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LAWS & POLICY

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Reviewed for accuracy

Fact checked by Vasudha Krishnamurthy, ESQ on .

The named fact checker checked this version’s factual claims and sources.

Emotional support animal
laws by state

Explore state housing protections, ESA documentation rules, and official resources for where you live.

Updated Reviewed

Find your state

50 states and Washington, DC

Choose a state to read its housing policy and sources. Provider documentation requirements are included for 11 states; other states may also have requirements. Washington, DC includes a HUD resource link.

Alabama

Housing policy

Explicit/documentation law

Includes ESAs that qualify under the FHA or Section 504. Landlords may request disability and disability-related need for the animal documentation when those facts are not apparent; documentation must remain confidential.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Alabama (opens in a new tab)
Alaska

Housing policy

Agency enforcement

Alaska requires reasonable-accommodation guidance for persons with disabilities in rental housing (AS 18.80.050(b)) and prohibits disability discrimination in the terms and conditions of renting real property (AS 18.80.240(2)). “Real property” expressly includes condominiums (AS 18.80.300(17)), and the disability definition includes conditions requiring a service animal (AS 18.80.300(14)(D)). The statutes provided do not expressly address emotional support animals or create an ESA exception to a no-pet rule. However, the Commission, in its September 26, 2025 case summary, recognized in a condominium housing matter that an emotional support animal (ESA) is not a “pet” subject to a condominium's no-pet restriction when it qualifies as a disability-related accommodation.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Alaska (opens in a new tab)
Arizona

Housing policy

General law

Requires reasonable accommodations in housing rules, policies, practices, or services when necessary for a person with a disability to use and enjoy a dwelling. Defines assistance animals to include trained or untrained animals that provide therapeutic or emotional support for a person with a disability. ESAs are not separately named but are encompassed within the broader assistance-animal definition. Also provides landlord liability protections for assistance animals allowed as reasonable accommodations.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Arizona (opens in a new tab)
Arkansas

Housing policy

Documentation law

Regulates documentation for emotional support dogs, including a generally required 30-day client-provider relationship, annual clinical evaluation, and yearly review for renewal of documentation. The law regulates ESA documentation but does not itself establish the underlying housing-accommodation right.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Arkansas (opens in a new tab)

ESA documentation requirements

Timing and evaluation

Relationship and timing
Requires the healthcare provider to establish a client-provider relationship with the individual at least 30 days before providing documentation regarding the individual's need for an emotional support dog.
Evaluation and sessions
Clinical evaluation required at least once each year. The provider must also review the need for an emotional support dog annually to renew the documentation.
Eligible providers and licensing
Healthcare provider must possess a valid, active license and be licensed to provide professional services within the scope of the license in the jurisdiction where the documentation is provided.
Letter details and validity
Documentation must include the effective date, license number, jurisdiction, and type of professional license. Annual review of the need for an emotional support dog is required to renew the documentation.
Exceptions and qualifications
Applies to emotional-support dogs. Includes a verified-homelessness exception to the waiting period.

Source

California

Housing policy

Explicit state protections

Requires reasonable housing accommodations for qualifying emotional support animals. California CRD confirms that ESAs do not need to be trained or certified and that necessary accommodations can include exceptions to no-pet policies and waiver of pet deposits or pet rent. California's state protections were not affected by HUD's 2026 change in federal enforcement guidance.

Sources

HUD housing resources for California (opens in a new tab)

ESA documentation requirements

Timing and evaluation

Relationship and timing
Requires the health care practitioner to establish a client-provider relationship with the individual for at least 30 days before providing documentation regarding the individual's need for an emotional support dog.
Evaluation and sessions
Clinical evaluation required.
Eligible providers and licensing
Health care practitioner must possess a valid, active license and be licensed to provide professional services within the scope of the license in the jurisdiction where the documentation is provided.
Letter details and validity
Documentation must include the effective date, license number, jurisdiction, and type of professional license. Practitioner must also provide verbal or written notice concerning fraudulent representation of a guide, signal, or service dog.
Exceptions and qualifications
Applies to emotional-support dogs. The 30-day requirement has an exception for people verified as homeless.

