If you only remember one point about getting a security deposit back in Kentucky, remember this: The cap is No statewide cap. The return deadline is No fixed statewide statutory return deadline in all counties; landlords must return deposits within a reasonable time and provide an accounting—many practitioners treat 30–60 days as the practical window; check local URLTA adoption. Interest: No statewide interest requirement. Procedure, examples, and the opinions below hang off Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.580. Wrongful withholding can support recovery of the deposit plus damages under adopted URLTA provisions where applicable.
Interest and accounting
No statewide interest requirement.
Walking through Kentucky facts
Use this walkthrough to see which Kentucky authority does the work at each step.
A residential tenant moves out of a Kentucky rental and the landlord has not returned the deposit.
- Check the cap that applied when the deposit was collected: No statewide cap.
- Calendar the return deadline: No fixed statewide statutory return deadline in all counties; landlords must return deposits within a reasonable time and provide an accounting—many practitioners treat 30–60 days as the practical window; check local URLTA adoption
- Interest, if any: No statewide interest requirement.
- If the landlord keeps money without the required accounting: Wrongful withholding can support recovery of the deposit plus damages under adopted URLTA provisions where applicable.
Kentucky has not uniformly capped residential deposits statewide. Return and accounting duties follow KRS Chapter 383 as adopted locally. Put the return demand in writing with a forwarding address. District court handles many disputes.
Penalties for wrongful withholding
Wrongful withholding can support recovery of the deposit plus damages under adopted URLTA provisions where applicable.
Practical process for tenants and landlords
Kentucky has not uniformly capped residential deposits statewide. Return and accounting duties follow KRS Chapter 383 as adopted locally. Put the return demand in writing with a forwarding address. District court handles many disputes.
Document the unit with dated photos or video at move-in and move-out, keep the lease and any inspection checklist, and send a dated written demand if the deadline passes without a lawful accounting.
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Case law: security deposits in Kentucky
Commercial Banking & Trust Company v. Citizens Trust & Guaranty Company of West Virginia
…Trust Company, desiring to secure, at least, a part of the deposits of the county treasurer, entered into, an agreement with bim, whereby it obligated itself to furnish said treasurer security, in the sum of $100,000, to secure the safety of any and all deposits-which he might, as treasurer, make in said bank. The Citizens Trust & Guaranty Company likewise became the surety fo…
On security deposits, Commercial Banking & Trust Company v. Citizens Trust & Guaranty Company of West Virginia speaks to the Kentucky dispute in this passage: "Trust Company, desiring to secure, at least, a part of the deposits of the county treasurer, entered into, an agreement with bim, whereby it obligated itself to furnish said treasurer security, in the sum of $100,000, to secure the safety of any and all deposits-which he might, a" The surrounding opinion shows how the court applied that language to the record.
O’Brien v. O’Brien Et Al.
O’Brien v. O’Brien Et Al., 294 Ky. 793 (1942)
…ced him to the superintendent. He obtained a safety box and deposited the two instruments there. None of the three living witnesses to these documents or the vault superintendent testified. Caldwell did not refer to John A. O’Brien’s mental or physical condition. It does not appear that Laurent had ever been O’Brien’s attorney. He had had a safety box jointly with his wife at a…
Kentucky opinions such as O’Brien v. O’Brien Et Al. are cited where security deposits is disputed. The court stated: "He obtained a safety box and deposited the two instruments there. None of the three living witnesses to these documents or the vault superintendent testified. Caldwell did not refer to John A. O’Brien’s mental or physical condition." That is the language to brief; the rest of the decision supplies the procedural posture.
LeMoyne v. Neal
LeMoyne v. Neal, 168 Ky. 292 (1916)
…erbal contract, by which he agreed to hold the lands as the tenant of appellants’ predecessors, that his holding’ was not adverse, and the jury must not find for appellee on account of his claim of possession or champerty in the conveyance to appellants. By another instruction, adverse possession, as used in the instructions, was defined to be an actual, adverse possession, man…
On security deposits, LeMoyne v. Neal speaks to the Kentucky dispute in this passage: "erbal contract, by which he agreed to hold the lands as the tenant of appellants’ predecessors, that his holding’ was not adverse, and the jury must not find for appellee on account of his claim of possession or champerty in the conveyance to appellants. By another instruction, a" The surrounding opinion shows how the court applied that language to the record.
Union Bank of Berry, Kentucky v. National Surety Company of New York
Union Bank of Berry, Kentucky v. National Surety Company of New York, 195 Ky. 504 (1922)
…itution against loss by theft of bonds and other securities deposited in the safe of said bank but on the outside of the burglary proof screw door compartments therein? The question arose in this way: The Farmers Deposit Bank and the Deposit Bank of Berry were consolidated in 1919, under the name and style Union Bank of Berry. Before the consolidation each of the banks carried…
Union Bank of Berry, Kentucky v. National Surety Company of New York is worth reading on Kentucky security deposits because the court put the point in its own words: "The question arose in this way: The Farmers Deposit Bank and the Deposit Bank of Berry were consolidated in 1919, under the name and style Union Bank of Berry." Use that passage as the starting point, then read the facts that precede it.
