Wyoming: Security Deposit Return Deadlines & Deductions
The short answer
A Wyoming landlord must return the deposit balance and a written itemized statement of any deductions within 30 days after the tenancy ends, or within 15 days after getting the tenant's new mailing address — whichever is later. If the unit was damaged, that deadline stretches another 30 days. There's no cap on the deposit amount, no interest owed on it, and no requirement that it sit in a separate account. If a landlord unreasonably fails to comply, the tenant can recover the full deposit plus court costs — but Wyoming doesn't double or treble the amount, and a tenant who sues unreasonably can be ordered to pay the landlord's court costs instead.
Ask Ezel about your situation
This is the general rule in Wyoming. Ezel applies current Wyoming law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law | Wyo. Stat. §§ 1-21-1207 to 1-21-1209 (Residential Rental Property article) |
|---|---|
| Deadline to return the deposit | 30 days after termination of the rental agreement, OR 15 days after the owner receives the renter's new mailing address, whichever is LATER. If there is damage to the unit, this period is extended by an additional 30 days. The renter must notify the owner within 30 days of termination where payment/notice can be sent. |
| Itemized statement required? | Yes — a written itemization of any deductions, together with the reasons for them, must be delivered or mailed along with the deposit balance, within the same deadline described above |
| What can be deducted | Accrued (unpaid) rent; damage to the unit beyond reasonable wear and tear; the cost to clean the unit back to its condition at the start of the rental agreement; and any other costs the rental agreement itself provides for. Wyoming's statute does not define 'reasonable wear and tear' anywhere in this article. |
| Maximum deposit amount | No statutory cap of any kind on the deposit amount |
| Interest on the deposit? | No — the statute expressly requires the balance to be returned 'without interest' |
| Penalty for a late/bad-faith withholding | A comparatively thin remedy: if the owner UNREASONABLY fails to comply with the return/itemization duty, the renter may recover the full deposit and court costs — no doubling or trebling. This cuts both ways: if the renter is the one who sues unreasonably and the owner prevails, the court may award the owner court costs instead. |
| Separate account or bond required? | No — Wyoming's Residential Rental Property article imposes no separate-account, trust, or bonding requirement for a security deposit |
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Requirements one by one
Governing law
Wyoming's deposit rules live in its Residential Rental Property article,
specifically Wyo. Stat. §§ 1-21-1207 through 1-21-1209 (with the
day-to-day mechanics — deductions, the itemization duty, and the deadline
— concentrated in § 1-21-1208).
Deadline to return the deposit
"The balance of any deposit and prepaid rent and a written itemization of
any deductions... shall be delivered or mailed without interest to the
renter within thirty (30) days after termination of the rental agreement
or within fifteen (15) days after receipt of the renter's new mailing
address, whichever is later." And critically, "[i]f there is damage to
the residential rental unit, this period shall be extended by thirty (30)
days" — meaning a damaged unit's real deadline can run to 60 days (or
longer, measured from a late-arriving forwarding address).
Itemized statement required?
Yes, in every case — the same sentence that sets the deadline also
requires "a written itemization of any deductions from the deposit
together with reasons therefor," delivered or mailed alongside the
balance, not on a separate track.
What can be deducted
"Accrued rent, damages to the residential rental unit beyond reasonable
wear and tear, the cost to clean the unit to the condition at the
beginning of the rental agreement and... other costs provided by any
contract." That last category — whatever the lease itself specifies — is
broad, similar to how some other states defer entirely to the rental
agreement. Wyoming's statute does not define "reasonable wear and tear"
anywhere in this article, unlike some states that spell the term out.
Maximum deposit amount
None. Wyoming's statute sets no dollar figure or rent-multiple cap on how
much a landlord can collect as a security deposit.
Interest on the deposit?
No. The statute is explicit that the balance is returned "without
interest" — there is no interest duty on a held deposit under Wyoming
law.
Penalty for a late/bad-faith withholding
A comparatively thin, two-way remedy: "[i]f the owner... unreasonably
fails to comply with subsection (a) or (b) of this section, the renter
may recover the full deposit and court costs" — no multiplier of any
kind. But the same section cuts the other way too: "if the owner is the
prevailing party and the court finds the renter acted unreasonably in
bringing the action, the owner may be awarded court costs" instead.
Separate account or bond required?
No. Wyoming's Residential Rental Property article contains no
escrow, trust-account, or bonding requirement for a security deposit.
What trips people up
A utilities deposit runs on its own separate clock. If any part of
what you paid was "separately identified as a utilities deposit," it's
governed by its own timeline under § 1-21-1208(b) — a 10-day refund window
after you show all utility charges are paid, or a 45-day/15-day/7-day
sequence if you don't — not the same 30-day/15-day rule that governs the
ordinary security deposit.
The word "interest" shows up twice with opposite meanings in this
article. The deposit itself earns you no interest while your landlord
holds it. But if you damage the unit and owe more than your deposit
covers, a different section (§ 1-21-1211(b)) lets the landlord charge YOU
10% annual interest on whatever you still owe beyond the deposit.
"Unreasonably" is the whole ballgame, and it runs both directions.
There's no automatic penalty for a merely late return — you have to show
the landlord's noncompliance was unreasonable. And if you're the one who
files suit unreasonably, the court can make you pay the landlord's costs
instead.
Common questions
How long does my Wyoming landlord have to return my deposit? 30 days
after your tenancy ends, or 15 days after the landlord gets your new
mailing address, whichever is later — plus another 30 days if the unit
was damaged.
Is there a cap on my deposit in Wyoming? No, state law sets no limit
at all.
Do I get interest on my deposit? No, Wyoming law returns the deposit
"without interest."
What can I recover if my landlord wrongfully withholds my deposit?
If the landlord's noncompliance was unreasonable, you can recover the
full deposit plus your court costs — but not a doubled or tripled amount.
Statutes and sources
- Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1207 — the nonrefundable-portion notice requirement.
https://wyoleg.gov/NXT/gateway.dll/Statutes%2F2021%20Titles%2F2%2F54%2F66 (accessed 2026-07-06) - Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1208(a) — permitted deductions and the 30-day/15-day-later-of deadline.
https://wyoleg.gov/NXT/gateway.dll/Statutes%2F2021%20Titles%2F2%2F54%2F66 (accessed 2026-07-06) - Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1208(b) — the separate utilities-deposit timeline.
https://wyoleg.gov/NXT/gateway.dll/Statutes%2F2021%20Titles%2F2%2F54%2F66 (accessed 2026-07-06) - Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1208(c) — the full-deposit-plus-costs remedy and its two-way court-costs risk.
https://wyoleg.gov/NXT/gateway.dll/Statutes%2F2021%20Titles%2F2%2F54%2F66 (accessed 2026-07-06) - Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1209 — the successor-owner binding provision.
https://wyoleg.gov/NXT/gateway.dll/Statutes%2F2021%20Titles%2F2%2F54%2F66 (accessed 2026-07-06)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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