Wyoming Security Deposit Laws: No Cap, the 30-Day Return, and Itemization

Wyoming security deposit law is set by two short statutes — Wyoming Statutes section 1-21-1207 and section 1-21-1208, part of the state’s Residential Rental Property Act. Compared with states that cap deposits and stack on penalty multipliers, Wyoming’s framework is lean: there is no statutory cap on the deposit, a landlord who wants any part of it to be nonrefundable must disclose that in writing, and the deposit plus a written itemization of deductions must come back within a defined window after the tenancy ends. This guide walks the whole Wyoming framework end to end: how much you may collect, the nonrefundable-fee disclosure rule, what you can and cannot deduct, the thirty-day return deadline and its damage extension, the itemization requirement, why there is no interest obligation, and the penalty a court can impose when a landlord unreasonably keeps a deposit.

Whether you own one house in Cheyenne or a small portfolio in Casper, Jackson, or Laramie, the rules below apply the same way, because Wyoming Statutes sections 1-21-1207 and 1-21-1208 govern statewide. Wyoming does not layer city deposit ordinances on top the way some states do, so the statute is the whole picture. Everything here is general information, not legal advice; confirm the current figures and consult a licensed Wyoming attorney before acting on a specific dispute.

Below, a short overview video summarizes the Wyoming deposit rules; the sections that follow break down each piece in detail — the absence of a cap, the nonrefundable disclosure, deductions versus normal wear and tear, the return timeline, why there is no interest, the penalty, the move-out walkthrough, and the small-claims path if a dispute cannot be resolved.

The first thing that surprises landlords moving to Wyoming from a coastal state is that Wyoming does not cap the security deposit. Nothing in Wyoming Statutes section 1-21-1207 or section 1-21-1208 sets a ceiling of one month, two months, or any other figure. The amount is a matter of contract and market practice, not statute. That freedom cuts both ways: a landlord can set a deposit that reflects the real risk of a unit, but an unreasonably high deposit can make a unit hard to rent and can look punitive if a dispute ever reaches a judge.

In practice, most Wyoming deposits track the local market rather than any legal maximum. A single month’s rent is the common standard; premium or higher-risk units sometimes run one and a half to two months; and a separate pet deposit of a few hundred dollars is typical. Because none of these numbers come from a statute, they can move with the market — but whatever amount you choose, the return rules in section 1-21-1208 apply to every dollar of it the same way.

Wyoming is one of the states that permits a nonrefundable portion of a deposit — but only if the landlord discloses it correctly. Under Wyoming Statutes section 1-21-1207, the rental agreement must state whether any portion of a deposit is nonrefundable, and the landlord must also give the tenant written notice of that fact at the time the deposit is taken. Both steps are required: the statement in the lease and the separate written notice when the money changes hands.

The consequence of skipping the disclosure is simple and expensive. If a landlord tries to keep a “nonrefundable cleaning fee” or similar charge that was never disclosed in writing the way section 1-21-1207 requires, that amount is treated as an ordinary refundable deposit and must be returned like the rest. In other words, a nonrefundable label only works if you earned it with the disclosure; a label alone does not defeat the tenant’s right to a refund.

Wyoming Statutes section 1-21-1208 sets out the purposes a landlord may apply the deposit to. The landlord bears the burden of proving each deduction is legitimate, so anything not clearly within these categories is presumed to be the landlord’s cost to absorb.

Permitted Deductions

• Accrued rent. Rent that remains owed for the final month or any earlier period.
• Damage beyond reasonable wear and tear. Holes in walls, broken fixtures, missing items, pet-stained flooring, and similar damage the tenant or their guests caused.
• Cleaning to the start-of-tenancy condition. The cost to clean the unit back to the condition it was in at the beginning of the rental agreement — not a blanket “make it spotless” charge beyond that baseline.
• Other costs the lease provides. Charges the rental agreement specifically authorizes, such as an unpaid utility the landlord had to cover or a lease-specified fee that remains unpaid.

Not Deductible — Ordinary Wear and Tear

Ordinary wear and tear is the natural deterioration that happens from living in a unit normally, and the landlord must absorb it. Wyoming treats these as non-deductible:

• Faded or lightly scuffed paint, and small nail holes from hanging pictures.
• Carpet worn thin along walkways from ordinary foot traffic, with no stains or pet damage.
• Minor marks, loose grout, or caulk that has aged around tubs and sinks.
• Worn but still-functioning appliances and fixtures that simply reached the end of their useful life.

