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

30 days. The deadline is the later of two triggers: 30 days after the rental agreement terminates, or 15 days after the landlord receives the tenant's new mailing address. If the unit was damaged, the period is extended by another 30 days.

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

If the owner or his agent 'unreasonably fails' to comply with the return or utilities-deposit rules, the renter may recover 'the full deposit and court costs' (W.S. 1-21-1208(c)). There is no double or treble multiplier and no attorney-fee award.

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

No — Wyoming does not require interest on the security deposit to be paid to the tenant. The statute says the balance 'shall be delivered or mailed without interest to the renter' (W.S. 1-21-1208(a)), so no interest is ever owed on a Wyoming deposit — express statutory text, not mere silence.

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

Yes — non-refundable fees are allowed in Wyoming.

What are the security deposit rules in Wyoming?

Verified October 1, 2026 All Wyoming topics →

Wyoming puts no cap on security deposits, and the landlord must return the balance with a written, reasoned itemization of any deductions within 30 days after the tenancy ends or within 15 days after receiving the tenant's new mailing address, whichever is later — and if the unit was damaged, the deadline stretches by another 30 days.

Cited to Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1208 (a)-(c) and 5 more cited sources · Verified October 1, 2026

The tenant has a matching duty: within 30 days of moving out, tell the landlord where to send the money. Wyoming is unusually landlord-friendly on two points. First, the statute says the refund comes 'without interest,' so no interest is ever owed. Second, nonrefundable deposits are expressly legal if the landlord clears a double disclosure: the rental agreement must state that a portion is nonrefundable, and the tenant must also get written notice of that fact when the deposit is taken. Money separately labeled as a utilities deposit runs on its own clock — refundable within 10 days once the tenant shows all utility bills are paid. A landlord who unreasonably sits on the money can be ordered to pay back the full deposit plus court costs, but there is no doubling penalty, and a tenant who sues unreasonably can be ordered to pay the landlord's court costs instead. Deductions can reach accrued rent, damage beyond reasonable wear and tear, cleaning to move-in condition, and any other costs the lease provides for.

Wyoming security deposits at a glance

Maximum deposit	No statutory cap
Return deadline	30 days
Deadline conditions	The deadline is the later of two triggers: 30 days after the rental agreement terminates, or 15 days after the landlord receives the tenant's new mailing address. If the unit was damaged, the period is extended by another 30 days. W.S. 1-21-1208(a) sets that clock: the balance of the deposit and prepaid rent plus the written itemization must be delivered or mailed within thirty (30) days after termination of the rental agreement OR within fifteen (15) days after the owner receives the renter's new mailing address, whichever is LATER. 'If there is damage to the residential rental unit, this period shall be extended by thirty (30) days' — the extension keys to the existence of damage. The renter must, within 30 days of termination, notify the owner or designated agent of the location where payment and notice may be made or mailed. Separately identified UTILITIES deposits run on their own track (1-21-1208(b)): refund within 10 days of a satisfactory showing that all renter-incurred utility charges are paid; absent that showing within 45 days of termination, the owner must within 15 days thereafter apply the utilities deposit to the outstanding utility debt, and any remaining refund is due within 7 days after application or within 15 days after receipt of the renter's new mailing address, whichever is later.
Itemization required	Yes
Itemization rules	Deposit money may be applied only to accrued rent, damages to the unit beyond reasonable wear and tear, the cost to clean the unit to its condition at the beginning of the rental agreement, and 'other costs provided by any contract' — an unusually broad lease-based catchall. Any deductions require 'a written itemization of any deductions from the deposit together with reasons therefor' delivered or mailed within the (a) deadline (W.S. 1-21-1208(a)). No statutory receipts requirement (the court system's TENANT-03 form asks for receipts, but that is the form, not the statute).
Separate account required	No
Interest owed to tenant	No
Account & interest rules	The statute says the balance 'shall be delivered or mailed without interest to the renter' (W.S. 1-21-1208(a)), so no interest is ever owed on a Wyoming deposit — express statutory text, not mere silence. No trust-account, escrow or commingling rule exists anywhere in the article.
Pet deposits	No statute addresses a pet deposit, and no general deposit cap exists for one to count against. The pet-deposit rule, pet rent and fees, and the assistance-animal rules are on the pets and assistance animals page.
Non-refundable fees allowed	Yes
Penalty for violation	If the owner or his agent 'unreasonably fails' to comply with the return or utilities-deposit rules, the renter may recover 'the full deposit and court costs' (W.S. 1-21-1208(c)). There is no double or treble multiplier and no attorney-fee award. The exposure cuts both ways: if the owner prevails and the court finds the renter acted unreasonably in bringing the action, the OWNER may be awarded court costs. Separately, a renter whose damage exceeds the deposit remains liable for the excess 'plus interest at ten percent (10%) per annum on any unpaid amounts' (W.S. 1-21-1211(b)).
Tenant forwarding-address duty	Express statutory duty: 'The renter shall within thirty (30) days of termination of the rental agreement, notify the owner or designated agent of the location where payment and notice may be made or mailed' (W.S. 1-21-1208(a)). No forfeiture attaches to a failure, but the alternative 15-day refund trigger runs only from the owner's receipt of the new address, so a renter who never supplies one leaves the outer clock at 30 days (60 with damage) after termination.