Source

Colorado

Housing policy

Explicit law

State law expressly includes ESAs. Allowing an assistance animal is presumed reasonable after the provider has an opportunity to engage in the accommodation process; documentation and specific safety concerns may be considered. The law was approved on May 28, 2026.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Colorado (opens in a new tab)
Connecticut

Housing policy

General law

Requires reasonable exceptions to housing rules when necessary for a person with a physical or mental disability to use and enjoy the dwelling. The housing provision does not expressly name emotional support animals, although Connecticut law separately references emotional support animals in provisions concerning education and information about animal-related rights and responsibilities.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Connecticut (opens in a new tab)
Delaware

Housing policy

General law

Requires reasonable accommodations in housing rules, policies, practices, or services when necessary for a person with a disability to have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. ESAs are not expressly named.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Delaware (opens in a new tab)
District of Columbia

Housing resources

Use HUD’s District of Columbia page to find housing resources and local contacts. This entry does not include a summary of DC’s ESA laws.

HUD housing resources for District of Columbia (opens in a new tab)
Florida

Housing policy

Explicit law with federal cross-reference

Addresses ESA housing accommodations and supporting documentation. Approved accommodations cannot require extra animal compensation; the provision expressly references federal requirements.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Florida (opens in a new tab)

ESA documentation requirements

Provider and relationship

Relationship and timing
Provider information must be based on personal knowledge. The separate out-of-state-practitioner disability-verification pathway requires at least one prior in-person encounter.
Evaluation and sessions
The prior in-person-encounter rule concerns the pathway in §760.27(2)(b)4.
Eligible providers and licensing
Supporting information may come from a Florida health care practitioner, a telehealth provider, or a similarly licensed or certified out-of-state practitioner/provider in good standing.
Letter details and validity
Does not prescribe a specific ESA-letter format, license-number requirement, issue date, expiration date, or fixed validity period. A housing provider may not require a specific form or notarized statement.
Exceptions and qualifications
Do not apply the out-of-state-practitioner in-person rule to every telehealth provider.

Source

Georgia

Housing policy

General law

Requires reasonable accommodations in housing rules, policies, practices, or services when necessary for a person with a disability to have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. ESAs are not expressly named.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Georgia (opens in a new tab)
Hawaii

Housing policy

Agency guidance

HCRC guidance recognizes animals that provide emotional support as assistance animals and describes reasonable accommodations such as exceptions to no-pet rules. Housing providers may request verification of disability-related need when the disability or need is not obvious, and residents cannot be charged higher rent or security deposits because of an assistance animal.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Hawaii (opens in a new tab)
Idaho

Housing policy

General nondiscrimination law

Prohibits disability discrimination in real-estate transactions. The cited statute does not expressly establish an ESA-specific accommodation rule.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Idaho (opens in a new tab)
Illinois

Housing policy

Explicit law

The Assistance Animal Integrity Act expressly covers assistance animals, including emotional support animals, in housing. It establishes standards governing documentation for assistance-animal accommodation requests and prohibits housing providers from requiring pet deposits, pet fees, or liability insurance because of an assistance animal.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Illinois (opens in a new tab)

ESA documentation requirements

Provider and relationship

Relationship and timing
Written documentation must be made by a person with whom the individual requesting the accommodation has a therapeutic relationship.
Evaluation and sessions
The therapeutic-relationship definition requires actual knowledge of the individual's disability and disability-related need for an assistance animal. It excludes entities that issue certificates or similar documents without conducting a meaningful assessment.
Eligible providers and licensing
The statute does not impose a separate license-number or professional-license requirement for the documentation.
Letter details and validity
Written documentation must describe the disability-related need.

Source

Indiana

Housing policy

Explicit law

Has a dedicated chapter addressing emotional support animals in housing, including verification of disability-related need, documentation and evaluation procedures, a prohibition on fees for emotional support animals, and provisions concerning repair costs and liability for damage or injury caused by an emotional support animal.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Indiana (opens in a new tab)

ESA documentation requirements

Provider and relationship

Relationship and timing
For an individual who moves to Indiana from another state, documentation may be provided by a physician, psychiatrist, social worker, or other mental health professional licensed in the former state, provided the individual has an ongoing treatment relationship with that health service provider.
Eligible providers and licensing
For the former-state pathway, the provider must be a physician, psychiatrist, social worker, or other mental health professional licensed in the state from which the individual moved.
Exceptions and qualifications
Excludes a health service provider whose sole service to the individual is providing a verification letter in exchange for a fee.

