Rent late fee checker
Enter your state, your monthly rent, the late fee you were charged and how many days late the rent was. Where your state’s law sets a formula, we work out the maximum and show the rule it comes from.
Late-fee caps and grace periods by state
| State | Cap | Grace period |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No statutory cap found | — |
| Alaska | No statutory cap found | — |
| Arizona | No statutory cap found | — |
| Arkansas | No statutory cap found | — |
| California | No statutory cap found | — |
| Colorado | the greater of $50 or 5% of the past-due rent | A landlord may not charge a late fee unless the rent payment is late by at least seven calendar days. |
| Connecticut | the lesser of $5 a day (up to $50) or 5% of the delinquent rent | If rent is unpaid when due and the tenant does not pay within nine days (four days for a one-week tenancy), the landlord may terminate the rental agreement under the summary process statutes; these periods are defined as the "grace period". |
| Delaware | 5% of the monthly rent | A late charge may not be imposed within 5 days of the agreed time for payment of rent. |
| District of Columbia | 5% of the rent due | A late fee may be charged only if the written lease states the maximum late fee and the tenant has not paid the full rent within 5 days (or any longer grace period in the lease) after the due date. |
| Florida | No statutory cap found | — |
| Georgia | Not verified | — |
| Hawaii | 8% of the rent due | — |
| Idaho | No statutory cap found | — |
| Illinois | No statutory cap found | — |
| Indiana | No statutory cap found | — |
| Iowa | $12 a day up to $60 a month (rent $700 or less), or $20 a day up to $100 (rent above $700) | — |
| Kansas | No statutory cap found | — |
| Kentucky | No statutory cap found | — |
| Louisiana | No statutory cap found | — |
| Maine | 4% of one month’s rent | A rent payment is late if not made within 15 days from the time it is due. |
| Maryland | 5% of the unpaid rent for the period | — |
| Massachusetts | No statutory cap found | No lease or rental agreement may impose interest or a penalty for failure to pay rent until thirty days after the rent was due. |
| Michigan | No statutory cap found | — |
| Minnesota | 8% of the overdue rent | — |
| Mississippi | Not verified | — |
| Missouri | No statutory cap found | — |
| Montana | No statutory cap found | — |
| Nebraska | No statutory cap found | — |
| Nevada | 5% of the periodic rent | In a tenancy longer than week to week, no late fee may be charged until at least 3 calendar days after the rent due date. |
| New Hampshire | No statutory cap found | — |
| New Jersey | No statutory cap found | Where rent is due on the first of the month, the landlord must allow a five business day grace period, and no delinquency or late charge may be made that includes those five business days. |
| New Mexico | 5% of the rent for the rental period | — |
| New York | the lesser of $50 or 5% of the monthly rent | No late fee may be demanded unless rent has not been paid within five days of its due date. |
| North Carolina | the greater of $15 or 5% of the monthly rent | A late fee may be charged only if a rental payment is five calendar days or more late, counting the day after the rent was due as the first day. |
| North Dakota | No statutory cap found | — |
| Ohio | No statutory cap found | — |
| Oklahoma | No statutory cap found | — |
| Oregon | A late charge may not exceed one of: a reasonable flat amount charged once per period; a reasonable per-day amount from the fifth day, not exceeding six percent of the flat amount per day; or five percent of the periodic rent for each five-day period of delinquency from the fifth day, all within that rental period only. | A late charge may be imposed only if rent is not received by the fourth day of the weekly or monthly rental period and there is a written rental agreement that specifies certain terms. |
| Pennsylvania | No statutory cap found | — |
| Rhode Island | No statutory cap found | — |
| South Carolina | No statutory cap found | — |
| South Dakota | No statutory cap found | — |
| Tennessee | Not verified | — |
| Texas | A late fee is considered reasonable if it is not more than 12 percent of the rent for the rental period (structures with four or fewer units) or 10 percent (structures with more than four units). | A late fee may be collected only after any portion of rent has remained unpaid two full days after the original due date. |
| Utah | the greater of 10% of the rent or $75 | — |
| Vermont | No statutory cap found | — |
| Virginia | 10% of the periodic rent (or 10% of the remaining balance, if less) | Where a landlord offers no written rental agreement, the terms that apply by law include: rent is due on the first of each month and is late if not paid by the fifth, after which the landlord may charge a late charge. |
| Washington | No statutory cap found | A landlord may not charge a late fee for rent paid within five days after its due date; if rent is more than five days past due, late fees may be charged starting from the first day after the due date. |
| West Virginia | No statutory cap found | — |
| Wisconsin | No statutory cap found | — |
| Wyoming | No statutory cap found | — |
Texas sets percentages at which a late fee is considered reasonable rather than a hard cap, and Oregon lets the lease choose among several formulas; the checker shows those rules without computing a maximum.
Common questions
Which states cap rent late fees?
States whose statutes set a formula we can compute: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Utah, Virginia.
Does my lease have to mention the late fee?
In many states, yes — several statutes we quote allow a late fee only if the written rental agreement provides for it. Pick your state above to see its rule.
Charged a late fee you think is wrong?
Upload your lease and the charge. Main AI finds the late-fee clause and lines it up with your state’s cap and grace period.
Upload your notice — free analysisSources
Every legal statement above is taken from these official texts, read on 2026-10-02.
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-105(1)(b) (2024)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(b)
- D.C. Code § 42-3505.31(a)
- Del. Code tit. 25, § 5501(d)
- Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-21(f)
- Iowa Code § 562A.9(4)
- Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-208
- Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6028(2)
- Minn. Stat. § 504B.177(a)
- N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-46(a)(1)
- NMSA 1978, § 47-8-15(D) (as amended by Laws 2025, ch. 122, § 6)
- NRS 118A.210(4)(b)
- N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 238-a(2)
- Utah Code § 57-22-4(5)(a)
- Va. Code § 55.1-1204(E)
- Tex. Prop. Code § 92.019(a)(3)
- RCW 59.18.170(2)
This page is general information, not legal advice, and using it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Main AI is not a law firm. Laws change and have exceptions; the linked official text controls. For advice about your situation, contact a licensed attorney or a legal-aid office in your state.