Wisconsin security deposit law: know your rights.
Understand the return, deduction and notice rules in Wisconsin. Check which conditions apply to your rental, then choose your next step.
Your deposit rights in Wisconsin
- Return timing
- Deposit less lawful withholdings due within 21 days after the termination date (or the date a new tenancy begins if re-rented sooner; or, for late vacates, the date the landlord learns the tenant left).
- Accounting for deductions
- Any withholding requires, within the same 21 days, a written statement accounting for all amounts withheld, describing each damage item or claim and the amount as reasonable compensation (ATCP 134.06(4)); intentionally falsified claims are prohibited and can be criminal (State v. Lasecki, 2020 WI App 36).
- Deposit interest
- The state deposit statute does not require interest. Check any additional lease or local rule.
Registry review: August 2026. Review dates refer to the cited rules, not an attorney review of your case.
Does this rule apply to your rental?
Check the type of tenancy, the lease and any local or housing-program rules before relying on the statewide summary.
Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06; Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5) ↗What starts the return clock?
Deposit less lawful withholdings due within 21 days after the termination date (or the date a new tenancy begins if re-rented sooner; or, for late vacates, the date the landlord learns the tenant left).
Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06; Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5) ↗Check your return timing
Optional estimate from your move-out date. Read the start conditions above before treating that estimate as the return deadline. You can start the free analysis without completing this check.
Check what the landlord deducted
No receipts requirement - but withholding is limited to tenant damage/waste/neglect, unpaid rent, tenant-owed utilities, and items in a signed Nonstandard Rental Provisions document; normal wear (including routine painting and routine carpet cleaning) may never be withheld, even if the lease says otherwise.
Match each charge to the work alleged, the lease provision and the records supporting the amount. Keep refunds and charges you accept separate from those you dispute.
Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06; Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5) ↗What could you recover?
Double the pecuniary loss plus costs and a mandatory reasonable attorney fee (§ 100.20(5)); no cap. If no accounting was provided, damages are double the entire deposit (Pierce v. Norwick); with an accounting, doubling is subject to offset for actual damages. DATCP also takes consumer complaints, and criminal liability exists for failing to provide the statement.
Start with the unpaid amount you dispute. Any additional statutory recovery depends on the conditions in Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5), including applicable notice requirements. A multiplier that already includes the deposit should not be added to that deposit again.
Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06; Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5) ↗Put the rules to work
See how the rules fit your deposit dispute
Free analysis
Add the refund, charges and records. Review the deductions and possible remedies with an explanation tied to your facts.
Full case package $29-$49
Turn your case into a demand letter, organized exhibits and a next-step plan. Review the analysis before deciding to buy.
Your entered dates and deposit amount carry forward. Additional timing details are saved in case notes. The next step asks for the refund and charges so you can build on this check.
Choose your next step
Small-claims limit: $10,000. Filing: $94.50 total (Wis. Stat. § 814.62, July 2026). The court guide explains the applicable limits and additional costs.
Questions about Wisconsin deposit rights
How long does a Wisconsin landlord have to return a security deposit?
Deposit less lawful withholdings due within 21 days after the termination date (or the date a new tenancy begins if re-rented sooner; or, for late vacates, the date the landlord learns the tenant left).
Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06; Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5) ↗See the timing rules →What happens if my landlord does not follow the deposit return rules in Wisconsin?
Missing the 21-day deadline or the accounting violates § 100.20, so the tenant 'shall recover twice the amount of such pecuniary loss, together with costs, including a reasonable attorney fee' (§ 100.20(5)). Under Pierce v. Norwick, when no accounting was given the doubling applies to the whole deposit, regardless of the landlord's actual damages. Keep proof of the dates, any refund, and the itemized statement.
Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06; Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5) ↗Understand the possible recovery →What accounting should I ask for in Wisconsin?
Any withholding requires, within the same 21 days, a written statement accounting for all amounts withheld, describing each damage item or claim and the amount as reasonable compensation (ATCP 134.06(4)); intentionally falsified claims are prohibited and can be criminal (State v. Lasecki, 2020 WI App 36). No receipts requirement - but withholding is limited to tenant damage/waste/neglect, unpaid rent, tenant-owed utilities, and items in a signed Nonstandard Rental Provisions document; normal wear (including routine painting and routine carpet cleaning) may never be withheld, even if the lease says otherwise.
Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06; Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5) ↗