The deadline Wyoming landlords must respect is the return-and-itemization rule in section 1-21-1208. The landlord must deliver or mail two things — the balance of the deposit and any prepaid rent, and a written itemization of every deduction together with the reasons for it — and it must be done without interest within thirty days after the rental agreement terminates, or within fifteen days after the landlord receives the tenant’s new mailing address, whichever is later. The two-part deadline is why the forwarding address matters so much: the clock can be measured from the address date, not just the move-out date.

The Thirty-Day Damage Extension

Wyoming builds in a cushion for real damage. Under section 1-21-1208, if there is damage to the rental unit, the return period is extended by an additional thirty days. The extension exists so a landlord can obtain estimates and complete repairs before finalizing the itemized statement, rather than guessing at costs under time pressure. It does not remove the duty to itemize — it only lengthens the deadline when genuine damage must be assessed. Do not treat the extension as automatic breathing room; use it only when the unit was actually damaged, and still document why.

What the Written Itemization Must Include

The itemization must describe each deduction and the reason for it. “Cleaning — four hundred dollars” is not an itemization; “professional pet-odor remediation, invoice attached” is. Attach the invoices, estimates, or a documented cost basis for each charge. A landlord who returns some money but no written statement of what was kept, or who is vague about the basis, is exposed if the tenant challenges the deductions.

Why the Forwarding Address Is Effectively Necessary

Wyoming does not force a tenant to hand over a forwarding address, but the practical effect of the “whichever is later” clock is that the landlord needs one to close the return out cleanly. Until the landlord knows where to send the money, there is no reliable address for the refund and the fifteen-day branch of the deadline never starts. A tenant who wants a prompt refund should provide a written forwarding address at move-out; a landlord should request one in writing at or before surrender and note the date it arrives.

Two questions come up on almost every Wyoming move-out, and the answer to both is the same: Wyoming does not require it.

First, Wyoming does not require a landlord to pay interest on a security deposit. Section 1-21-1208 says the balance is returned without interest. Whatever the deposit earned while the landlord held it belongs to the landlord, and the tenant is entitled to the principal back, not interest on it. This is different from a handful of states and cities that require annual interest, and Wyoming has no such city ordinances layered on top.

Second, Wyoming does not require the deposit to be held in a separate account. A landlord may lawfully hold deposits in a general account. That said, keeping deposits segregated — ideally one tracked entry per unit, with the tenant’s name and lease dates — is a sound bookkeeping practice that makes the return far easier to prove if a dispute arises.

Wyoming’s remedy for a landlord who keeps a deposit wrongfully is narrower than the multiple-damages penalties some states impose, but it still has real bite. Under section 1-21-1208, if a landlord unreasonably fails to comply with the return-and-itemization requirements, the tenant may recover the full deposit and court costs. There is no statutory multiplier — no “twice the deposit” or “three times the deposit” figure — but the loss of the entire deposit, including any part the landlord could legitimately have kept, plus the tenant’s court costs, is a meaningful consequence for a paperwork failure.

What counts as unreasonable is the heart of it. A landlord who returns the deposit and a clear itemization on time, with support for the larger charges, is well protected even if a specific deduction is later disputed. The exposure arises when the landlord blows the deadline, sends money with no written explanation, or keeps the deposit with no legitimate basis. The penalty is aimed at the landlord who treats the deposit as free money or ignores the statute, not the one who makes a documented, good-faith judgment call.

Put the rules together and the Wyoming move-out becomes a repeatable checklist rather than a judgment call. Follow this sequence and penalty exposure all but disappears.

A thorough move-out record starts at move-in. Use a documented Wyoming move-in and move-out checklist and photographs at both ends so you can prove exactly what the tenant caused. When you do withhold, a clean Wyoming security deposit itemization form keeps the statement organized and defensible, and a Wyoming security deposit return letter documents the refund itself.

Most deposit disputes never reach a courtroom, but when they do in Wyoming, they usually land in the small claims division of the circuit court — a forum designed to be used without a lawyer. As of 2026, the Wyoming small claims limit is six thousand dollars, which comfortably covers a typical deposit dispute. A claim larger than that limit can be filed in circuit court or district court instead. Verify the current limit, which can change over time.

