Rental Application Fee Laws by State (2026)

Nine states and DC cap or ban application and screening fees; everywhere else the fee is whatever the landlord sets.

StateApplication fee rule
CaliforniaCapped at actual cost, indexed annually (about $68 in 2025). Must be refunded if no vacancy exists.
ColoradoActual cost of screening only; same fee for every applicant.
DelawareGreater of 10% of monthly rent or $50.
District of ColumbiaCapped at $50 (D.C. Code §42-3505.10).
MarylandCapped at $25 (HB 693, 2024).
MassachusettsProhibited (landlords may not charge application fees).
MinnesotaActual cost of screening; must be refunded if the application isn't processed.
New YorkCapped at $20 for a background/credit check, waived if the applicant supplies a recent report.
OregonActual cost of screening; must be refunded if the application is not screened.
VermontProhibited (landlords may not charge application fees).
VirginiaCapped at $50 plus actual third-party screening costs; $32 for public housing.
WashingtonActual cost of screening, disclosed in advance.
WisconsinUp to $25 or the actual cost of a credit report, whichever is less.
AlabamaNo statutory cap
AlaskaNo statutory cap
ArizonaNo statutory cap
ArkansasNo statutory cap
ConnecticutNo statutory cap
FloridaNo statutory cap
GeorgiaNo statutory cap
HawaiiNo statutory cap
IdahoNo statutory cap
IllinoisNo statutory cap
IndianaNo statutory cap
IowaNo statutory cap
KansasNo statutory cap
KentuckyNo statutory cap
LouisianaNo statutory cap
MaineNo statutory cap
MichiganNo statutory cap
MississippiNo statutory cap
MissouriNo statutory cap
MontanaNo statutory cap
NebraskaNo statutory cap
NevadaNo statutory cap
New HampshireNo statutory cap
New JerseyNo statutory cap
New MexicoNo statutory cap
North CarolinaNo statutory cap
North DakotaNo statutory cap
OhioNo statutory cap
OklahomaNo statutory cap
PennsylvaniaNo statutory cap
Rhode IslandNo statutory cap
South CarolinaNo statutory cap
South DakotaNo statutory cap
TennesseeNo statutory cap
TexasNo statutory cap
UtahNo statutory cap
West VirginiaNo statutory cap
WyomingNo statutory cap

What the fee is for

An application fee covers tenant screening: credit report, eviction and criminal background checks, and sometimes employment verification. Screening reports cost landlords roughly $15–45 per applicant, which is why the states that regulate fees peg them to "actual cost." A fee far above that is a revenue line, not a screening cost. Where fees are capped, a landlord who processes multiple applications for one unit typically must refund applicants who were never screened (Minnesota and Oregon say so explicitly). Many cities — Seattle, Portland, Philadelphia, Montgomery County MD — add their own limits.

As of October 25, 2026. Statutes linked on each state page.