Tennessee · Security deposit

Tennessee security deposit law

Tennessee sets no fixed deadline for returning a security deposit. State law sets no limit on the amount.

The rule

Deposit limit
No limit
Return deadline
No fixed deadline
Interest owed
Not required
Itemized deductions
Required
The limit
No statutory limit. Deposits must be kept in a separate account at a regulated institution, and the tenant must be told where.
The deadline
No fixed return deadline. The landlord must mail notice of any refund due; if the tenant does not respond within 60 days, the landlord may keep it. Damage charges must be discovered within 30 days of move-out (or 7 days after a new tenant moves in, if sooner).
Interest
State law doesn’t require interest on the deposit.
Deductions
The landlord must give you an itemized list of anything kept from the deposit.
If it isn’t returned
No statutory penalty multiplier.

Law: Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-301

Last reviewed September 30, 2026

Not legal advice. Statutes change; check the linked section.