Montana security deposit deadline & deductions
It depends on what you are doing — within 30 days (10 days if there are no deductions)
- Deadline
- 10 days if there are no deductions; 30 days if there are deductions to itemize
- Itemized statement
- Required by statute
- Receipts
- No threshold verified
- Statute
- Mont. Code Ann. § 70-25-202
At its shortest, 10 days, Montana gives landlords the least time of the 26 states verified here — miss it and the right to withhold is usually lost.
Itemized statement due within 30 days of move-out — 10 days if there are no deductions.
When the Montana clock runs out
The deadline runs from the end of the tenancy, not from when you get around to inspecting. Montana sets more than one count, so every one of them is worked out below — which applies depends on the condition beside it:
| Tenant moves out | 10 days — if there are no deductions | 30 days — if there are deductions to itemize |
|---|---|---|
| January 31, 2026 | February 10, 2026 | March 2, 2026 |
| April 15, 2026 | April 25, 2026 | May 15, 2026 |
| July 31, 2026 | August 10, 2026 | August 30, 2026 |
| November 30, 2026 | December 10, 2026 | December 30, 2026 |
Does Montana require an itemized statement?
Yes — Montana requires an itemized written statement of any deductions rather than a lump sum, under Mont. Code Ann. § 70-25-202. Each charge needs to stand on its own: what was damaged, and what it cost to put right.
What you can actually charge for
Montana statute sets the deadline and the paperwork; it does not publish a table of what a worn carpet is worth. The defensible method — charging only the useful life the tenant used up early, and excluding normal wear — is the same in every state, and is explained on the calculator, which builds the itemized statement and puts the Montana deadline on it.
Next: Montana deposit return letter · move-in report · every state’s deadline
Montana rule last checked 2026-07-23 against Mont. Code Ann. § 70-25-202. General information, not legal advice — confirm the current statute before sending a deduction statement.
Everything else we’ve researched about Montana
Same state, the problems either side of this one. Each carries its own statute and the date we last checked it.
- Montana deposit return law & letterThe landlord's deadline to return a deposit, and the itemized letter.
- Montana deposit demand letterFor the tenant: whether the landlord is late, and by how many days.
- Montana move-in condition reportThe walkthrough record that decides deposit arguments later.
- Montana emergency plan rulesDrill frequency, filings, prescribed forms and retention, cited.
Questions people ask
- How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Montana?
- Montana: Itemized statement due within 30 days of move-out — 10 days if there are no deductions. (Mont. Code Ann. § 70-25-202). At its shortest, 10 days, Montana gives landlords the least time of the 26 states verified here — miss it and the right to withhold is usually lost.
- Does Montana require an itemized statement of deductions?
- Yes. Montana requires an itemized written statement of any deductions rather than a lump sum (Mont. Code Ann. § 70-25-202).
- Do I need receipts for deductions in Montana?
- No threshold verified. Montana's statute, as verified here, does not set a dollar figure above which receipts are required (Mont. Code Ann. § 70-25-202). That does not make an undocumented charge safe: every deduction still has to be reasonable and documented, and a receipt or invoice is what makes it so.