---
title: "Security Deposit Laws Open Dataset (CSV, JSON) | MCC"
description: "Security deposit caps, return deadlines, itemized statement, interest, holding and penalty rules from state landlord-tenant law for 50 states and DC, as open…"
url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/data/security-deposits"
---

Open data · CC BY 4.0

# Security deposit laws by state: open dataset

Security deposit rules by state for 51 jurisdictions as a documented CSV and JSON file, free to reuse with a credit link. Sources checked November 2026.

- **51**jurisdictions
- **40**fields
- **November 2026**sources checked
- **770**confirmed values
- **39**unconfirmed items

[Download CSV](/data/security-deposits.csv)[Download JSON](/data/security-deposits.json)

**Need it always current?** [API from $19/mo](/data/api): the same data as JSON with an API key, change notices and a commercial-use license. The CSV and JSON downloads stay free.

Readable version: [Security deposit rules by state, explained state by state](/tools/security-deposit-rules-by-state). Summary figures and charts: [the data roundup](/data/security-deposit-return-deadlines). All site datasets: [open data](/data/open) · [data roundups](/data/).

## 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: `holding` (13), `interest` (13), `maxDeposit` (7), `penalty` (3), `itemizedStatement` (1). Every row carries all of its sources, each marked official or secondary in source_kinds.

## 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 | 50 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 | 15 of 51 filled: true (15) |
| `maxDeposit.text` | The cap rule in plain English. | string (free text) | 44 of 51 filled |
| `maxDeposit.check` | Where to check when the cap is not confirmed. | string (free text) | 7 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 | 50 of 51 filled: true (50) |
| `itemizedStatement.text` | Detail on the itemized list. | string (free text) | 50 of 51 filled |
| `itemizedStatement.check` | Where to check when not confirmed. | string (free text) | 1 of 51 filled |
| `interest.value` | Whether the landlord must pay interest on the deposit. | boolean | 36 of 51 filled: false (23), true (13) |
| `interest.text` | Detail on interest. | string (free text) | 38 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) | 13 of 51 filled |
| `holding.value` | How the deposit must be held (true/false or the rule). | string (free text) | 38 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) | 13 of 51 filled |
| `penalty.value` | Penalty for wrongful withholding. | string (free text) | 48 of 51 filled |
| `penalty.check` | Where to check when not confirmed. | string (free text) | 3 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: true (29), false (22) |
| `unconfirmed` | Fields the official sources read did not confirm for this row. Those values are null. | array of strings | 20 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 sources for the row. | array of strings | 50 of 51 filled |
| `source_kinds` | What each link in source_urls is, in the same order: "official" (a government page: state agency, legislature, court, county or city) or "secondary" (a vetted secondary source, used only where no official page could be read: Cornell LII, Justia (statute text only), FindLaw Codes, Casetext, NCSL, the Uniform Law Commission, the American Bar Association and state bar associations, legal aid networks (LawHelp.org and the state legal help sites), Nolo, the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the National Center for State Courts, the Eviction Lab, the Tax Foundation, the Sales Tax Institute, the American Payroll Association, SHRM, ADP, Paychex, Bloomberg Tax, Thomson Reuters, Avalara and Sovos). A fact backed only by a secondary source is shown on the site as " (secondary source)". | 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 | Ark. Code 18-16-301 to 18-16-306 | 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 | false | 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 40 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)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/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. Need bulk access with update notices? See the [business data license](/data/business-license).

## Accuracy

**Accuracy:** facts come from official government pages as they read when checked (November 2026 for this release); where no official page could be read, a few come from vetted secondary sources (Cornell LII, Justia (statute text only), FindLaw Codes, Casetext, NCSL, the Uniform Law Commission, the American Bar Association and state bar associations, legal aid networks (LawHelp.org and the state legal help sites), Nolo, the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the National Center for State Courts, the Eviction Lab, the Tax Foundation, the Sales Tax Institute, the American Payroll Association, SHRM, ADP, Paychex, Bloomberg Tax, Thomson Reuters, Avalara and Sovos), marked `secondary` in `source_kinds` and shown on the site as "(secondary source)". 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

APA style
HTML link

Free to reuse under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): credit MCC Solutions and link to [https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/data/security-deposits](/data/security-deposits).

## Changelog

- **November 2026**: sources checked for all 51 jurisdictions; this release has 40 fields, 770 confirmed values and 39 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.

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