The law in plain English
Return deadline
Under N.D. Cent. Code Section 47-16-07.1, the deposit response usually has to be sent within 30 days of the move-out timeline described by the state rule.
Required notice
North Dakota generally caps the deposit at 1 month's rent, subject to the statute's pet and risk-based exceptions, and the landlord usually has 30 days to send the refund and itemized statement before the treble-damages language becomes the leverage point.
This dispute type
Pet-related deposit disputes usually turn on proof. In North Dakota, landlords still need to handle the refund and deduction notice correctly, and renters usually ask whether the charge reflects actual damage or just the landlord's assumption that pets always create extra cost.
Penalty leverage
If the withholding was wrongful or in bad faith, the exposure allowed under the statute is: You can recover up to treble (3x) the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees