| #1 | Hawaii | 14 days | Excellent | Bad faith: you can recover up to treble (3x) the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees and court costs |
| #2 | Idaho | 21 days | Excellent | Landlord forfeits the right to retain any portion; you can recover up to treble (3x) damages, plus court costs and attorney's fees per Idaho Code § 6-320 |
| #3 | Arizona | 14 days | Excellent | Landlord forfeits the right to retain any portion; you can recover up to twice the amount wrongfully withheld |
| #4 | New York | 14 days | Excellent | Landlord forfeits the right to retain any portion of the deposit; willful bad faith violations can result in punitive damages up to twice the deposit |
| #5 | Vermont | 14 days | Excellent | Landlord forfeits the right to retain any portion; willful noncompliance: up to double the amount withheld, plus attorney's fees |
| #6 | California | 21 days | Excellent | Bad faith: you can recover up to twice the deposit amount, plus actual damages |
| #7 | Colorado | 30 days | Excellent | Willful retention: you can recover up to treble (3x) the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees and court costs |
| #8 | Connecticut | 21 days | Excellent | You can recover up to twice the deposit amount, plus attorney's fees |
| #9 | Delaware | 20 days | Excellent | Landlord forfeits the right to retain; you can recover up to double the amount wrongfully withheld |
| #10 | Georgia | 30 days | Excellent | Bad faith: you can recover up to three times (3x) the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees |
| #11 | Massachusetts | 30 days | Excellent | Treble (3x) damages (strict liability — no bad faith required), plus interest, court costs, and attorney's fees |
| #12 | Minnesota | 21 days | Excellent | Liable for double the amount wrongfully withheld plus interest; bad faith adds punitive damages up to $500 |
| #13 | New Hampshire | 30 days | Excellent | You can recover double the deposit amount for any violation, plus attorney's fees; willful violations may add up to treble damages |
| #14 | North Dakota | 30 days | Excellent | You can recover up to treble (3x) the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees |
| #15 | Rhode Island | 20 days | Excellent | Landlord forfeits the right to retain; you can recover up to twice the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees |
| #16 | South Carolina | 30 days | Excellent | Willful noncompliance: you can recover up to three times (3x) the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees |
| #17 | Texas | 30 days | Excellent | Bad faith: $100 plus three times the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney's fees |
| #18 | Wisconsin | 21 days | Excellent | Landlord forfeits the right to withhold; you can recover double the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees and court costs |
| #19 | Alaska | 30 days | Good | You can recover up to twice the amount wrongfully withheld |
| #20 | Iowa | 30 days | Good | Landlord forfeits the right to retain; you can recover up to twice the amount wrongfully withheld as damages |
| #21 | Kentucky | 30 days | Good | Landlord forfeits the right to retain any portion; bad faith may result in double damages plus attorney's fees |
| #22 | Louisiana | 30 days | Good | You can recover the amount wrongfully withheld plus attorney's fees; willful failure adds $300 or twice the amount wrongfully withheld, whichever is greater |
| #23 | Maine | 30 days | Good | You can recover up to double the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees and court costs |
| #24 | Maryland | 45 days | Good | Landlord forfeits the right to withhold; you can recover up to three times the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees |
| #25 | Michigan | 30 days | Good | You can recover double the amount of the deposit retained, plus attorney's fees and court costs |
| #26 | Missouri | 30 days | Good | You can recover up to twice the amount wrongfully withheld |
| #27 | Nevada | 30 days | Good | You can recover the full deposit amount plus up to an additional deposit amount in court-awarded damages (effectively up to 2x) |
| #28 | New Jersey | 30 days | Good | You can recover double the amount due (mandatory), plus court costs and reasonable attorney's fees |
| #29 | North Carolina | 30 days | Good | Willful noncompliance: landlord forfeits the right to retain any portion; bad faith may add up to double the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees |
| #30 | Ohio | 30 days | Good | You can recover the amount wrongfully withheld plus an equal amount in damages (effectively 2x), plus reasonable attorney's fees |
| #31 | Pennsylvania | 30 days | Good | Landlord forfeits the right to retain; you can recover double the amount due |
| #32 | Washington | 30 days | Good | Intentional refusal: you can recover up to twice the deposit amount (court discretion), plus reasonable attorney's fees |
| #33 | District of Columbia | 45 days | Good | Landlord forfeits the deposit amount owed; bad faith: you can recover up to treble (3x) the amount wrongfully withheld |
| #34 | Nebraska | 14 days | Good | Landlord forfeits the right to retain any portion; willful bad faith adds liquidated damages equal to one month's rent or two times the deposit, whichever is less |
| #35 | South Dakota | 14 days | Good | Landlord forfeits the right to retain any portion; bad faith adds punitive damages up to $200 |
| #36 | Kansas | 30 days | Good | You can recover 1.5 times the amount wrongfully withheld |
| #37 | Oklahoma | 45 days | Good | Landlord forfeits the right to retain; you can recover up to twice the amount wrongfully withheld; misappropriation is also a criminal offense |
| #38 | Oregon | 31 days | Good | You can recover up to twice the amount wrongfully withheld (failure to return on time can constitute bad faith) |
| #39 | Alabama | 60 days | Fair | You can recover double your original deposit amount |
| #40 | Arkansas | 60 days | Fair | You can recover up to twice the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees |
| #41 | Tennessee | 30 days | Fair | You can recover actual damages plus reasonable attorney's fees; landlord forfeits right to retain if deposit was not held in a dedicated account or no itemized list provided |
| #42 | Florida | 30 days | Fair | Landlord forfeits the right to claim any deductions |
| #43 | Montana | 30 days | Fair | Landlord forfeits the right to retain any portion of the deposit |
| #44 | New Mexico | 30 days | Fair | Landlord forfeits the right to retain any portion and forfeits counterclaim rights; bad faith adds $250 civil penalty, plus court costs and attorney's fees |
| #45 | Utah | 30 days | Fair | Landlord forfeits the right to retain any portion; you can recover the full deposit amount plus a $100 civil penalty |
| #46 | Virginia | 45 days | Fair | You can recover actual damages plus reasonable attorney's fees |
| #47 | West Virginia | 60 days | Fair | Landlord forfeits the right to retain; you can recover the unreturned deposit plus damages equal to 1.5x the amount wrongfully withheld |
| #48 | Wyoming | 30 days | Fair | Landlord forfeits the right to retain any portion; you may also recover court costs |
| #49 | Illinois | 45 days | Poor | You can recover up to two times the deposit amount as a penalty, plus court costs and attorney's fees |
| #50 | Indiana | 45 days | Poor | You can recover the full deposit plus reasonable attorney's fees |
| #51 | Mississippi | 45 days | Poor | You can recover the amount wrongfully withheld plus an additional $200 penalty |