Skip to content
PayByTown

Louisiana security deposit law

Source: La. R.S. 9:3251–9:3254 · Checked against the statute

Maximum deposit
No statutory limit.
Return deadline
1 month after the tenancy terminates; 15 days (see details) (Any part of the deposit is kept)
If the landlord keeps it wrongly
Willful failure to comply: tenant recovers the wrongfully kept amount plus the greater of $300 or twice the wrongfully kept amount (§ 9:3252). The court may award costs and attorney's fees to the prevailing party (§ 9:3253).

Calculate your Louisiana deadline

Choose your state and move-out date to see when your landlord must return the deposit.

When the deposit must be returned

  • Return the deposit within one month after the lease terminates (the statute says "one month," not a number of days).
  • Send an itemized statement of what was kept and why within one month after the tenancy ends, or within 15 more days after that one-month date (Act 63 of 2026, effective August 1, 2026).

The tenant must give the landlord a forwarding address when the lease ends; the itemized statement may be sent there.

Itemized list of deductions

Required: Yes. Itemized statement accounting for the amounts kept and giving the reasons.

What can and can't be deducted

The landlord may keep only what is reasonably necessary to remedy the tenant's default or to remedy unreasonable wear to the premises; ordinary wear cannot be charged. The statute does not define the term further.

Nonrefundable fees

The statute does not address nonrefundable fees.

Interest, bank account and move-in inspection

  • Interest required: No. No statewide interest requirement.
  • Separate account required: No. No statutory requirement to hold the deposit in a separate account.
  • Move-in inspection required: No. No statutory move-in inspection or checklist requirement.

Penalties and bad faith

Willful failure to comply: tenant recovers the wrongfully kept amount plus the greater of $300 or twice the wrongfully kept amount (§ 9:3252). The court may award costs and attorney's fees to the prevailing party (§ 9:3253).

Failure to remit within 30 days after the tenant's written demand for a refund counts as willful failure (§ 9:3252).

Getting your deposit back in court

Small claims divisions hear cases up to $5,000, not counting interest, costs, attorney's fees or penalties (R.S. 13:5202). Court information

Before filing, many tenants send a written demand first. Write a Louisiana demand letter →

Also good to know

  • The return rule does not apply when the tenant abandons the premises without required notice or before the lease ends (§ 9:3251(C)).
  • When the landlord's interest is transferred, the deposit must be transferred to the successor, who then owes the return (§ 9:3251(B)).
  • A tenant cannot waive these rights; any waiver is null and void (§ 9:3254).
  • Act 63 of 2026 (HB 292), effective August 1, 2026, added the extra 15 days for the itemized statement; the online statute already shows the new wording.

Sources

Laws change. This page was checked against the sources above on October 11, 2026. It is legal information, not legal advice; see our methodology.