What are the security deposit rules in Ohio?
Ohio sets no cap on security deposits, and a landlord must return the deposit — with a written, itemized list of any deductions — within 30 days after the lease ends and the tenant delivers possession.
Cited to ORC 5321.16 (A)-(C) · Verified July 8, 2026
Wrongful withholding is expensive: the tenant recovers the amount wrongfully withheld plus damages equal to that amount (double, in effect) plus reasonable attorney's fees, but only if the tenant gave a written forwarding address. Deposits exceeding the greater of $50 or one month's rent earn 5% annual interest on the excess when the tenant stays six months or more, which means a standard one-month deposit typically earns nothing. Ohio requires no escrow or separate account, so the main compliance burden is the 30-day itemization clock.
Ohio security deposits at a glance
| Maximum deposit | No statutory cap |
|---|---|
| Return deadline | 30 days |
| Deadline conditions | The landlord must deliver a written notice itemizing every deduction, together with the amount due. The clock runs from termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession. Any deduction must be itemized and identified in that written notice, delivered to the tenant with the amount due within 30 days after termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession. The tenant must provide a written forwarding or new address; failing to do so does not excuse the landlord's 30-day duty but bars the tenant from recovering the statutory damages and attorney's fees under 5321.16(C). |
| Itemization required | Yes |
| Itemization rules | Written notice itemizing and identifying each deduction, delivered with the balance due within 30 days. The deposit may be applied to past-due rent and to damages from the tenant's noncompliance with ORC 5321.05 or the rental agreement; ordinary wear and tear is not chargeable. |
| Separate account required | No |
| Interest owed to tenant | Yes |
| Account & interest rules | Interest is owed only on the part of a deposit that exceeds $50 or one month's rent, whichever is greater, and only if the tenant stays six months or more. A standard one-month deposit therefore earns nothing. The excess bears 5% per annum interest, computed and paid annually (ORC 5321.16(A)). In practice this only bites when the deposit exceeds one month's rent, so most standard one-month deposits earn no statutory interest. |
| Pet deposits | No separate statutory category; refundable pet deposits are part of the security deposit and count toward the interest threshold. |
| Non-refundable fees allowed | Not addressed by statute |
| Penalty for violation | A landlord who misses the 30-day return and itemization duty owes the tenant the money due plus damages equal to the amount wrongfully withheld — double that portion, in effect — plus reasonable attorney's fees (ORC 5321.16(C)). The tenant forfeits the damages and fee remedies, though not the deposit itself, by failing to supply a forwarding address. |
| Tenant forwarding-address duty | The tenant shall provide the landlord in writing with a forwarding or new address to which the notice and amount due may be sent; failure bars recovery of damages and attorney's fees under 5321.16(C) (ORC 5321.16(B)). |
Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Ohio Security Deposit Laws (verified July 8, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/security-deposits/ohio/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified). Every figure above is cited to the Ohio statute in the citations section below.
Generate a Ohio security-deposit return letter — free, no signup, built on the same verified Ohio rules as this page.
Notes and caveats
- No deposit cap — the blank field means silence, not zero — No Ohio statute caps the amount of a residential security deposit, which is why the maximum-deposit field is empty.
- No escrow or separate-account rule — ORC 5321.16 imposes no storage or segregation requirement, so a landlord is not obliged to hold the deposit apart from other funds.
- 'Double' applies to the withheld portion, not the whole deposit — ORC 5321.16(C) awards the amount wrongfully withheld plus damages equal to that amount. Courts apply that doubling to the wrongfully withheld portion, not automatically to the entire deposit — a distinction worth stating precisely.
Common questions: Ohio 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 Ohio?
- No statutory cap.
- How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Ohio?
- 30 days. The landlord must deliver a written notice itemizing every deduction, together with the amount due. The clock runs from termination of the rental agreement and delivery of possession.
- What happens if a landlord does not return the deposit on time in Ohio?
- A landlord who misses the 30-day return and itemization duty owes the tenant the money due plus damages equal to the amount wrongfully withheld — double that portion, in effect — plus reasonable attorney's fees (ORC 5321.16(C)).
- Do landlords have to pay interest on security deposits in Ohio?
- Yes — Ohio requires interest on the security deposit to be paid to the tenant. Interest is owed only on the part of a deposit that exceeds $50 or one month's rent, whichever is greater, and only if the tenant stays six months or more. A standard one-month deposit therefore earns nothing.
- Can a landlord charge a non-refundable fee in Ohio?
- Not addressed by statute.
Statute citations
- ORC 5321.16 (A)-(C) (verified 2026) Official source
How this record was verified: Direct read of Ohio Revised Code text on the official codes.ohio.gov site (Legislative Service Commission): ORC 5321.16 (full text), 5321.04 (full text), 5321.17 (full text), 5321.20 (page confirmed), with the 2022 HB 430 rent-control preemption amendments to 5321.19/5321.20 verified against contemporaneous legal analyses.