--- title: "Missouri Landlord Rules: Deposits, Notices, Evictions | MCC" description: "Missouri landlord-tenant rules: deposit capped at 2 months of rent, deposit returned within 30 days. Official sources linked." url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/tools/missouri-landlord-rules" --- Free tool · Missouri · Landlords and tenants # Missouri landlord rules: deposits, notices and the eviction steps The deposit rules, notice periods, eviction case and small claims limit for Missouri, each from the state's own pages or courts. **Quick answer.** Security deposit return deadline in Missouri: Within 30 days after the tenancy ends: the full deposit, or a written itemized list of damages with the balance (535.300.3). Deposit limit: No more than two months' rent (535.300.1). **Sources checked:** November 2026 **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. 17 of 23 items are confirmed on official pages; 6 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 Unpaid rent notice See the rule Time to answer or appear At the hearing Small claims limit $5,000 ## Security deposit (6 of 6 confirmed) Law read: RSMo 535.300. Need the other side served? [Process serving with an affidavit of service](/notary/process-serving). - ### ConfirmedDeposit limit No more than two months' rent (535.300.1). Sources: [Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.300](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.300); [FindLaw Codes (secondary source): RSMo 535.300, current as of January 1, 2025](https://codes.findlaw.com/mo/title-xxxvi-statutory-actions-and-torts/mo-rev-st-535-300/); [Justia (statute text) (secondary source): 2022 Missouri Revised Statutes 535.300](https://law.justia.com/codes/missouri/2022/title-xxxvi/chapter-535/section-535-300/), checked November 2026 - ### 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). Sources: [Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.300](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.300); [FindLaw Codes (secondary source): RSMo 535.300, current as of January 1, 2025](https://codes.findlaw.com/mo/title-xxxvi-statutory-actions-and-torts/mo-rev-st-535-300/); [Justia (statute text) (secondary source): 2022 Missouri Revised Statutes 535.300](https://law.justia.com/codes/missouri/2022/title-xxxvi/chapter-535/section-535-300/), checked November 2026 - ### 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). Sources: [Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.300](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.300); [FindLaw Codes (secondary source): RSMo 535.300, current as of January 1, 2025](https://codes.findlaw.com/mo/title-xxxvi-statutory-actions-and-torts/mo-rev-st-535-300/); [Justia (statute text) (secondary source): 2022 Missouri Revised Statutes 535.300](https://law.justia.com/codes/missouri/2022/title-xxxvi/chapter-535/section-535-300/), checked November 2026 - ### ConfirmedInterest on the deposit Interest earned on a security deposit belongs to the landlord (535.300.2). Sources: [Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.300](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.300); [FindLaw Codes (secondary source): RSMo 535.300, current as of January 1, 2025](https://codes.findlaw.com/mo/title-xxxvi-statutory-actions-and-torts/mo-rev-st-535-300/); [Justia (statute text) (secondary source): 2022 Missouri Revised Statutes 535.300](https://law.justia.com/codes/missouri/2022/title-xxxvi/chapter-535/section-535-300/), checked November 2026 - ### ConfirmedWhere the deposit is held Held by the landlord for the tenant in a bank, credit union or depository institution insured by an agency of the federal government; housing authorities and other government landlords are exempt (535.300.2). Sources: [Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.300](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.300); [FindLaw Codes (secondary source): RSMo 535.300, current as of January 1, 2025](https://codes.findlaw.com/mo/title-xxxvi-statutory-actions-and-torts/mo-rev-st-535-300/); [Justia (statute text) (secondary source): 2022 Missouri Revised Statutes 535.300](https://law.justia.com/codes/missouri/2022/title-xxxvi/chapter-535/section-535-300/), checked November 2026 - ### ConfirmedPenalty the law states Twice the amount wrongfully withheld (535.300.6). Sources: [Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.300](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.300); [FindLaw Codes (secondary source): RSMo 535.300, current as of January 1, 2025](https://codes.findlaw.com/mo/title-xxxvi-statutory-actions-and-torts/mo-rev-st-535-300/); [Justia (statute text) (secondary source): 2022 Missouri Revised Statutes 535.300](https://law.justia.com/codes/missouri/2022/title-xxxvi/chapter-535/section-535-300/), checked November 2026 More: [Security deposit rules by state](/tools/security-deposit-rules-by-state#st-MO) · [Deposit return deadline calculator](/tools/security-deposit-return-deadline-calculator?state=MO) ## 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) | 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. | Sources: [Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 441.060](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=441.060); [Missouri Attorney General: Missouri's Landlord-Tenant Law](https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/attachments/landlord-tenantlaw.pdf), 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. | Sources: [Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 441.060](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=441.060); [Missouri Attorney General: Missouri's Landlord-Tenant Law](https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/attachments/landlord-tenantlaw.pdf), 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](https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/attachments/landlord-tenantlaw.pdf), checked November 2026 | | Unpaid rent notice | No notice period before filing a rent and possession case: the landlord states that rent was demanded and not paid, and the notice in RSMo 441.060 isn't required. | Source: [Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 535.020](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.020), checked November 2026 (RSMo 535.020) | | Entry notice | No entry notice statute for entry during a tenancy: Nolo's 50-state chart (updated 7/18/2025) lists Missouri as 'No statute'. Check the lease. | Source: [Nolo (secondary source): State Laws on Landlord's Access to Rental Property, 50-state chart (updated 7/18/2025)](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/renters-rights-book/chapter8-1.html), checked