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Wyoming Security Deposit Laws (verified October 1, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/security-deposits/wyoming/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified). Everything above is cited in the citations section below.

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

Editable Wyoming deposit kit — the deposit disposition letter, the move-in receipt with the custody and interest statements, a deposits-held register with the return deadline computed, and the rules fact sheet built on the verified Wyoming rules on this page, in Word, fillable PDF and Excel.

Notes and caveats

The '30 days, 60 if damage' chart line flattens a two-trigger clock — the deadline is 30 days after termination OR 15 days after the owner receives the renter's new mailing address, whichever lands later — so a slow forwarding address can push a lawful return past 60 days from termination.
Charts saying Wyoming bars nonrefundable fees are wrong — § 1-21-1207 is one of the most explicit nonrefundable-deposit authorizations in the country, conditioned on dual disclosure: the lease must state the nonrefundable term AND the renter must get written notice at the time the deposit is taken. The courts' own TENANT-03 instructions tell tenants the landlord 'may be allowed to keep that money.'
The penalty requires unreasonable noncompliance — and has no multiplier — recovery is capped at the full deposit plus court costs; no doubling, no attorney fees. It cuts both ways: a tenant who sues unreasonably risks paying the owner's court costs.
The extra 30 days keys to the existence of damage — 'If there is damage...' extends the clock whether or not the owner actually deducts for it.
Lease-defined charges are deposit-deductible — 'other costs provided by any contract' makes charges the lease creates — late fees included — deductible from the deposit.
New owners inherit the return duty — a successor owner at termination is bound by the deposit rules (§ 1-21-1209).
Damage beyond the deposit accrues interest — a renter's liability for damage exceeding the deposit carries 10% per year statutory interest (§ 1-21-1211(b)).
Reform bills died — 2005 HB0304 (deposit refunds) and 2011 HB0210 (return of deposits) both failed, and the 2025 and 2026 sessions enacted nothing on-topic.
Three official sources carry these figures identically — the Legislature's compiled Title 1, its online statute view of Article 12, and the Judicial Branch's TENANT-03 instructions all state the deposit figures shown here in identical terms, as of October 1, 2026.

Common questions: Wyoming 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 Wyoming?: No statutory cap.
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Wyoming?: 30 days. The deadline is the later of two triggers: 30 days after the rental agreement terminates, or 15 days after the landlord receives the tenant's new mailing address. If the unit was damaged, the period is extended by another 30 days.
What happens if a landlord does not return the deposit on time in Wyoming?: If the owner or his agent 'unreasonably fails' to comply with the return or utilities-deposit rules, the renter may recover 'the full deposit and court costs' (W.S. 1-21-1208(c)). There is no double or treble multiplier and no attorney-fee award.
Do landlords have to pay interest on security deposits in Wyoming?: No — Wyoming does not require interest on the security deposit to be paid to the tenant. The statute says the balance 'shall be delivered or mailed without interest to the renter' (W.S. 1-21-1208(a)), so no interest is ever owed on a Wyoming deposit — express statutory text, not mere silence.
Can a landlord charge a non-refundable fee in Wyoming?: Yes — non-refundable fees are allowed in Wyoming.

Citations

Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1208 · (a)-(c) (verified 2026) Official source
Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1207 (verified 2026) Official source
Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1209 (verified 2026) Official source
Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1211 · (b) (verified 2026) Official source
Title 1, ch. 21, art. 12 (LSO NXT infobase view, official alternate presentation) (verified 2026) Official source
Wyoming Judicial Branch, TENANT Form 03 instructions — Request for Return of Deposit (rev. Sept 2024; reprints § 1-21-1208 verbatim) · pp. 2-3 (verified 2026) Official source

How this record was verified: Direct read of statute text in the Wyoming Legislative Service Office's compiled title files (wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title01.pdf, title34.pdf, title15.pdf, title40.pdf) on October 1, 2026. The files were compiled on May 8, 2026 and include the 2026 Budget Session. Title 1 ch. 21 art. 12 (W.S. 1-21-1201 through 1-21-1211) and art. 10 (1-21-1001 through 1-21-1017) read in full, plus W.S. 34-2-126 through 34-2-132; Articles 10 and 12 read the same in the Legislature's online statute view. Deposit figures were also read in the Wyoming Judicial Branch's TENANT-03 instructions (wyocourts.gov, rev. September 2024), which reprint W.S. 1-21-1208. Negatives (no deposit cap, no interest or separate-account rule beyond the express 'without interest' clause, no rent-increase or periodic-termination notice statute, no late-fee cap or grace period, no entry-notice statute, no rent-control or preemption provision) rest on full-article reads plus keyword searches of every title: zero occurrences of 'month-to-month', 'late fee', 'late charge' or 'grace period' in Titles 1, 15 and 34. Session check on the Legislative Service Office's bill records: all 278 enrolled acts of the 2025 General Session (171) and the 2026 Budget Session (107) were read for amendments to these sections; none amends W.S. 1-21-1001 through 1-21-1017, 1-21-1201 through 1-21-1211 or 34-2-126 through 34-2-132, and 2025 Senate File 6 (ch. 41) added W.S. 1-21-1401 through 1-21-1403. Dead bills: 2025 HB0213 (owner utility duties) and 2026 HB0183 (renter tax relief), both not considered for introduction. The next regular session is January 2027.