Security deposit rules sd-2026.11.19
Published interest rates and the cleaning rule are now written as dated values, one value from each date. No rule changed and no answer moved.
- Changed: Deductions, Interest.
Maryland rule history
Every change we have made to the rules we apply in Maryland, newest first. Each entry gives the ruleset version, the day we made the change and the rules it touched.
Changes, newest first
Dates are the days we made each change. A change reaches tektolo.com with the next release of the site. Changes that apply in every state are in the rules changelog. Rules changelog.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.11.18
TEKTOLO-407 to 410: one due date on the letter; inputs the engine ignored (GA, MT, MA, NC); blanks to describe each deducted item (TX, WI, GA, WA, NH, MA); CA estimates, demand wording and tenant-door gaps.
- Changed: Return deadline.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.11.13
New York, Massachusetts, Texas and Maryland set deposit law statewide, so a city named there no longer gets a warning about local ordinances.
- Added: Local ordinances.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.11.7
Maryland trebles only what is withheld without a basis, with fixes for West Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia's bad-faith treble and Minnesota's late statement.
- Changed: Penalties.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.10.29
Uses inputs the statutes refer to: pet deposits and prepaid rent in caps and interest, Minneapolis's prepaid cap, North Carolina's term, published interest rates and move-in reports.
- Changed: Deposit cap, Interest.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.10.27
Unpaid required interest counts in the penalty base where the statute says so: New Hampshire, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
- Changed: Penalties.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.10.20
Two-stage and alternative clocks in Illinois, Maryland, Indiana, Louisiana and Maine, such as Illinois's full return within 45 days once the statement is missed.
- Changed: Return deadline.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.10.18
The penalty base follows each statute's words (what was wrongfully withheld, the balance owed, or more than the actual damages) in 24 states; Maryland's remedy for a deposit over the cap.
- Changed: Deposit cap, Penalties.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.10.17
Adds each state's statute on re-renting and mitigation (33 states); in Oregon and Florida the early-termination fee and the later rent are alternatives.
- Changed: Deductions.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.10.13
Deposit caps computed and versioned by collection or lease date (California AB 12, Georgia, Maryland, Colorado), with the exceptions the inputs show.
- Changed: Deposit cap.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.10.11
Interest rate histories for San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Maryland and Minnesota, each period at its own rate and counted each place's way.
- Changed: Interest.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.10.10
Weekend and holiday roll-forward under each state's time-computation statute (32 states), with each state's own legal holidays.
- Changed: Return deadline, Sources.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.10.9
Where the statute is silent on depreciation (49 states), an aged item is limited to its remaining value as an estimate; Colorado carpet over ten years old is barred.
- Changed: Deductions.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.10.8
Cleaning is typed per state, as named in the statute or recoverable only as damage beyond normal wear; a cleaning line of unknown kind is 'depends', never refused outright.
- Changed: Deductions.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.10.6
Late-fee caps (17 states, Chicago and Seattle) and lease-break limits; a lease-break charge is 'depends' everywhere.
- Changed: Deductions, Sources.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.10.3
Loss of the right to withhold is typed per state and computed into the totals; consequences the tool does not compute are listed as unknowns.
- Added: Loss of the right to withhold.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.10.2
Adds official plain-language guides (California, Florida, Maryland, New York, Texas, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle) and state small claims court pages.
- Added: Official guides.
Security deposit rules sd-2026.10.1
Review fixes: inclusive tenancy thresholds, state holiday sets, Los Angeles and Maryland interest per rate year, Florida's notice of claim, Colorado's carpet and paint limits.
- Changed: Interest, Notes.
The rules we apply now
Each rule we apply in Maryland, with the day it took its current form.
| Rule | In this form since | Version |
|---|---|---|
| Deductions | October 15, 2026 | sd-2026.11.19 |
| Deposit cap | October 10, 2026 | sd-2026.10.29 |
| Interest | October 15, 2026 | sd-2026.11.19 |
| Itemized statement and records | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.0 |
| Local ordinances | October 13, 2026 | sd-2026.11.13 |
| Loss of the right to withhold | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.3 |
| Notes | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.1 |
| Official guides | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.2 |
| Penalties | October 10, 2026 | sd-2026.11.7 |
| Recent amendments | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.0 |
| Return deadline | October 15, 2026 | sd-2026.11.18 |
| Statute | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.0 |
| Statute text | October 9, 2026 | sd-2026.10.0 |
Get this as data
The same history is available as JSON. The API is free and needs no key.
- Changes this year:
/v1/rules/changes?state=MD&since=2026-01-01 - Every value of one rule:
/v1/rules/history?rule=deposit-settlement/states/MD%23return - What we said on a date about the law on another:
/v1/rules/as-of?rule=deposit-settlement/states/MD&known=2026-10-01&valid=2025-12-01