Sources checked:
Quick answer. Indiana: deposit returned within 45 days; 30-day notice to end month-to-month; 10-day notice for unpaid rent; $10,000 small claims limit. 10 of 23 items are confirmed on official pages; 13 are marked not confirmed, with the page to check.
Key numbers
- Deposit back within
- 45 days
- Month-to-month notice (landlord)
- 30 days
- Unpaid rent notice
- 10 days
- Entry notice
- See the rule
- Small claims limit
- $10,000
Security deposit (2 of 6 confirmed)
Law read: IC 32-31-3-12.
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Not confirmedDeposit limit
Not confirmed — check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026, updated 12/23/2025). Not confirmed from official text. Check IC 32-31-3.
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ConfirmedReturn deadline
For rental agreements made after June 30, 1989: within 45 days after the landlord receives the tenant's forwarding address, a full refund or an itemized written statement of why any part is kept (IC 32-31-3-12).
Source: Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026, updated 12/23/2025), checked November 2026
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ConfirmedItemized list of deductions
An itemized, written statement showing why all or part of the deposit is kept (IC 32-31-3-12).
Source: Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026, updated 12/23/2025), checked November 2026
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Not confirmedInterest on the deposit
Not confirmed — check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026, updated 12/23/2025). Not confirmed from official text. Check IC 32-31-3.
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Not confirmedWhere the deposit is held
Not confirmed — check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026, updated 12/23/2025). Not confirmed from official text. Check IC 32-31-3.
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Not confirmedPenalty the law states
Not confirmed — check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026, updated 12/23/2025). Not confirmed from official text. Check IC 32-31-3-12 to 32-31-3-16.
More: Security deposit rules by state · Deposit return deadline calculator
Notice periods (5 of 6 confirmed)
What the official text says about each notice. Cities and counties can add their own notice, just-cause or rent rules. Check local rules too.
| Notice | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ending month-to-month (landlord) | At least 30 days' advance notice by either side (Small Claims Manual). A tenancy at will ends on one month's written notice delivered to the tenant. | Source: Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026), checked November 2026 (IC 32-31-1-1) |
| Ending month-to-month (tenant) | At least 30 days' advance notice by either side (Small Claims Manual). A tenancy at will ends on one month's written notice delivered to the tenant. | Source: Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026), checked November 2026 (IC 32-31-1-1) |
| Rent increase notice | Not confirmed — check Indiana General Assembly: IC 32-31-1 (2025). Not in the sources read. Check the lease. | |
| Unpaid rent notice | Not less than 10 days' notice, unless the parties agreed otherwise or the tenant pays in full within the period. | Source: Indiana General Assembly: IC 32-31-1 (2025), checked November 2026 (IC 32-31-1-6) |
| Entry notice | Reasonable times with reasonable notice for repairs and inspections; immediate access for emergencies. No set hours. | Source: Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026), checked November 2026 |
| Late fee limits | Reasonable late charges only if agreed in writing. | Source: Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026), checked November 2026 |
More: Notice periods by state · Notice date calculator
Eviction case, in order (2 of 10 confirmed)
- Notice before filing The written notice comes first; its length is in the notice table above.
Unpaid rent: Not less than 10 days' notice, unless the parties agreed otherwise or the tenant pays in full within the period.
- Filing the case Where the case goes and what it costs to start.
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Not confirmedCourt
Not confirmed — check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Not confirmedFiling fee
Not confirmed — check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- The tenant's answer or appearance
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Not confirmedTime to answer or appear
Not confirmed — check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- Hearing or trial
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Not confirmedHearing after filing
Not confirmed — check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- Judgment and the writ The order that lets the officer act.
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Not confirmedJudgment to writ
Not confirmed — check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- Lockout Carried out by an officer, not by either side.
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Not confirmedWrit to lockout
Not confirmed — check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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ConfirmedWho carries out the lockout
An actual eviction with the sheriff's help needs a court order first.
actual eviction with the sheriff's participation will require a prior court order.
Source: Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026), checked November 2026
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- Along the way Paying to stop the case, counsel and diversion programs.
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Not confirmedPaying to stop the case
Not confirmed — check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Not confirmedRight to counsel (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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ConfirmedDiversion or mediation (statewide)
A statewide pre-eviction diversion program and a free landlord-tenant settlement conference program. If both sides agree to use a resource, the case is stayed for 90 days.
There is a statewide pre-eviction diversion program, as well as, a free landlord-tenant settlement conference program available.
Source: Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026), checked November 2026
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Help the official pages name: Indiana Legal Help website and its self-help forms.
More: Eviction process timeline by state · Eviction timeline estimator
Deposit disputes: small claims
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ConfirmedSmall claims limit (for a deposit dispute)
$10,000: the most a small claims case can ask for.
$10,000 or less for small claims filed on or after July 1, 2021. Marion County small claims courts have their own statute (Ind. Code 33-34).
Source: Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026 edition, updated 12/23/2025), checked November 2026
More: Indiana small claims court
Still to confirm
- Deposit limit: check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026, updated 12/23/2025)
- Interest on the deposit: check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026, updated 12/23/2025)
- Where the deposit is held: check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026, updated 12/23/2025)
- Penalty the law states: check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026, updated 12/23/2025)
- Rent increase notice: check Indiana General Assembly: IC 32-31-1 (2025)
- Court: check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026)
- Filing fee: check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026)
- Time to answer or appear: check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026)
- Hearing after filing: check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026)
- Judgment to writ: check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026)
- Writ to lockout: check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026)
- Paying to stop the case: check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026)
- Right to counsel (statewide): check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026)
Indiana kit
Indiana Landlord Compliance Kit
This page as a printable checklist with every source link and check date, a move-in and move-out deposit checklist with the Indiana return deadline, a notice calendar, an eviction timeline sheet, and an Excel workbook with a tenant notice log, a deposit tracker that works out the return date, and a rent ledger.
Kits for any state: Security Deposit Kit for Landlords and Tenants ($15) · Landlord-Tenant Notice Organizer ($15) · Eviction Case File Organizer ($15)
General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. The same rules apply whichever side of the lease you are on; this page describes them and doesn't take a side. Rules change, cities and counties can add their own, a lease can add terms, and the official source has the final word.
Common questions
How long does a Indiana landlord have to return a deposit?
For rental agreements made after June 30, 1989: within 45 days after the landlord receives the tenant's forwarding address, a full refund or an itemized written statement of why any part is kept (IC 32-31-3-12). What goes with it: An itemized, written statement showing why all or part of the deposit is kept (IC 32-31-3-12).
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Indiana?
From the landlord: At least 30 days' advance notice by either side (Small Claims Manual). A tenancy at will ends on one month's written notice delivered to the tenant. From the tenant: At least 30 days' advance notice by either side (Small Claims Manual). A tenancy at will ends on one month's written notice delivered to the tenant.
What notice comes before an unpaid-rent case in Indiana?
Not less than 10 days' notice, unless the parties agreed otherwise or the tenant pays in full within the period.
How much notice before a landlord enters a rental in Indiana?
Reasonable times with reasonable notice for repairs and inspections; immediate access for emergencies. No set hours.
Can a Indiana deposit dispute go to small claims court?
The small claims limit in our data: $10,000: the most a small claims case can ask for. The court's own page explains what kinds of cases it hears.
How much can a security deposit be in Indiana?
Not confirmed in our data files. Check Indiana Office of Court Services: Small Claims Manual (2026, updated 12/23/2025) (https://www.in.gov/courts/files/small-claims-manual.pdf).
Related: Landlord rules by state · Kits for landlords