Pennsylvania Residential Lease Agreement
What Pennsylvania law requires in a residential lease — the deposit cap, the return deadline, the notice to end a month-to-month tenancy, and the disclosures you have to give the tenant. Every figure is cited to the statute it comes from and dated. The free Pennsylvania lease template is one click away.
Maintained by Rapi Stack · Every state-specific figure on this page is cited to its statute or official agency page · Dataset last verified 2026 · Not legal advice.
What Pennsylvania law requires · as of 2026
- Max security deposit
- 2 months' rent (1st year; 1 month thereafter)
- Deposit return deadline
- 30 days after move-out
- Notice to end month-to-month
- 15 days
Source: 68 Pa. Stat. §250.511a & §250.512 · verify ↗. Laws change — confirm the current rule before you rely on it.
Deposit still not back 30 days after move-out? Ask for it in writing with a Pennsylvania security deposit demand letter; if that doesn’t work, the usual next step is Pennsylvania small claims court.
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Frequently asked questions
How much security deposit can a landlord charge in Pennsylvania?
In Pennsylvania, the security deposit is limited to 2 months' rent (1st year; 1 month thereafter), and it must be returned within 30 days after move-out (as of 2026). Source: 68 Pa. Stat. §250.511a & §250.512. Confirm the current rule before you sign.
Is this lease valid in Pennsylvania?
A written lease that identifies the parties, the property, the term, and the rent is generally enforceable in Pennsylvania once both sides sign. What it cannot do is contract around Pennsylvania law: the deposit rules, entry notice, and habitability duties below apply whether or not the lease mentions them.
How does Pennsylvania compare? See the security deposit limits in all 50 states, every figure cited to statute.
How Pennsylvania compares
Computed from our 51-jurisdiction dataset (as of 2026). Source for Pennsylvania: 68 Pa. Stat. §250.511a & §250.512 ↗.
- Pennsylvania is one of 29 of 51 jurisdictions that cap the deposit by statute (22 set no statutory cap on the security deposit).
- Deposit return deadline
Deposit return deadline: 30 days, exactly the national median.
This is the most common figure nationally — shared by 26 other states.
Deposit return deadline in neighboring states — Delaware (20 days), Maryland (45 days), New Jersey (30 days), New York (14 days), Ohio (30 days), West Virginia (60 days).
- Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy
Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy: 15 days — well under the national median of 30 days across the 49 states with a statutory rule.
Ranked #46 of 49 states (tied with 1) — higher means a longer notice period.
1 other state uses the same figure.
Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy in neighboring states — Delaware (60 days), Maryland (30 days), New Jersey (30 days), New York (30 days), Ohio (30 days), West Virginia (30 days). Pennsylvania's 15 days is the shortest among its neighbors.
The rest of what Pennsylvania requires
The figures below are Pennsylvania's, not national averages — each one is the value we verified for this state, with the statute it comes from. Follow a row to the full Pennsylvania page for that document.
- Notice for unpaid rent · as of 2026
- 10 days to pay or quit 68 Pa. Stat. § 250.501(b) ↗
- Small claims limit · as of 2026
- $12,000 42 Pa.C.S. § 1515(a)(3); 42 Pa.C.S. § 1123(a)(4) (Philadelphia) ↗
- Where you file · as of 2026
- Magisterial District Court (Philadelphia: Municipal Court) · filing fee Statutory base tiers in 42 Pa.C.S. § 1725.1(a): $30 (≤$500), $40 ($500–$2,000), $50 ($2,000–$4,000), $75 ($4,000–$12,000) — adjusted for CPI since 1994, so actual current MDJ filing costs run roughly $70–$180 by claim size, plus constable/sheriff service per defendant 42 Pa.C.S. § 1515(a)(3); 42 Pa.C.S. § 1123(a)(4) (Philadelphia) ↗
- Rental application fee · as of July 2026
- No statutory limit Pennsylvania Statutes ↗
- Bill of sale notarization · as of 2026
- Not required Pennsylvania PennDOT ↗
- Power of attorney signing · as of 2026
- Notarization required · 2 witnesses 20 Pa. Cons. Stat. §5601 ↗
- LLC operating agreement · as of 2026
- Not required by statute, but it controls over the default rules 15 Pa.C.S. § 8812 (definition); § 8815 (scope) ↗
- Recording a deed · as of 2026
- Recorder of Deeds · no witnesses 21 P.S. § 42 ↗
Lease agreement in other states
More Pennsylvania legal forms
Different state? See lease agreements by state →