How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in California?

1 month's rent — The limit is the same whether the unit is furnished or not, and it aggregates every security-functioning charge. A small-landlord exception allows up to two months.

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in California?

21 days. The clock runs in calendar days from the day the tenant vacates. The landlord must deliver an itemized statement of deductions together with any refund due.

What happens if a landlord does not return the deposit on time in California?

A landlord who retains or demands a deposit in bad faith owes statutory damages of up to twice the deposit amount, in addition to actual damages (Civ. Code 1950.5(l)).

Do landlords have to pay interest on security deposits in California?

No — California does not require interest on the security deposit to be paid to the tenant. No California statute requires interest on a residential security deposit, but local law can. Some rent-control jurisdictions require interest by ordinance.

Can a landlord charge a non-refundable fee in California?

No — non-refundable fees are not allowed in California.

What are the security deposit rules in California?

Verified July 7, 2026 All California topics →

Check your municipality. California does not preempt local rent regulation — city or county ordinances may impose rent caps, notice rules, and fee limits that are stricter than the state-level rules on this page and are not covered here. Verify your municipality's ordinances before relying on any figure below. Verified local pages: Berkeley , Beverly Hills , Culver City , Hayward , Inglewood , Los Angeles , Los Angeles County (unincorporated) , Mountain View , Oakland , Pasadena , Pomona , Richmond , Sacramento , San Francisco , San Jose , Santa Ana , Santa Monica , West Hollywood .

What the state record says

California has a statewide rent cap. The Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) limits annual increases on covered units to the lesser of 5% plus regional CPI or 10%, with at most two increases per 12 months. Many units are exempt, and stricter local rent-control ordinances control where they exist. The cap is codified at Civ. Code § 1947.12. It is measured against the lowest rent in the prior 12 months and is in effect through 2030. Exempt: housing with a certificate of occupancy within 15 years (a rolling window); most single-family homes and condos not owned by corporations or REITs, where the exemption requires the statutory written disclosure to the tenant; and owner-occupied duplexes.

California caps security deposits at one month's rent for leases signed on or after July 1, 2024, whether the unit is furnished or not — with a narrow small-landlord exception allowing two months.

Cited to Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5 (c), (g), (l), (m), (n) and 1 more California statute · Verified July 7, 2026

Landlords have 21 days after move-out to return the deposit with an itemized statement and repair receipts, leases may not label any deposit 'nonrefundable,' and bad-faith withholding can cost the landlord up to twice the deposit in statutory damages on top of the refund. Recent amendments (AB 2801) also require photo documentation of claimed damage at move-out.

California security deposits at a glance

Maximum deposit	1 month's rent — The limit is the same whether the unit is furnished or not, and it aggregates every security-functioning charge. A small-landlord exception allows up to two months. AB 12 sets the cap for leases from July 1, 2024. Small-landlord exception: up to two months if the landlord is a natural person (or all-natural-person LLC) owning no more than two rental properties totaling no more than four units — the exception does not apply to service-member tenants. The charges that aggregate into the cap include pet deposits, prepaid last month's rent, and refundable fees.
Return deadline	21 days
Deadline conditions	The clock runs in calendar days from the day the tenant vacates. The landlord must deliver an itemized statement of deductions together with any refund due. If repairs cannot be completed in 21 days, a good-faith estimate is required within the window, with the final statement and receipts within 14 days of completion.
Itemization required	Yes
Itemization rules	Itemized statement of deductions with copies of receipts/invoices for repairs and cleaning (documentation requirement subject to the statutory small-deduction and waiver provisions). Tenant has a right to request an initial pre-move-out inspection with an itemized list of fixable issues.
Separate account required	No
Interest owed to tenant	No
Account & interest rules	No California statute requires interest on a residential security deposit, but local law can. Some rent-control jurisdictions require interest by ordinance. Cities with such an ordinance include San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Berkeley.
Pet deposits	No separate category; refundable pet deposits count fully toward the one-month cap. No deposits may be charged for service/assistance animals.
Non-refundable fees allowed	No
Penalty for violation	A landlord who retains or demands a deposit in bad faith owes statutory damages of up to twice the deposit amount, in addition to actual damages (Civ. Code 1950.5(l)). The landlord bears the burden of proving that the deductions were reasonable.
Tenant forwarding-address duty	Not addressed by statute

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, California Security Deposit Laws (verified July 7, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/security-deposits/california/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified). Every figure above is cited to the California statute in the citations section below.

Generate a California security-deposit return letter — free, no signup, built on the same verified California rules as this page.

Notes and caveats

The one-month cap does not rewrite old leases — Leases signed before July 1, 2024 retain their original deposit amounts until renewal or material modification.
Photo-documentation rules are phasing in — AB 2801 (2024) added photographic-documentation requirements that phase in during 2025.

Common questions: California security deposits

Each answer is the verified value from the table above, restated as a direct answer. Free to quote with a link to this page.

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in California?: 1 month's rent — The limit is the same whether the unit is furnished or not, and it aggregates every security-functioning charge. A small-landlord exception allows up to two months.
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in California?: 21 days. The clock runs in calendar days from the day the tenant vacates. The landlord must deliver an itemized statement of deductions together with any refund due.
What happens if a landlord does not return the deposit on time in California?: A landlord who retains or demands a deposit in bad faith owes statutory damages of up to twice the deposit amount, in addition to actual damages (Civ. Code 1950.5(l)).
Do landlords have to pay interest on security deposits in California?: No — California does not require interest on the security deposit to be paid to the tenant. No California statute requires interest on a residential security deposit, but local law can. Some rent-control jurisdictions require interest by ordinance.
Can a landlord charge a non-refundable fee in California?: No — non-refundable fees are not allowed in California.

Statute citations

Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5 (c), (g), (l), (m), (n) (verified 2026) Official source
AB 12 (2023), Stats. 2023 (verified 2026) Official source

How this record was verified: Web verification against leginfo.legislature.ca.gov (Civ. Code 1950.5, 827; AB 12 bill text) with corroborating county/city government sources (SF.gov, LA County DCBA, San Mateo County) for AB 1482 and Civ. Code 1954 operation.