Source

Iowa

Housing policy

Explicit/documentation law

Establishes an assistance-animal accommodation process, permits verification of nonapparent disability-related need, and requires a timely written determination. Separate provisions regulate professional documentation.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Iowa (opens in a new tab)

ESA documentation requirements

Letter content and validity

Relationship and timing
Written finding must certify whether the provider-patient relationship has existed, in person or via telehealth, for at least 30 days.
Evaluation and sessions
Written finding must address whether the patient/client has a disability, whether there is a disability-related need for an assistance animal, the particular assistance provided by the animal (if any), and whether the licensee is familiar with the person and disability before providing the finding.
Eligible providers and licensing
Finding must be made by a licensee under Iowa Code Chapters 148, 148C, 152, 154B, 154C, or 154D, or by an out-of-state licensee licensed under a similar law and in good standing. The finding must include the license number and type of license.
Letter details and validity
Include issue and expiration dates and any separate documentation fee. Finding is valid for 12 months or the lease term, whichever is longer.
Exceptions and qualifications
The summary does not characterize this as an unconditional 30-day waiting period. The statute preserves other ways to demonstrate disability-related need.

Source

Kansas

Housing policy

General law

Requires reasonable disability accommodations in housing rules, policies, practices, or services. The cited provision does not specifically name ESAs.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Kansas (opens in a new tab)
Kentucky

Housing policy

Explicit law

Expressly defines assistance animals to include emotional support animals. Establishes a reasonable-accommodation process and permits reliable documentation of a nonapparent disability-related need. An approved assistance animal cannot be subject to a pet fee, pet deposit, or additional rent, while the tenant remains responsible for qualifying physical damage caused by the animal.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Kentucky (opens in a new tab)

ESA documentation requirements

Provider and relationship

Relationship and timing
Documentation may come from a person with whom the individual requesting the accommodation has or has had a therapeutic relationship. An individual who moves from another state may provide documentation from a health-services provider licensed in the former state if the individual has an ongoing therapeutic relationship with that provider.
Eligible providers and licensing
Qualifying providers include licensed clinical social workers, professional counselors, advanced practice registered nurses, psychologists, and physicians who hold the required Kentucky license and actively practice in Kentucky. Qualifying out-of-state providers may also be used after a move.
Exceptions and qualifications
Providers whose primary service is supplying accommodation documentation for a fee are excluded from the therapeutic-relationship definition.

Source

Louisiana

Housing policy

Documentation law

Establishes requirements for healthcare-provider documentation concerning a person's need for a support animal, including provider licensure, a disability assessment, a therapeutic relationship of at least 30 days, at least two in-person or remote sessions, and a clinical evaluation at least 30 days before the documentation is produced.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Louisiana (opens in a new tab)

ESA documentation requirements

Timing and evaluation

Relationship and timing
Requires the healthcare provider to establish a therapeutic relationship with the individual no less than 30 days before producing documentation regarding the individual's need for a support animal.
Evaluation and sessions
Provider must engage with the individual in person or remotely in at least two sessions before issuing documentation.
Eligible providers and licensing
Provider must possess an active and valid Louisiana license or an active license within a healthcare profession that has a licensure compact to perform the healthcare services offered. The provider must also be qualified and licensed to evaluate and diagnose disabilities and must have performed a disability assessment.
Letter details and validity
Documentation must include the effective date of the documentation, the healthcare provider's license number, and the type of professional license held by the provider.
Exceptions and qualifications
Louisiana expressly requires two sessions.

Source

Maine

Housing policy

Explicit assistance-animal protection

State housing law protects qualifying assistance animals and prohibits extra fees or deposits. Exceptions include specified threats, damage, or substantial interference with others.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Maine (opens in a new tab)
Maryland

Housing policy

General law

Requires reasonable disability accommodations in housing rules and services. Its separate definition of “service dog” excludes animals providing only emotional support; that distinction should not be confused with the general accommodation provision.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Maryland (opens in a new tab)
Massachusetts

Housing policy

General law

Requires reasonable accommodations needed for a person with a disability to use and enjoy housing.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Massachusetts (opens in a new tab)
Michigan

Housing policy

General law

Prohibits refusing reasonable accommodations in housing rules, policies, practices, or services necessary for equal use and enjoyment. ESAs are not expressly named in this section.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Michigan (opens in a new tab)
Minnesota

Housing policy

Explicit law

Defines “support animal” to include an animal providing disability-related emotional support without requiring training to perform a specific disability-related task. Permits landlords to request specified supporting documentation, subject to statutory limitations, and prohibits additional fees, charges, or deposits for accommodated service or support animals.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Minnesota (opens in a new tab)

ESA documentation requirements

Provider and relationship

Relationship and timing
An out-of-state qualifying professional must have an existing treatment relationship with the tenant requesting the accommodation.
Eligible providers and licensing
Qualifying professionals include specified Minnesota-licensed physicians, physician assistants, nurses, psychologists, mental health professionals, social workers, and counselors. Certain out-of-state professionals may qualify if they have an existing treatment relationship with the tenant.
Letter details and validity
Supporting documentation must confirm the disability and disability-related need for the service or support animal.
Exceptions and qualifications
A licensed professional does not include a person who operates primarily to provide certification for a service or support animal.

