Louisiana Security Deposit Law

Maximum deposit

Louisiana sets no statutory limit on the amount of a residential security deposit (La. R.S. 9:3251). (La. R.S. 9:3251 (no amount limit))

Return deadline

Landlords must return the deposit within one month after the lease terminates; since Aug. 1, 2026 the itemized statement for any amount kept may be sent up to 15 days after that one-month mark (La. R.S. 9:3251(A)). (La. R.S. 9:3251(A), Acts 2026, No. 63 (HB 292), amending R.S. 9:3251(A))

Itemized statement of deductions

If any part of the deposit is kept, the landlord must send an itemized statement of what was retained and why to the tenant's forwarding address (La. R.S. 9:3251(A)). (La. R.S. 9:3251(A))

Interest on the deposit

Louisiana law does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits (La. R.S. 9:3251). (La. R.S. 9:3251-9:3252 (silent on interest))

Penalty for wrongful withholding

A landlord who willfully fails to return the deposit owes the amount wrongfully kept plus the greater of $300 or twice that amount, and failing to pay within 30 days of a written demand counts as willful (La. R.S. 9:3252(A)). (La. R.S. 9:3252(A))

Where the deposit is held

Louisiana's Lessee's Deposit Act does not tell landlords where to keep a deposit, so no separate or escrow account is required (La. R.S. 9:3251). (La. R.S. 9:3251)

Receipt or written notice of the deposit

A Louisiana landlord has no statutory duty to issue a deposit receipt or disclose a bank; the deposit statute covers only return and accounting at the end of the lease (La. R.S. 9:3251). (La. R.S. 9:3251)

Move-in condition checklist

Louisiana does not require a move-in inspection or condition checklist; the AG recommends one, but the deposit law never conditions deductions on it (La. R.S. 9:3251). (La. R.S. 9:3251)

Pet deposits

Louisiana bars landlords from charging extra compensation for a disabled tenant's service dog (La. R.S. 46:1954(C)). (La. R.S. 46:1954(C))

The tenant remains liable for any damage the service dog does to the premises or to anyone on them. Louisiana has no separate cap on ordinary pet deposits; the AG reads refundable pet deposits as covered by the Lessee's Deposit Act while a 'pet fee' is governed by the lease.

Nonrefundable fees

No Louisiana statute bans or limits nonrefundable fees; the Lessee's Deposit Act reaches only money given to secure performance of the lease (La. R.S. 9:3251(A)). (La. R.S. 9:3251)

Small-landlord exemptions

Louisiana's deposit rules cover every residential landlord alike, with no exception for small or owner-occupied rentals (La. R.S. 9:3251). (La. R.S. 9:3251)

Deposit alternatives and installments

Louisiana law is silent on surety bonds, deposit insurance, deposit-waiver fees and installment payment of deposits (La. R.S. 9:3251). (La. R.S. 9:3251)