Every figure here traces to an actual statute, cited by name — the same sourcing standard behind SealMove's in-app state compliance reports, which cover all 50 states. This page shows ten as a sample; the app covers the rest.
| State | Deposit return deadline | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 14 days | A.R.S. § 33-1321 |
| New York | 14 days | N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108 |
| California | 21 days | Cal. Civil Code § 1950.5 |
| Texas | 30 days | Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.101–92.109 |
| Florida | 30 days | Fla. Stat. § 83.49 |
| Washington | 30 days | RCW 59.18.260, 59.18.280 |
| Massachusetts | 30 days | Mass. Gen. Laws c. 186, § 15B |
| Georgia | 30 days | O.C.G.A. §§ 44-7-30 to 44-7-37 |
| Pennsylvania | 30 days | 68 P.S. §§ 250.511a–250.512 |
| Illinois | 45 days | 765 ILCS 710/1 et seq. |
What's true almost everywhere
- Landlords generally must return the deposit — or an itemized statement of deductions — by the statutory deadline, not just "eventually."
- Deductions are typically limited to unpaid rent and damage beyond normal wear and tear, not routine upkeep.
- Some cities layer stricter rules on top of state law — Chicago's RLTO is a real example, applying alongside Illinois's statewide statute.
What genuinely varies
- Whether "itemized" is actually required by the statute's text, or just a dollar figure and a reason (Florida's statute, notably, doesn't use the word "itemized" in its operative text).
- Whether the landlord bears the burden of proving a deduction was reasonable, or the tenant bears the burden of disputing it.
- Whether a move-in or move-out inspection is legally required at all — many states simply don't require one.
Why this matters for documentation
Whatever your state requires, the actual dispute usually turns on evidence, not on which state you're in. A signed, dated comparison between move-in and move-out condition is useful everywhere, even where the statute itself doesn't demand one.