Source

Mississippi

Housing policy

Federal framework identified

The Mississippi Home Corporation directs fair-housing protections to the federal Fair Housing Act and other federal civil-rights laws, including disability protections. Mississippi also has a narrower state nondiscrimination provision for housing developments and eligible loans involving the Mississippi Home Corporation, but it is not an ESA-specific accommodation law.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Mississippi (opens in a new tab)
Missouri

Housing policy

Agency guidance + State Statute

The state’s assistance-animal flyer includes ESAs, describes exceptions to no-pet policies, and states that tenants do not pay animal fees or deposits. Its discussion of HUD complaints should be read alongside the 2026 update. Missouri has an additional state law: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 209.204. It expressly recognizes assistance animals providing emotional support and prohibits knowingly misrepresenting an animal as an assistance animal to obtain housing accommodations.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Missouri (opens in a new tab)
Montana

Housing policy

Explicit/documentation law

Addresses ESA housing requests, recognizes that training or certification is unnecessary, and regulates supporting documentation, including a provider relationship requirement.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Montana (opens in a new tab)

ESA documentation requirements

Timing and evaluation

Relationship and timing
For the health care practitioner documentation pathway, the practitioner must establish a client-provider relationship with the tenant at least 30 days before providing supporting information regarding the tenant's need for an emotional support animal.
Evaluation and sessions
Clinical evaluation required.
Eligible providers and licensing
Health care practitioner must be a mental health professional as defined in § 53-21-102, licensed to practice in Montana, and acting within the scope of the person's license or certificate.
Letter details and validity
Supporting information from a health care practitioner must identify the particular assistance or therapeutic emotional support provided by the specific animal and include the effective date, license number, and type of professional license. The statute does not establish a specific validity or expiration period.
Exceptions and qualifications
The statute applies to emotional support animals and does not apply to service animals.

Source

Nebraska

Housing policy

General law

Prohibits discrimination in housing based on disability and treats refusal to make reasonable accommodations in housing rules, policies, practices, or services, when necessary to provide equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling, as discrimination. The statute does not expressly mention emotional support animals (ESAs).

Sources

HUD housing resources for Nebraska (opens in a new tab)
Nevada

Housing policy

Explicit law

Prohibits rental refusal solely because a person with a disability will live with an assistance, support, or service animal. Supporting healthcare documentation may establish the animal’s disability-related benefit.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Nevada (opens in a new tab)
New Hampshire

Housing policy

General law

Requires reasonable accommodations in housing rules, policies, practices, or services when necessary to afford a person with a disability equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. ESAs are not expressly named in the provision.

Sources

HUD housing resources for New Hampshire (opens in a new tab)
New Jersey

Housing policy

Agency guidance

State guidance explains ESA accommodations under the Law Against Discrimination, including in condos and HOAs. ESAs need not be specially trained; qualifying accommodations do not carry extra animal fees.

Sources

HUD housing resources for New Jersey (opens in a new tab)
New Mexico

Housing policy

Agency guidance based on federal law

The Governor’s Commission distinguishes ESAs from ADA service animals and directs ESA housing questions to the FHA. New Mexico state law expressly defines ESAs but excludes them from the definition of qualified service animals under the Service Animal Act.

Sources

HUD housing resources for New Mexico (opens in a new tab)
New York

Housing policy

Explicit animal-accommodation law

Prohibits refusing to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services, when such accommodations may be necessary to afford said person with a disability equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling, including the use of an animal as a reasonable accommodation to alleviate symptoms or effects of a disability.

Sources

HUD housing resources for New York (opens in a new tab)
North Carolina

Housing policy

General law

Requires reasonable accommodations in housing rules, policies, practices, or services when necessary for equal use and enjoyment of a dwelling by a person with a disability.