November 2026 | | Late fee limits | Not confirmed — check [Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 441.060](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=441.060). Not stated. Check the lease. | | More: [Notice periods by state](/tools/landlord-tenant-notice-periods-by-state#st-MO) · [Notice date calculator](/tools/notice-date-calculator?state=MO) ## Eviction case, in order (5 of 10 confirmed) - **Notice before filing** The written notice comes first; its length is in the notice table above.Unpaid rent: No notice period before filing a rent and possession case: the landlord states that rent was demanded and not paid, and the notice in RSMo 441.060 isn't required. - **Filing the case** Where the case goes and what it costs to start. #### ConfirmedCourt The landlord files a sworn statement with an associate circuit judge in the county where the property is.with any associate circuit judge in the county in which the property is situated. Source: [Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.020](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.020), checked November 2026 - #### Not confirmedFiling fee Not confirmed — check [Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.040). Not confirmed on an official page we opened. - **The tenant's answer or appearance** #### ConfirmedTime to answer or appear The summons requires the tenant to appear before the judge on the day it names and show cause why possession shouldn't be restored.requiring them to appear before the judge upon a day to be therein named, and show cause Source: [Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.020](https://www.revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.020), checked November 2026 - **Hearing or trial** #### ConfirmedHearing after filing The summons must be served at least four days before the court date it names, or at least ten days before when it's served by posting and mailing (the earliest date here assumes personal service on the filing day).at least four days before the court date in the summons. Source: [RSMo 535.030 Service of summons, court date included in summons (Revisor of Missouri)](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.030), checked November 2026 - **Judgment and the writ** The order that lets the officer act. #### Not confirmedJudgment to writ Not confirmed — check [Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.040). Not confirmed on an official page we opened. - **Lockout** Carried out by an officer, not by either side. #### Not confirmedWrit to lockout Not confirmed — check [Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.040). Not confirmed on an official page we opened. - #### Not confirmedWho carries out the lockout Not confirmed — check [Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.040). Not confirmed on an official page we opened. - **Along the way** Paying to stop the case, counsel and diversion programs. #### 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](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.040), checked November 2026 - #### ConfirmedRight to counsel (statewide) No statewide right to counsel for tenants in eviction cases (as of November 2026, per the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel): its tracker of enacted laws lists no statewide law here. Local: Kansas City (2021) and St. Louis (2023) have their own right-to-counsel laws.An eviction right to counsel is created by an enacted law that, at a minimum: Source: [National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (secondary source): National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel: Enacted Eviction Right to Counsel and Eviction Defense Programs (last modified November 2026)](https://civilrighttocounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/RTC_Enacted_Legislation_in_Eviction_Proceedings_FINAL.pdf), checked November 2026 - #### Not confirmedDiversion or mediation (statewide) Not confirmed — check [Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.040). Not confirmed on an official page we opened. ### Example: a case filed Monday, March 1, 2027 The earliest date of each stage the confirmed rules allow, from our eviction timeline estimator. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer. | Stage | Earliest date | | --- | --- | | Case filed | Monday, March 1, 2027 | | Answer or appear | Friday, March 5, 2027 | | Hearing or trial | Friday, March 5, 2027 | | Judgment | Friday, March 5, 2027 | More: [Eviction process timeline by state](/tools/eviction-process-timeline-by-state) · [Eviction timeline estimator](/tools/eviction-timeline-estimator?state=mo) ## Deposit disputes: small claims - ### 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](https://www.courts.mo.gov/hosted/circuit13/forms/Civil/CIVIL_SmallClaimsCourtHandbook.pdf), checked November 2026 More: [Missouri small claims court](/tools/small-claims-missouri) ## Still to confirm - Late fee limits: check [Missouri Revisor of Statutes: RSMo 441.060](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=441.060) - Filing fee: check [Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.040) - Judgment to writ: check [Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.040) - Writ to lockout: check [Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.040) - Who carries out the lockout: check [Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.040) - Diversion or mediation (statewide): check [Revised Statutes of Missouri 535.040](https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=535.040) 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. **What notice comes before an unpaid-rent case in Missouri?** No notice period before filing a rent and possession case: the landlord states that rent was demanded and not paid, and the notice in RSMo 441.060 isn't required. **How much notice before a landlord enters a rental in Missouri?** No entry notice statute for entry during a tenancy: Nolo's 50-state chart (updated 7/18/2025) lists Missouri as 'No statute'. Check the lease. **How long does an eviction case take in Missouri?** Time to answer or appear: At the hearing. Hearing after filing: At least 4 days. These are the stated rules; the court's calendar often takes longer. **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. Related: [Landlord rules by state](/tools/landlord-rules-by-state) · [Kits for landlords](/toolkits/for/landlords) ## Keep rental records in order [Bookkeeping for small landlords](/bookkeeping/for/small-landlords)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)