Security deposit law in Utah

The rule in Utah

Utah sets no statutory cap on the size of a residential security deposit: the source checked (Utah Legislature, Utah Code § 57-17-3 (effective 5/7/2025)) states no maximum, so the amount is whatever the lease says.

The return deadline is 30 days, counted after the renter vacates and returns possession. The text reads: “No later than 30 days after the day on which a renter vacates and returns possession of a rental property to the owner or the owner's agent.”

Of the 44 jurisdictions verified here, 15 give landlords less time and 9 give more; the median is 30 days. 19 others also allow 30 days, among them Iowa, Kansas, Maine and Massachusetts.

Without a cap there is no dollar ceiling to compute. For comparison, 27 of the 44 verified jurisdictions do cap deposits, from one month's rent in states such as Alabama up to three months' rent in Nevada.

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

In neighbouring states with verified rules: Arizona allows 14 business days and caps deposits at one and a half months' rent, Idaho allows 21 days and sets no cap, Nevada allows 30 days and caps deposits at three months' rent, New Mexico allows 30 days and caps deposits at one month's rent and Wyoming allows 30 days and sets no cap.

If the owner misses the deadline, the renter may serve the statutory notice; the owner then has five business days to comply.

If a deposit is not returned, the small claims limit in Utah is $20,000 (small claims rules).

Source: Utah Legislature, Utah Code § 57-17-3 (effective 5/7/2025) · last checked October 21, 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.