How We Research State Rent Receipt Rules

Which states are covered, and why

The state receipt requirements guide covers eight states: California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington. A state is included only when we can tie its summary to a specific statute or official state publication that speaks to rent receipts. The list is not a ranking and not a 50-state survey. A state that is missing has not been reviewed here; it should not be read as having no receipt rule.

The scope also limits what each entry covers. Massachusetts, for example, is summarized only for the receipts its cited section requires for advance last-month rent and security deposits, because that is what the cited subsection addresses.

Where each summary comes from

We work from the strongest available source:

• Statute first. Seven of the eight entries cite the enacted law itself on the state legislature’s own website: Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington. For New Jersey we cite the enacted session law (P.L. 2019, c.300) because it contains the cash-receipt section, the definition that limits which landlords are covered and the applicability date together.
• Then an official agency explanation. When the code text cannot be retrieved and checked, we use an official explanation from a state attorney general, housing agency or regulator. California’s entry relies on the Department of Real Estate’s tenant guide, which cites Civil Code § 1499. The legislature’s code page refused our automated retrieval, so we cite the guide rather than a section we could not read.
• Never a secondary summary. Other receipt generators, law-firm blog posts, search snippets and introduced bills are not used as authority for a rule.

How each claim is cited

Every state entry ends with a “Primary source” link to the official page we read, labeled with the section and, where it matters, the subsection (for example, ORS 90.140(2) or RCW 59.18.063(2)–(3)). A short note under each link adds detail from the source, such as timing or exclusions, or records what the source does not say. When a source names receipt contents, we list those contents. When it does not, we do not present suggested fields as legal requirements. We leave out penalties and court outcomes rather than paraphrase them loosely. The full list of sources, with issuing bodies and what each supports, is on our sources page.

Review dates

The state summaries currently show Last reviewed: October 14, 2026. That date marks the source check in which the entries were rewritten against the provisions now linked. On October 15, 2026, while preparing this page and the sources page, we reopened each linked provision and compared it with the summary. All eight remained consistent, so the summaries and their review date were not changed.

One quirk is worth knowing if you check California yourself. In the web version of the Department of Real Estate guide, the footnote marker after “Legally, you are entitled to a written receipt whenever you pay rent” is numbered 168, but footnote 168 discusses late and dishonored-check fees. The Civil Code § 1499 citation is listed as footnote 169. We cite the code section by number, not by footnote.

What the statutes say a receipt contains

Only some of the cited laws list receipt contents. Read side by side, they show what a careful receipt usually records:

• Amount and date: listed in New York, New Jersey and Oregon.
• The premises or landlord: New York requires identification of the premises; Oregon accepts information identifying the landlord or the rental property.
• The period covered: New York, and Maryland’s special Anne Arundel County rule.
• Who received the payment: New York requires the recipient’s signature and title; New Jersey requires the receipt to identify who accepted the payment, plus printed or typed landlord and tenant names and the payment’s purpose.
• Special statements: a Massachusetts receipt for advance last-month rent must include statements about interest and a forwarding address.

The California, Texas and Washington sources we cite require or describe a written receipt without listing fields, and Texas also requires a record-book entry of cash payments. These provisions differ in who must ask and which payment methods are covered. Check the state entry before relying on this composite list.

What the generator does

We read the shipped JavaScript and the privacy policy to describe the generator accurately. The form collects the landlord or property manager’s name, address and phone; the tenant’s name and mailing address; the rental property address and unit; and the payment amount, date received, method (cash, check, money order, bank transfer/ACH, credit/debit card or other), check number, period start and end, receipt number and notes. A batch mode produces monthly receipts from a list of payments. The PDF is marked as a rent receipt and includes lines for a landlord or property manager signature and a date.

The PDF is assembled in your browser with the @react-pdf/renderer library and saved through a local download link; the generation code does not send your entries to a server. The tool does not verify that a payment happened, store receipts or check them against any law. It has no separate field for a recipient’s title or Massachusetts’ advance-rent statements, so for single receipts, add the required wording in Notes. Batch receipts do not include Notes; use single mode when extra wording is required.

Limits

• These summaries are general information, not legal advice. Nothing here creates an attorney-client relationship or replaces advice about your tenancy.
• Laws are amended. A summary is only as current as its review date; open the linked statute before relying on it.
• Cities, counties, rent-regulated and subsidized housing programs, and lease terms can add obligations that a state summary does not mention.
• Each summary covers the receipt rule only, not remedies, deposits beyond what is stated, or eviction procedure.

How updates happen

Our editorial policy sets the review cadence, explains when a review date changes and describes how to submit a correction. This site is prepared by Cornelia Cove LLC with automated drafting tools and checked against the primary sources linked on each page; no attorney or named reviewer has reviewed it. Questions or corrections: partners@corneliacove.com.