Wisconsin security deposit law: the 21-day deadline and your rights
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).
What Wisconsin law says
- Return deadline
- 21 days
- Statute
- Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06; Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5)
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.
Verification pending. Our attorney-reviewed deep-dive for Wisconsin — with the full case builder, damages calculator, and demand letter generator — isn't live yet. The summary above is drawn from the statute but hasn't completed our legal review; always confirm against the current text of Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06; Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5).
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