnDeadline.alt | Other deadlines for some cases: label, days, unit. | array of objects | 15 of 51 filled |
returnDeadline.check | Where to check when the deadline is not confirmed. | string (free text) | 1 of 51 filled |
itemizedStatement.value | Whether an itemized list of deductions is required. | boolean | 49 of 51 filled: true (49) |
itemizedStatement.text | Detail on the itemized list. | string (free text) | 49 of 51 filled |
itemizedStatement.check | Where to check when not confirmed. | string (free text) | 2 of 51 filled |
interest.value | Whether the landlord must pay interest on the deposit. | boolean | 25 of 51 filled: true (13), false (12) |
interest.text | Detail on interest. | string (free text) | 27 of 51 filled |
interest.rate2026 | Interest rate set for 2026, where published. | string | 1 of 51 filled |
interest.rateUrl | Source for that rate. | string (URL) | 1 of 51 filled |
interest.check | Where to check when not confirmed. | string (free text) | 24 of 51 filled |
holding.value | How the deposit must be held (true/false or the rule). | string (free text) | 30 of 51 filled |
holding.text | Detail on holding. | string (free text) | 2 of 51 filled |
holding.check | Where to check when not confirmed. | string (free text) | 21 of 51 filled |
penalty.value | Penalty for wrongful withholding. | string (free text) | 44 of 51 filled |
penalty.check | Where to check when not confirmed. | string (free text) | 7 of 51 filled |
scope | Limits on who the law covers. | string (free text) | 5 of 51 filled |
notes | Other points from the official source. | array of strings | 13 of 51 filled |
staleSource | Note when the only text read was an older edition. | string (free text) | 4 of 51 filled |
fullyConfirmed | Whether every topic in the row is confirmed. | boolean | 51 of 51 filled: false (32), true (19) |
unconfirmed | Fields the official sources read did not confirm for this row. Those values are null. | array of strings | 31 of 51 rows list at least one |
source_titles | Titles of the official sources for the row. | array of strings | 50 of 51 filled |
source_urls | Links to the official sources for the row. | array of strings | 50 of 51 filled |
checked | When the row's sources were opened (YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD). A row with no official source carries the date of the check that found none. | date (YYYY-MM-DD) | 51 of 51 filled |
page_url | The page on mcc-solutionsnj.com that explains this row. | string (URL) | 51 of 51 filled |
Preview: the first 10 rows
jurisdiction | statute.cite | maxDeposit.months | returnDeadline.days | returnDeadline.unit | interest.value | checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Code of Alabama 35-9A-201 | 1 | 60 | days | false | 2026-11-06 |
| Alaska | AS 34.03.070 | 2 | 14 | days | null | 2026-11-06 |
| Arizona | A.R.S. 33-1321 | 1.5 | 14 | business | false | 2026-11-06 |
| Arkansas | null | 2 | 60 | days | null | 2026-11-06 |
| California | Civil Code 1950.5 | 1 | 21 | days | false | 2026-11-06 |
| Colorado | C.R.S. 38-12-103, as amended by HB25-1249 (effective January 1, 2026) | null | 30 | days | null | 2026-11-06 |
| Connecticut | Conn. Gen. Stat. 47a-21 | 2 | 21 | days | true | 2026-11-06 |
| Delaware | 25 Del. C. 5514 | 1 | 20 | days | null | 2026-11-06 |
| District of Columbia | D.C. Code 42-3502.17 and 14 DCMR 308-311 | 1 | 45 | days | true | 2026-11-06 |
| Florida | Fla. Stat. 83.49 | null | 30 | days | null | 2026-11-06 |
7 of 39 columns shown; the downloads have every column in full.
Download formats
The CSV has one row per jurisdiction and one column per field above, UTF-8, comma-separated. Nested fields use dotted names (statute.cite); lists are joined with | , and lists of objects become key: value; key: value items. The JSON keeps types (numbers, true/false, null, arrays) and includes this dictionary, the license and the checked date.
License
License: free to copy, share and adapt, including commercially, under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
Attribution required: credit "MCC Solutions" and link to this dataset page (https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/data/security-deposits). The cite box below has text ready to paste.
Accuracy
Accuracy: every fact comes from an official government page as it read when checked (November 2026 for this release). Anything those pages did not confirm is null and named in the row's unconfirmed list; a null that is not on the list means the point does not apply or the source states none. This is general information, not legal or tax advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm.
Cite this data
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit MCC Solutions and link to https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/data/security-deposits.
Changelog
- November 2026: sources checked for all 51 jurisdictions; this release has 39 fields, 725 confirmed values and 68 unconfirmed items.
- Downloads are generated from the data files on each request, so a corrected file shows up in the CSV and JSON straight away; a new entry is added here when the sources are checked again.