Wyoming security deposit law

Wyoming does not cap the amount of a security deposit. The residential rental property article controls how a deposit is described and returned, not how large it may be.

W.S. 1-21-1201 to 1-21-1211

• The lease must say whether any part of the deposit is nonrefundable, and you must also give the tenant written notice of that when you take the deposit. W.S. 1-21-1207
• A deposit held separately for utilities follows its own refund rules. W.S. 1-21-1208(b) See Returning the deposit on the Wyoming page

When the rental agreement ends you may apply the deposit to accrued rent, damage beyond reasonable wear and tear, cleaning the unit to its condition at the start of the agreement, and other costs the contract provides. Deliver or mail the balance and any prepaid rent, without interest, with a written itemization of deductions and the reasons, within 30 days after termination or within 15 days after you receive the tenant's new mailing address, whichever is later.

W.S. 1-21-1208 W.S. 1-21-1209

• If the unit is damaged, the deadline is extended by 30 days. W.S. 1-21-1208(a)
• The tenant must tell you, within 30 days after termination, where the payment and notice may be delivered or mailed. W.S. 1-21-1208(a)
• A deposit held and separately identified for utilities is refunded within 10 days after the tenant shows that all utility charges are paid. If the tenant makes no such showing within 45 days after termination, apply it to the tenant's utility debt within the next 15 days and pay any remainder within 7 days after that, or within 15 days after you receive the tenant's new mailing address, whichever is later. W.S. 1-21-1208(b)
• If you unreasonably fail to follow these rules, the tenant may recover the full deposit and court costs. If you win and the court finds the tenant sued unreasonably, you may be awarded court costs. W.S. 1-21-1208(c)
• Whoever holds the owner's interest when the agreement ends is bound by the deposit rules, so a buyer takes on the duty to return existing deposits. W.S. 1-21-1209
• If the tenant's damage costs more than the deposit, the tenant stays liable for the rest, plus interest at 10 percent a year on unpaid amounts. W.S. 1-21-1211(b)

Wyoming does not require you to pay interest on a deposit: the balance is returned without interest. No section of the residential rental property article requires a separate or trust account for deposits.

W.S. 1-21-1208(a) W.S. 1-21-1201 to 1-21-1211

• A utilities deposit must be separately identified to get its own refund timeline. W.S. 1-21-1208(b) See Returning the deposit on the Wyoming page

No section of Wyoming's residential rental property article requires a move-in checklist, inspection report or photographs. The condition at the start of the agreement still matters: the tenant must leave the unit clean to that condition, and you may deduct the cost of cleaning to it.

W.S. 1-21-1201 to 1-21-1211

• At the end of the agreement the tenant must remove all property and garbage and clean the unit to its condition at the beginning of the agreement. W.S. 1-21-1204(a)(viii)
• Deductions may cover cleaning to the starting condition and damage beyond reasonable wear and tear. W.S. 1-21-1208(a) See Returning the deposit on the Wyoming page