Sources checked:
Quick answer. Missouri: deposit capped at 2 months of rent; deposit returned within 30 days; one-month notice to end month-to-month; $5,000 small claims limit. 9 of 23 items are confirmed on official pages; 14 are marked not confirmed, with the page to check.
Key numbers
- Deposit limit
- 2 months' rent
- Deposit back within
- 30 days
- Month-to-month notice (landlord)
- 1 month
- Small claims limit
- $5,000
Security deposit (4 of 6 confirmed)
Law read: RSMo 535.300.
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ConfirmedDeposit limit
No more than two months' rent (535.300.1).
Source: Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.300, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedReturn deadline
Within 30 days after the tenancy ends: the full deposit, or a written itemized list of damages with the balance (535.300.3).
Source: Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.300, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedItemized list of deductions
A written itemized list of the damages for which any part is withheld (535.300.3). The tenant may be present at the move-out inspection (535.300.5).
Source: Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.300, checked November 2026
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Not confirmedInterest on the deposit
Not confirmed — check Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.300. Not confirmed from official text. Check RSMo chapter 535.
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Not confirmedWhere the deposit is held
Not confirmed — check Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.300. Not confirmed from official text. Check RSMo chapter 535.
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ConfirmedPenalty the law states
Twice the amount wrongfully withheld (535.300.6).
Source: Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.300, checked November 2026
More: Security deposit rules by state · Deposit return deadline calculator
Notice periods (3 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) | One month's written notice by either side, ending on a rent-paying date at least one month after the notice is received. Oral notice isn't valid. | Source: Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 441.060, checked November 2026 (RSMo 441.060) |
| Ending month-to-month (tenant) | One month's written notice by either side, ending on a rent-paying date at least one month after the notice is received. Oral notice isn't valid. | Source: Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 441.060, checked November 2026 (RSMo 441.060) |
| Rent increase notice | Under an oral agreement, rent can be raised on one month's notice. | Source: Missouri Attorney General: Missouri's Landlord-Tenant Law, checked November 2026 |
| Unpaid rent notice | Not confirmed — check Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 441.060. The Attorney General's guide states no notice before filing. Check RSMo chapters 441 and 535. | |
| Entry notice | Not confirmed — check Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 441.060. Not stated for entry during a tenancy. Check the lease and RSMo chapter 441. | |
| Late fee limits | Not confirmed — check Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 441.060. Not stated. Check the lease. |
More: Notice periods by state · Notice date calculator
Eviction case, in order (1 of 10 confirmed)
- Notice before filing The written notice comes first; its length is in the notice table above.
The unpaid-rent notice period is not confirmed in our files (see the notice table).
- Filing the case Where the case goes and what it costs to start.
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Not confirmedCourt
Not confirmed — check Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Not confirmedFiling fee
Not confirmed — check Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040. 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 Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040. 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 Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040. 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 Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040. 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 Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Not confirmedWho carries out the lockout
Not confirmed — check Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- Along the way Paying to stop the case, counsel and diversion programs.
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ConfirmedPaying to stop the case
In a rent and possession case, tendering the rent with all costs to the judge at the hearing avoids a judgment for possession.
if the payment of such rent, with all costs, shall not be tendered before the judge, on the hearing of the cause
Source: Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040, checked November 2026
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Not confirmedRight to counsel (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Not confirmedDiversion or mediation (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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More: Eviction process timeline by state · Eviction timeline estimator
Deposit disputes: small claims
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ConfirmedSmall claims limit (for a deposit dispute)
$5,000: the most a small claims case can ask for.
A civil claim that doesn't exceed $5,000, not counting court costs and interest. No more than 12 small claims per calendar year.
Source: Missouri Small Claims Court Handbook (The Missouri Bar, April 2021), hosted by the 13th Judicial Circuit on courts.mo.gov, checked November 2026
More: Missouri small claims court
Still to confirm
- Interest on the deposit: check Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.300
- Where the deposit is held: check Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.300
- Unpaid rent notice: check Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 441.060
- Entry notice: check Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 441.060
- Late fee limits: check Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 441.060
- Court: check Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040
- Filing fee: check Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040
- Time to answer or appear: check Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040
- Hearing after filing: check Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040
- Judgment to writ: check Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040
- Writ to lockout: check Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040
- Who carries out the lockout: check Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040
- Right to counsel (statewide): check Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040
- Diversion or mediation (statewide): check Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040
Missouri kit
Missouri 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 Missouri 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 much can a security deposit be in Missouri?
No more than two months' rent (535.300.1).
How long does a Missouri landlord have to return a deposit?
Within 30 days after the tenancy ends: the full deposit, or a written itemized list of damages with the balance (535.300.3). What goes with it: A written itemized list of the damages for which any part is withheld (535.300.3). The tenant may be present at the move-out inspection (535.300.5).
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Missouri?
From the landlord: One month's written notice by either side, ending on a rent-paying date at least one month after the notice is received. Oral notice isn't valid. From the tenant: One month's written notice by either side, ending on a rent-paying date at least one month after the notice is received. Oral notice isn't valid.
Can a Missouri deposit dispute go to small claims court?
The small claims limit in our data: $5,000: the most a small claims case can ask for. The court's own page explains what kinds of cases it hears.
What notice comes before an unpaid-rent case in Missouri?
Not confirmed in our data files. Check Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 441.060 (https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=441.060).
How much notice before a landlord enters a rental in Missouri?
Not confirmed in our data files. Check Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 441.060 (https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=441.060).
Related: Landlord rules by state · Kits for landlords