Bank of Willard v. Pennsylvania & Kentucky Fire Brick Company
Bank of Willard v. Pennsylvania & Kentucky Fire Brick Company, 175 Ky. 192 (1917)
…months, to the appellant, Bank of Willard, and to secure it deposited with the bank as collateral security one of the old notes of the brick company for the same amount, dated May 20, 1909, and due two months thereafter. In other words, the collateral note at that time was past due one year, six months and fifteen days. On January 18, 1911, the Olive Hill National Bank executed…
Bank of Willard v. Pennsylvania & Kentucky Fire Brick Company is worth reading on Kentucky security deposits because the court put the point in its own words: "Bank of Willard, and to secure it deposited with the bank as collateral security one of the old notes of the brick company for the same amount, dated May 20, 1909, and due two months thereafter." Use that passage as the starting point, then read the facts that precede it.
COMMONWEALTH of Kentucky ex rel. Robert F. STEPHENS, Attorney General v. Tom D. ISAACS, Individually d/b/a Isaacs
…junctive relief to prevent appellees from failing to return security deposits to residents who vacate appellees’ premises, and a civil penalty against appellees for violation of KRS 367.170, the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act. The appellees filed a motion to dismiss the complaint on the basis that it failed to state a cause of action, that the Attorney General was without sta…
Kentucky opinions such as COMMONWEALTH of Kentucky ex rel. Robert F. STEPHENS, Attorney General v. Tom D. ISAACS, Individually d/b/a Isaacs are cited where security deposits is disputed. The court stated: "KRS 367.170, the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act." That is the language to brief; the rest of the decision supplies the procedural posture.
George N. TURNER, Sr. v. John A. BRESLIN, Jr., Judge of the Fleming Circuit Court
…mitted to bail. He executed another bond and as security he deposited five thousand dollars in cash with the court clerk. In compliance with the terms of the second bond, the petitioner appeared for trial on the charge and was convicted of a misdemeanor, a lesser degree of the offense charged. He satisfied the judgment of the court in every particular and then demanded the retu…
Practitioners open George N. TURNER, Sr. v. John A. BRESLIN, Jr., Judge of the Fleming Circuit Court when Kentucky security deposits turns on the distinction in this sentence: "He executed another bond and as security he deposited five thousand dollars in cash with the court clerk. In compliance with the terms of the second bond, the petitioner appeared for trial on the charge and was convicted of a misdemeanor, a lesser degree of the offense charged." Do not lift it out of the facts the court was deciding.
Kentucky Title Savings Bank & Trust Company v. Day
Kentucky Title Savings Bank & Trust Company v. Day, 174 Ky. 105 (1917)
…y liquidation. 2. A number of shareholders of the bank have deposited with the trust company with power to sell the same at such price and upon- such terms as it deems best, the following securities, to-wit: (1) Stock. (2) Voting trust certificates in respect of such stock under a voting agreement dated February 1, 1906. (3) Collateral trust bonds covering such voting trust cer…
Kentucky opinions such as Kentucky Title Savings Bank & Trust Company v. Day are cited where security deposits is disputed. The court stated: "A number of shareholders of the bank have deposited with the trust company with power to sell the same at such price and upon- such terms as it deems best, the following securities, to-wit: (1) Stock." That is the language to brief; the rest of the decision supplies the procedural posture.
Key takeaways
- Maximum deposit: No statewide cap
- Return deadline: No fixed statewide statutory return deadline in all counties; landlords must return deposits within a reasonable time and provide an accounting—many practitioners treat 30–60 days as the practical window; check local URLTA adoption
- Interest: No statewide interest requirement.
- Penalties: Wrongful withholding can support recovery of the deposit plus damages under adopted URLTA provisions where applicable.
- Primary authority: Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.580.
Deposit limits in Kentucky
No statewide cap
When the deposit must be returned
No fixed statewide statutory return deadline in all counties; landlords must return deposits within a reasonable time and provide an accounting—many practitioners treat 30–60 days as the practical window; check local URLTA adoption
Frequently asked questions
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Kentucky?
No statewide cap
How long does a landlord have to return my deposit?
No fixed statewide statutory return deadline in all counties; landlords must return deposits within a reasonable time and provide an accounting—many practitioners treat 30–60 days as the practical window; check local URLTA adoption
What if my landlord keeps the deposit without an itemized list?
Wrongful withholding can support recovery of the deposit plus damages under adopted URLTA provisions where applicable.
This guide covers Kentucky residential security-deposit law as of 2026. Commercial leases and local ordinances can differ — verify the statute that applies to your unit.