Wisconsin Tenant Rights: Deposit, Deadlines & Penalties (2026)

Wisconsin has its own deposit rules, its own deadlines and its own penalties. This page is the starting point.

At a glance

What this page covers

Wisconsin has its own deposit rules, its own deadlines and its own penalties. This page is the starting point — it lists every Wisconsin topic we cover and what the statute says for each.

Wisconsin topics

Wisconsin Security Deposit Return

How long a landlord has to return your deposit, and what you can claim if they miss it

Wisconsin Security Deposit Rules

How much a landlord can charge, and which deductions are actually legal

Every statute used on these pages

StatuteLast verifiedSource
Wis. Stat. § 704.28(4)2026-10-15 official text ↗
Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5)2026-10-15 official text ↗
Wis. Stat. § 704.28(4); Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5)2026-10-15 official text ↗
Wis. Stat. § 704.28 (whole section)2026-10-15 official text ↗
Wis. Stat. § 704.28(2)2026-10-15 official text ↗

Each figure above links to the official text and carries the date it was last checked. Where a summary and the statute disagree, these pages follow the statute.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help letter is the right starting point for a single deposit you can document. Get legal help if:

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

What this site is not

LeaseClaim is an independent tool. We are not a law firm, we do not give legal advice, and nothing here creates an attorney-client relationship. Rules change — verify against the official text before relying on anything you read.