Security deposit law in California

The rule in California

California limits a residential security deposit to 1 month's rent for most rentals. The wording in Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5: “For most residential rental properties, landlords may only charge a security deposit of up to one month's rent..”

The return deadline is 21 days, counted after the tenant moves out. The text reads: “Within 21 days of the tenant moving out, the landlord must return the security deposit.”

Of the 44 jurisdictions verified here, 9 give landlords less time and 29 give more; the median is 30 days. Connecticut, Idaho, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin also allow 21 days.

What the cap means in dollars: $1,000 rent: up to $1,000, $1,500 rent: up to $1,500 and $2,000 rent: up to $2,000.

Worked date: if the clock starts on November 30, 2026, the deadline falls on December 21, 2026.

In neighbouring states with verified rules: Arizona allows 14 business days and caps deposits at one and a half months' rent, Nevada allows 30 days and caps deposits at three months' rent and Oregon allows 31 days and sets no cap.

The Attorney General's page says the one-month figure applies to most residential rentals, so some properties fall outside it.

If a deposit is not returned, the small claims limit in California is $12,500 (small claims rules); at the cap, a full-deposit claim fits whenever rent is $12,500 a month or less.

Source: California Attorney General, Landlord-tenant issues · last checked October 20, 2026.

If the deposit does not come back

The statute above sets the deadline; what happens after it passes is covered in general terms in the guide on a deposit that is not returned, and the way each state starts and counts the clock is compared in how deposit deadlines are counted.