Landlord Atlas

What are the security deposit rules in Louisiana?

Verified August 12, 2026 All Louisiana topics →

Louisiana sets no limit on how much a landlord can charge as a security deposit, but the deposit must be returned within one month after the lease terminates, minus only what is reasonably necessary to remedy the tenant's default or unreasonable wear.

Cited to La. R.S. 9:3251 (A), (B), (C) and 5 more Louisiana statutes · Verified August 12, 2026

If anything is kept, the landlord must send an itemized statement giving the reasons — since August 1, 2026, within one month after the tenancy ends or within 15 days after that one-month mark (Act 63 of 2026), effectively up to about six weeks — to the forwarding address the tenant is required to leave. The enforcement lever is the tenant's written demand: a landlord who fails to remit within 30 days of a written refund demand is deemed in willful violation and owes the wrongfully kept amount plus the greater of $300 or double that amount, with costs and attorney's fees available to whichever side prevails. Two Louisiana quirks cut the other way: a tenant who abandons the premises — or leaves without required notice — loses the return-and-itemization protections entirely, and no interest or separate account is ever required. These rights cannot be waived in a lease.

Louisiana security deposits at a glance

Maximum deposit No statutory cap
Return deadline 30 days
Deadline conditions

The statute's unit is one month, not 30 days. And the whole protection falls away if the tenant abandons the premises or leaves without giving the notice the lease requires.

The deposit must be returned 'within one month after the lease shall terminate' (R.S. 9:3251(A)). The lessor may retain only what is 'reasonably necessary to remedy a default of the tenant or to remedy unreasonable wear to the premises.'

Major carve-out: subsection A does not apply at all 'when the tenant abandons the premises, either without giving notice as required or prior to the termination of the lease' (9:3251(C)). On sale of the property, the deposit transfers to the buyer, who becomes responsible for its return (9:3251(B)).

Act 63 of 2026 (effective 2026-08-01) did not touch this return deadline — it extended only the window for the itemized statement.
Itemization required Yes
Itemization rules If any portion of the deposit is retained, the lessor must forward an itemized statement 'accounting for the proceeds which are retained and giving the reasons therefor' — since August 1, 2026, 'within one month after the date the tenancy terminates or within fifteen days after the date that is one month after the tenancy terminates' (R.S. 9:3251(A) as amended by Act 63 of 2026 (HB 292)), effectively up to one month plus 15 days for the itemization. Act 63 changed only this window; the one-month deposit-return deadline is unchanged. No statute enumerates permitted deduction categories beyond tenant default and unreasonable wear; normal wear is not deductible.
Separate account required No
Interest owed to tenant No
Account & interest rules Not addressed by statute
Pet deposits No statute addresses pet deposits. The Attorney General's official guide treats money held as a refundable pet deposit as covered by the Lessee's Deposit Act (same return, itemization, and penalty rules), while money labeled a 'pet fee or charge' falls outside the Act and is governed by the lease.
Non-refundable fees allowed Not addressed by statute
Penalty for violation

The tenant recovers the wrongfully retained portion plus the greater of $300 or twice that amount, but only on a willful failure. Failing to remit within 30 days of the tenant's written demand is willful per se, which is why the demand letter matters.

Willful failure to comply with R.S. 9:3251 entitles the tenant to recover the wrongfully retained portion PLUS the greater of $300 or twice the amount wrongfully retained (R.S. 9:3252(A), as amended by Acts 2018, No. 416, eff. Jan. 1, 2019). Failure to remit within 30 days after the tenant's written demand for a refund constitutes willful failure per se.

Costs and attorney's fees are discretionary and go to the prevailing party — either side (9:3253). Any waiver of the tenant's rights under the part is null and void (9:3254). Venue lies in the parish of the lessor's domicile or where the property sits (9:3252(B)).
Tenant forwarding-address duty The tenant 'shall furnish the lessor a forwarding address at the termination of the lease' to which the itemized statement may be sent (R.S. 9:3251(A)). Separately, the written-demand letter is what starts the 30-day clock that makes a failure to remit willful under 9:3252 — tenants are well advised to send it certified on move-out (per the AG guide).

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Louisiana Security Deposit Laws (verified August 12, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/security-deposits/louisiana/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified). Every figure above is cited to the Louisiana statute in the citations section below.

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

Notes and caveats

Common questions: Louisiana 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 Louisiana?
No statutory cap.
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Louisiana?
30 days. The statute's unit is one month, not 30 days. And the whole protection falls away if the tenant abandons the premises or leaves without giving the notice the lease requires.
What happens if a landlord does not return the deposit on time in Louisiana?
The tenant recovers the wrongfully retained portion plus the greater of $300 or twice that amount, but only on a willful failure. Failing to remit within 30 days of the tenant's written demand is willful per se, which is why the demand letter matters.
Do landlords have to pay interest on security deposits in Louisiana?
No — Louisiana does not require interest on the security deposit to be paid to the tenant.
Can a landlord charge a non-refundable fee in Louisiana?
Not addressed by statute.

Statute citations

How this record was verified: Direct read of statute text on the official Louisiana Legislature site (legis.la.gov Law.aspx section pages) for La. R.S. 9:3251-3254 and 9:3258 and Civil Code arts. 2005, 2011, 2012, 2680-2683, 2693, 2695, 2727, and 2728, with every section carrying a figure used here independently re-read on a second host (codes.findlaw.com). Enrolled text of 2026 Act No. 63 (HB 292) read in full from the legislature's document server, plus the bill-status page confirming signature 5/11/2026 and 8/1/2026 effective date. Cross-checked against the Louisiana Attorney General's official guide 'A Guide to Louisiana Landlord & Tenant Laws' (La. DOJ Consumer Protection Section), noting that the guide's deposit-penalty figure ($200/actual damages) is stale — superseded by Acts 2018, No. 416. 2026 regular session swept for other relevant bills; none found beyond Act 63.