No statutory limit. The return rule is 30 days. The controlling text is Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16.
Shared move-in, deduction, and refund workflow: the national state-law hub.
Ohio's return deadline
30 days.
You have 30 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant gives a forwarding address to return the deposit with an itemized statement of any deductions. The forwarding address is what starts the clock.
The itemized statement rule
An itemized written statement of deductions is required, and a deduction not itemized is not enforceable. Deliver it to the forwarding address within 30 days.
Account and interest rules
Ohio sets no separate-account rule, but a deposit over $50 or one month's rent, whichever is greater, held for more than six months accrues 5% annual interest payable to the tenant.
Exposure for wrongful withholding
Up to 2x plus attorney fees.
A landlord who wrongfully withholds is liable for twice the amount wrongfully withheld plus attorney fees. The interest rule for longer-held deposits is a separate, often-missed obligation, so track the six-month mark.
Ohio has no statutory deposit maximum
No statutory limit.
Compare Ohio with neighboring states
- Michigan: one and a half months' rent; return rule: 30 days.
- Indiana: no statutory limit; return rule: 45 days.
- Kentucky: no statutory limit; return rule: 30 to 60 days.
- West Virginia: no statutory limit; return rule: 60 days.
- Pennsylvania: two months' rent (first year); return rule: 30 days.
Verified against Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.16 and official state sources in July 2026. Before withholding money, check the current statute text or ask a local landlord-tenant attorney. General information, not legal advice.