Rent late fee limits by state
Each row was read from the cited state statute on the official state site on the date shown beside it: the most the section lets a landlord charge as a late fee on residential rent, and how many days after the due date the section makes a landlord wait. Rules change, and cities, counties, and leases can add their own, so open the source link for the current text. This is general information, not legal advice.
The rows were checked on October 19 and 20, 2026, each on the date shown beside it, and rules change. The calculator runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
What the table shows
Worked out from the rows above each time the page loads, each figure counted a second way. Only the members with a row are counted.
Not yet covered
These have not been read from an official source yet, or their landlord and tenant statutes were looked at and set no late fee figure or waiting period. Missing means not checked yet, not "no rule".
A row's late fee cap and first fee day
Arithmetic on the row: the cap in dollars for the rent entered, and the first day after the grace period, counted in calendar days from the due date. It does not apply the conditions in the row's notes.
Figures and dates from the cited statutes only; leases, cities, and counties can set lower limits or longer waits. General information, not legal advice. Mathproven is not affiliated with any legislature or agency whose statutes are cited here.
What gets checked
- Every row carries a statute citation, a link to the official state site it was read from, and the date it was checked. A state has a row only when its official source was opened and read; every other state is listed under Not yet covered with what was read there.
- Every row's figures fit its rule and plausible ranges, and rent bands cover every rent exactly once.
- Each percent figure is calculated a second way with whole-number division and checked by cross-multiplication; both must agree to the cent.
- Where a section names two figures, the one shown is checked to be the greater or the lesser of them, as the row says.
- The first day after the grace period is counted two ways: back from that date to the due date, and forward one day at a time.
- A warning shows when the section sets no figure (only a reasonable fee, or no amount) or no waiting period, so nothing is computed for that part.
How it works
- Find the state. Type a state name, code, or citation in the filter, or click a column heading to sort. Each row shows the late fee cap, the first fee day counted from the due date, the conditions in short form, and the source.
- Open the source. Each row links the official state page the figures were read from, with the date it was checked, so the wording can be read in full.
- Enter a rent and a due date. Pick a covered state and enter the monthly rent, the unpaid part if only part is unpaid, and the rent due date. The page works out the row's cap in dollars, rounded half up to the cent, and the calendar date of the first day after the grace period, with its checks.
- Check the not-yet-covered list. States without a row are listed under Not yet covered. Each reason says what was read on the state's official site, where no late fee figure or waiting period was found. No row does not mean the state has no rule; cities, counties and leases can add their own.
Worked example
A made-up monthly rent of $1,450.00, due Sunday, November 1, 2026, and unpaid in full, run against two rows: North Carolina takes the greater of two figures and New York the lesser.
| State | Row's limit | Percent figure | Flat figure | Figure for this rent | First day after the grace period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina (NC) | the greater of $15.00 or 5% of the rent | $72.50 | $15.00 | $72.50 | Friday, November 6, 2026 |
| New York (NY) | the lesser of $50.00 or 5% of the rent | $72.50 | $50.00 | $50.00 | Saturday, November 7, 2026 |
North Carolina: 5% of $1,450.00 is $72.50, more than $15.00, so the row's figure is $72.50, and day 5 after the due date is Friday, November 6, 2026. New York: the same $72.50 is more than $50.00, so the row's figure is $50.00, and day 6 is Saturday, November 7, 2026. Each percent figure is calculated a second way and agrees to the cent, and each date counts back to the due date.
The example uses made-up names and numbers.
Questions
Why is my state missing?
A state has a row only when its statute was read on an official state site for this table. Every other state is listed under Not yet covered with the reason: what was read there (the landlord and tenant statutes, or for a few states only part of them), where no late fee figure or waiting period was found, and any rule limited to mobile home parks. A missing state may or may not have a rule, and cities and counties can have their own.
What does the first fee day mean?
It is the first day after the waiting period the section sets, counted in calendar days with the day after the due date as day 1. Sections word this differently (within five days, five days or more late, at least seven days late), and each row's day follows its section's wording, which the row gives in short form. Where the section counts business days (New Jersey), the table gives the business day and the calculator shows no calendar date, since holidays are not part of the table. Where the section sets no waiting period, the table says None set.
What does the calculator use?
The row's figures and the rent entered, in whole cents. Percents are rounded half up to the cent. Where the section takes a percent of the overdue or unpaid amount, the unpaid rent box is used; left blank, the whole month's rent counts as unpaid. It does not apply the conditions in the notes, such as lease wording or subsidized rent.
Why does a row show no amount?
Some sections set only a waiting period (Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington) or say a fee must be reasonable without a number (Idaho, and the flat fee in Oregon). The calculator shows no figure there, and a warning in its checks says why. Texas (TX) names percents it treats as reasonable; both are worked out.
How current is the table?
Each row shows the date its source was read. Legislatures change these rules, so the linked official page is the place to confirm the current wording.
This tool calculates and checks numbers. It is not legal, tax, or medical advice.
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