How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Montana?

Montana statute sets no cap on the deposit, so the amount is whatever the lease says. What Mont. Code 70-25-202 does fix is how and when the deposit comes back.

What does a Montana landlord have to disclose with the lease?

Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the Montana checklist has four items: name and address of the person authorized to manage the Premises and of the owner or agent who accepts service of process and notices, any known mold on the Premises and the results of any mold testing and a signed written statement of the present condition of the Premises when a deposit is required. The other one are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.

Which Montana statutes does this lease cite?

Mont. Code 70-25-202, Mont. Code 70-24-441, Mont. Code 70-24-312, Mont. Code 70-24-301 and Mont. Code 70-25-206, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.

Should a lawyer look at this Montana lease before I use it?

It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the Montana statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with Montana landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

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Montana Residential Lease Agreement

A plain-language lease for a house or apartment in Montana. The deposit, notice, entry and disclosure clauses follow Montana statute, cited in the document. Download the blank PDF or e-sign it online; electronic signatures are recognized under the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws.

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Page one of the Montana Residential Lease Agreement — Page 1 of the PDF. Tinted boxes are the placed fields, one color per role.

Montana rules in this lease

Security deposit cap: No cap in the statute
Deposit return: Within 30 days after the tenancy ends or the Premises are surrendered and accepted, whichever comes first, the Landlord gives the Tenant a written list of any rent due and any damage and cleaning charges and returns the balance, mailed to the new address the Tenant provides or otherwise to the Tenant's last known address, and returns the whole deposit within 10 days when there is no damage, no cleaning needed, and no unpaid rent or utilities.
Ending a month-to-month tenancy: Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice before the date named in the notice, and a week-to-week tenancy with at least seven days' written notice.
Landlord entry: The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' notice of the intent to enter and enters only at reasonable times, except in an emergency or when notice is impracticable.
Disclosures: 5 items, listed below with the section that requires each one
Statutes: Mont. Code 70-25-202, Mont. Code 70-24-441, Mont. Code 70-24-312, Mont. Code 70-24-301, Mont. Code 70-25-206. Read the Montana statute
Rules read on: 2026-10-23

A general form, not legal advice, and not a claim that it complies with any law. Rules change and vary by city. Check the statute cited here, or ask a lawyer, before you rely on it.

What is different in Montana

Pick Montana and four parts of this lease change: the security deposit clause, the notice clause for a month-to-month tenancy, the entry clause and the disclosures checklist, each rewritten from the Montana statute. The rest of the document reads the same in every state.

Montana sets no ceiling on the deposit and no rule about where it is kept, so the amount and the account are the landlord's call. The return is the part the statute fixes: the rule, quoted in full below, says when and how the deposit comes back, and turns on the tenant's forwarding address.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy works the same from both sides in Montana. Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice before the date named in the notice, and a week-to-week tenancy with at least seven days' written notice.

Before coming in, the landlord gives notice, and Montana puts a number on it. The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' notice of the intent to enter and enters only at reasonable times, except in an emergency or when notice is impracticable.

The disclosures checklist carries four Montana items on top of the federal lead paint notice, among them any known mold on the Premises and the results of any mold testing, each with the section that requires it and a line for the landlord's initials.

This row notes no city or county overlay for Montana; if the property is in a city with its own rental ordinance, check it before signing. The state clauses follow five sections of Montana law, read on October 23, 2026 and listed in the Statutes row above; the same citations print in the footer of the PDF.

Read the Montana clauses

The wording below is what prints in the PDF for Montana, word for word, under the headings Security deposit, Entry, Ending the lease and default, and Disclosures.

Security deposit

Within 30 days after the tenancy ends or the Premises are surrendered and accepted, whichever comes first, the Landlord gives the Tenant a written list of any rent due and any damage and cleaning charges and returns the balance, mailed to the new address the Tenant provides or otherwise to the Tenant's last known address, and returns the whole deposit within 10 days when there is no damage, no cleaning needed, and no unpaid rent or utilities.

Entry

The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' notice of the intent to enter and enters only at reasonable times, except in an emergency or when notice is impracticable.

Ending the lease and default

Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice before the date named in the notice, and a week-to-week tenancy with at least seven days' written notice. If rent is unpaid or a term is broken, the Landlord gives the written notice Montana law requires before ending the tenancy, and the Tenant is responsible for rent through the end of the term unless the Premises is re-rented sooner.

Disclosures the Landlord initials

Lead-based paint and hazards, for a building built before 1978, with the EPA pamphlet (42 U.S.C. 4852d)
Name and address of the person authorized to manage the Premises and of the owner or agent who accepts service of process and notices (Mont. Code 70-24-301)
Any known mold on the Premises and the results of any mold testing (Mont. Code 70-16-703)
A signed written statement of the present condition of the Premises when a deposit is required (Mont. Code 70-25-206)
Any known use of the Premises as a clandestine drug lab, or known contamination, until remediation is certified (Mont. Code 75-10-1305)

Footer of the PDF: Montana clauses follow Mont. Code 70-25-202, Mont. Code 70-24-441, Mont. Code 70-24-312, Mont. Code 70-24-301, Mont. Code 70-25-206 as read on 2026-10-23.

Montana lease questions

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Montana?: Montana statute sets no cap on the deposit, so the amount is whatever the lease says. What Mont. Code 70-25-202 does fix is how and when the deposit comes back.
When does the security deposit come back in Montana?: Within 30 days after the tenancy ends or the Premises are surrendered and accepted, whichever comes first, the Landlord gives the Tenant a written list of any rent due and any damage and cleaning charges and returns the balance, mailed to the new address the Tenant provides or otherwise to the Tenant's last known address, and returns the whole deposit within 10 days when there is no damage, no cleaning needed, and no unpaid rent or utilities.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Montana?: Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice before the date named in the notice, and a week-to-week tenancy with at least seven days' written notice.
How much notice does a Montana landlord give before entering?: The Landlord gives at least 24 hours' notice of the intent to enter and enters only at reasonable times, except in an emergency or when notice is impracticable.
What does a Montana landlord have to disclose with the lease?: Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the Montana checklist has four items: name and address of the person authorized to manage the Premises and of the owner or agent who accepts service of process and notices, any known mold on the Premises and the results of any mold testing and a signed written statement of the present condition of the Premises when a deposit is required. The other one are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.
Which Montana statutes does this lease cite?: Mont. Code 70-25-202, Mont. Code 70-24-441, Mont. Code 70-24-312, Mont. Code 70-24-301 and Mont. Code 70-25-206, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.
Should a lawyer look at this Montana lease before I use it?: It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the Montana statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with Montana landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

Who this is for. A Montana lease is one half of a landlord's paperwork; proving a notice was received is the other. Both are covered at free e-signatures for landlords.

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