The pattern is consistent: Wyoming deposit cases are won on paper. The landlord who documents condition at both ends, requests the forwarding address, itemizes clearly, attaches support, and mails on time rarely loses — and the tenant who keeps their own photos and a copy of the written itemization is equally well positioned to recover a wrongful withholding.

Beyond a routine move-out, a handful of situations trip up Wyoming landlords because the deposit rules interact with other events. Three come up often.

When the Property Is Sold

Wyoming’s statute does not spell out a transfer procedure as elaborately as some states, but the underlying obligation follows the deposit. When a rental changes hands, the sound practice is to account for each tenant’s deposit in escrow — either crediting the remaining deposit to the buyer, who then takes on the return duty, or returning it to the tenant with a full accounting. A landlord buying an occupied Wyoming property should confirm in escrow exactly which deposits are being transferred and get the ledger in writing, so that when a tenancy later ends, whoever holds the deposit can meet the section 1-21-1208 deadline.

Roommates and a Single Deposit

Where several tenants share a lease and a single deposit, Wyoming treats the deposit as one sum tied to the tenancy, not as separate shares. When one roommate leaves and another stays, the landlord’s return obligation is generally triggered when the tenancy as a whole ends and the unit is surrendered — not each time one roommate moves out mid-lease. Sorting out each roommate’s share of a refund is usually a private matter among the tenants. Return the single deposit to the tenants collectively unless the lease or a written agreement directs otherwise, and avoid getting drawn into splitting it.

Pet Deposits and Nonrefundable Portions

A separate pet deposit is common in Wyoming, and because there is no cap, the amount is up to the parties. But a pet deposit is still a deposit: it is governed by the section 1-21-1208 return procedure unless a portion of it was made nonrefundable through the section 1-21-1207 disclosure — stated in the lease and in a written notice when taken. And note the limit that comes from federal and Wyoming disability law: a landlord generally cannot charge a pet deposit for a service animal or an emotional support animal, because those are not pets. See our Wyoming pet and ESA laws guide for how that interacts with a deposit.

Every rule above ultimately turns on proof. Wyoming places the burden on the landlord to justify each deduction, which means the landlord who cannot document a charge loses it — regardless of whether the damage was real. Build the evidence file across the whole tenancy, not at the end.

At Move-In

• A written condition report, room by room, signed and dated by the tenant.
• Timestamped photos or video of every wall, floor, fixture, and appliance, stored where the date cannot be doubted.
• A written note of any pre-existing wear, so it is never later charged to the tenant.
• A signed acknowledgment of any properly disclosed nonrefundable portion of the deposit.

During the Tenancy

• A dated log of every maintenance request and the landlord’s response, which also rebuts a habitability defense.
• Records of any lawful entry to inspect or repair, made with proper notice under Wyoming entry rules — see Wyoming landlord entry laws.

At Move-Out

• The written request for the tenant’s forwarding address and the date it was received.
• A second set of timestamped photos taken at surrender, to compare against move-in.
• Invoices, estimates, or a documented in-house cost for every charge, attached to the itemization.
• Proof that the itemization and refund were mailed within the statutory deadline.

The cheapest deposit dispute is the one that never happens. A few disciplined habits protect a Wyoming landlord across an entire portfolio.

• Document move-in exhaustively. A signed condition report and dated photos of every room create the baseline that decides every future deduction.
• Set a reasonable deposit. There is no cap, but an unreasonably high deposit is hard to rent against and looks punitive in court. Track the local market.
• Disclose any nonrefundable portion twice. In the lease and in a written notice when the deposit is taken, exactly as section 1-21-1207 requires — or it becomes refundable.
• Request the forwarding address in writing at or before surrender, and record the date it arrives.
• Calendar the return deadline at termination, apply the thirty-day damage extension only when the unit was truly damaged, and mail the deposit and itemization with proof, well before it expires.
• Screen carefully before you ever hand over keys. The tenants most likely to leave a unit in disputed condition are often the ones a thorough screening would have flagged.

That last point is where most disputes are actually won — before the lease is ever signed. A prior eviction, a pattern of damage, or unstable finances rarely appears out of nowhere; it usually leaves a trail an applicant’s history reveals. Screening for it is the single highest-leverage habit a Wyoming landlord can build.

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