# North Carolina Security Deposits: Wear vs Damage | Who Pays the Repair?

> North Carolina limits deposit deductions to permitted uses like damage, with a 30-day itemized accounting, under N.C.G.S. §§42-51, 42-52.

**Who pays:** shared

North Carolina limits deposit deductions to specific permitted uses like actual damage, and requires an itemized accounting within 30 days, under N.C.G.S. §§42-51, 42-52.

**Boundary:** North Carolina limits a security deposit to specific permitted uses, chiefly unpaid rent and damage to the premises, not ordinary wear and tear, and the landlord must itemize any damage and mail the accounting, with any balance due, to the tenant no later than 30 days after the tenancy ends (N.C.G.S. §§42-51, 42-52).

## Sources
- [N.C.G.S. §42-51(a) (exclusive permitted uses of a deposit)](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_42/GS_42-51.html) — "Security deposits for residential dwelling units shall be permitted only for the following: (1) The tenant's possible nonpayment of rent... (2) Damage to the premises, including damage to or destruction of smoke alarms or carbon monoxide alarms." (accessed 2026-09-13)
- [N.C.G.S. §42-52 (30-day itemized accounting deadline)](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_42/GS_42-52.html) — "the landlord in writing shall itemize any damage and mail or deliver same to the tenant, together with the balance of the security deposit, no later than 30 days after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession of the premises." (accessed 2026-09-13)

_Last verified 2026-09-19. Source: Who Pays the Repair? — https://whopaystherepair.com/rules/north-carolina-security-deposit-wear-vs-damage/ — every claim checked against a primary source before publication (see /methodology/)._