Security deposit law in Illinois

No statutory limit. The return rule is 30 or 45 days. The controlling text is 765 ILCS 710 / 715.

Shared move-in, deduction, and refund workflow: the national state-law hub.

Illinois's return deadline

30 or 45 days.

For a landlord with five or more units, an itemized statement of deductions must go out within 30 days, and any balance within 45 days of move-out. Landlords under five units are outside the state Security Deposit Return Act, though city ordinances may still bind them.

The itemized statement rule

For covered landlords, a written itemized statement with receipts or estimates is required within 30 days, and missing it forfeits the right to deduct. Chicago's ordinance adds its own stricter rules on top.

Account and interest rules

The state sets no separate-account requirement, but Chicago and some other cities require the deposit to be held separately and to pay interest. Check the city rule before the state one where a unit sits in a regulated municipality.

Exposure for wrongful withholding

Up to 2x plus attorney fees (bad faith).

A covered landlord who withholds in bad faith is liable for twice the deposit plus attorney fees. Because the harshest rules here are municipal, a landlord in Chicago faces automatic penalties the state statute does not impose.

Illinois has no statutory deposit maximum

No statutory limit.

Compare Illinois with neighboring states

• Wisconsin: no statutory limit; return rule: 21 days.
• Iowa: two months' rent; return rule: 30 days.
• Missouri: two months' rent; return rule: 30 days.
• Kentucky: no statutory limit; return rule: 30 to 60 days.
• Indiana: no statutory limit; return rule: 45 days.