Open Data: US Security Deposit Interest Statutes (CC BY 4.0)
Free structured dataset of US state-level security deposit interest statutes — 50 states plus DC, statute citations included. CC BY 4.0: use it commercially, just credit the source with a link.
What this dataset is
The structured data behind every state page on this site: which US states require landlords to pay interest on security deposits, the statutory rate (or the benchmark formula a rate floats on), eligibility conditions, payment timing, local city-level rules, and the governing statute citation with a link to the official state text — for all 50 states plus DC.
It is the only machine-readable, statute-cited deposit-interest dataset published at this scale. Every record was collected from official state sources (.gov) and cross-checked against an independent second source where possible; fields that could not be double-sourced are carried with an unverified_flags note instead of being silently dropped or guessed.
Download
The dataset is one JSON file, free to download — no signup, no API key, no rate limits:
https://www.depositinterestcalculator.wiki/open-data/deposit-interest.json
License: CC BY 4.0
The data is released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. That means you may share and adapt it for any purpose, including commercial use — the only condition is attribution: credit the source and link back so your readers can check the underlying statutes.
How to cite
APA style:
Deposit Interest Calculator. (2026). Security deposit interest statutes by state
(50 states + DC) [Data set]. CC BY 4.0.
https://www.depositinterestcalculator.wiki/open-data
Plain link (for articles, tools and dashboards):
Data: <a href="https://www.depositinterestcalculator.wiki">Deposit Interest Calculator</a>, CC BY 4.0
If your product embeds the data, keep the link live — attribution with a working link is the whole license condition.
Field reference
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
slug / state / region | Jurisdiction identifier, display name and US Census region |
status | required (statewide interest statute) · local_only (cities require it) · not_required |
rate.value | The statutory rate as written (e.g. "5% per annum") or the benchmark description |
rate.type | fixed (statute sets the number) · floating (benchmark-linked) · none · varies |
rate.detail | Thresholds and conditions attached to the rate (excess-over amounts, minimum tenancy, etc.) |
compounding | Simple or compounded, as the statute describes |
applies_to | Unit-count, deposit-size and tenancy-length triggers |
payment_timing | When interest must be paid (annually credited, at move-out, etc.) |
statute_citation / statute_url | The governing statute and the official state text |
local_notes | City-level interest rules inside the state |
sources | Every source used, each marked primary (official) or secondary (independent) |
last_verified | The date this record was last confirmed against the official source |
unverified_flags | What we could not double-source, carried honestly instead of guessed |
The file's top-level _source object repeats the license, attribution string and the dataset's newest lastVerified date — programs can read attribution requirements straight from the file.
How this stays current
State legislatures amend deposit statutes and re-announce benchmark rates regularly. This dataset is generated from the same data files that build every state page — when a statute changes, we update one data file and the pages, the JSON and the verified dates all move together. There is exactly one source of truth; the download above can never drift from the site.
Browse the human-readable side: the 50-state deposit interest guide presents every record as a full page with its statute, and the rent increase rules hub covers the cap side of the same collection pipeline. Both calculators run on this data too — a result on any state page and the JSON record for that state come from the same file.
FAQ
Can I use this dataset commercially?
Yes. CC BY 4.0 explicitly allows commercial use and adaptation. The only condition is attribution: credit Deposit Interest Calculator (depositinterestcalculator.wiki) and link back.
How current is the data?
Every record carries a last_verified date — the day we confirmed its figures against the official state source. The dataset's _source.lastVerified is the newest record date in the file.
Is this legal advice?
No — the dataset and this site are information with citations, not advice. Statutes change; always confirm against the official text linked in each record.
Data and summaries only — always confirm against the linked official statute.