Sources

HUD housing resources for North Carolina (opens in a new tab)
North Dakota

Housing policy

Explicit assistance-animal provisions

Regulates documentation of disability-related animal needs and excludes service or companion animals required by a tenant with a disability as a reasonable accommodation from the additional pet-deposit provision. Also prohibits knowingly making false disability claims or providing fraudulent documentation.

Sources

HUD housing resources for North Dakota (opens in a new tab)
Ohio

Housing policy

General law

Prohibits refusing reasonable disability accommodations in housing rules, policies, practices, or services. The accommodation provision is not expressly ESA-specific.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Ohio (opens in a new tab)
Oklahoma

Housing policy

Explicit/documentation law

Includes ESAs within its assistance-animal provisions and regulates requests for housing-policy exceptions, reliable documentation, and misrepresentation.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Oklahoma (opens in a new tab)
Oregon

Housing policy

General law

Prohibits refusing reasonable housing accommodations necessary for a person with a disability to use and enjoy a dwelling.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Oregon (opens in a new tab)
Pennsylvania

Housing policy

Explicit/documentation law

Includes ESAs qualifying under the FHA, Section 504, or applicable local law. Regulates documentation requests where disability or animal need is not apparent and penalizes misrepresentation.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Pennsylvania (opens in a new tab)

ESA documentation requirements

Direct knowledge and content

Relationship and timing
Documentation must be based on direct knowledge of the disability and animal-related need.
Letter details and validity
Documentation must satisfy the statutory reliability and direct-knowledge requirements.

Source

Rhode Island

Housing policy

General law

Requires reasonable disability accommodations in housing. The statute’s separate “personal assistive animal” language concerns trained animals, so that language alone is not an ESA guarantee.

Under § 40-9.1-2, every person with a disability has the right to be accompanied by a specially trained service animal in public places without paying an extra charge.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Rhode Island (opens in a new tab)
South Carolina

Housing policy

Explicit law

Specifically addresses non-service animals as potential reasonable housing accommodations. Landlords may ask about disability and disability-related need, and may request documentation establishing that the person has a disability and that the animal provides disability-related assistance or emotional support.

Sources

HUD housing resources for South Carolina (opens in a new tab)
South Dakota

Housing policy

Explicit/documentation law

Explicitly includes emotional support animals and assistance animals within its statutory provisions governing rental accommodations. Landlords may require reliable supporting documentation when a tenant asserts a disability-related need for a service or assistance animal, unless the disability or need is readily apparent or already known.

Sources

HUD housing resources for South Dakota (opens in a new tab)
Tennessee

Housing policy

Explicit law

Allows tenants with disabilities to request exceptions to landlord policies prohibiting, limiting, or charging for animals. “Support animal” expressly includes an animal providing emotional support that alleviates identified symptoms or effects of a disability. Landlords may request reliable documentation when the disability or disability-related need is not readily apparent or known.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Tennessee (opens in a new tab)
Texas

Housing policy

Agency and State guidance based on federal law

The Texas Governor’s Committee guide expressly explains that ESAs may qualify as reasonable housing accommodations under the federal Fair Housing Act. Texas Human Resources Code Chapter 121 separately defines “assistance animal” and “service animal” as specially trained or equipped canines and does not create a separate state-law ESA category.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Texas (opens in a new tab)
Utah

Housing policy

General law

Requires reasonable accommodations in housing rules, policies, practices, or services when necessary for equal use and enjoyment. The cited provision does not expressly name ESAs.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Utah (opens in a new tab)
Vermont

Housing policy

Agency guidance

The Human Rights Commission’s housing guide includes animals providing therapeutic emotional support within its explanation of assistance animals under fair-housing laws.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Vermont (opens in a new tab)
Virginia

Housing policy

Explicit assistance-animal law

Virginia law expressly regulates the use of assistance animals in dwellings. It prohibits pet fees, deposits, and additional rent for assistance animals and establishes when a housing provider may request verification of a disability-related need. When the disability is apparent or known but the disability-related need is not apparent or known, additional verification may be requested.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Virginia (opens in a new tab)
Washington

Housing policy

General law

Requires reasonable housing accommodations for sensory, mental, or physical disabilities. The cited section also addresses trained service animals, but does not expressly name ESAs.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Washington (opens in a new tab)
West Virginia

Housing policy

Explicit law

West Virginia law expressly defines “assistance animal” to include an animal that provides emotional support to alleviate identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability. For housing accommodations, the law permits documentation of the disability-related need for an assistance animal, including documentation establishing disability-related assistance or emotional support. A reasonable-accommodation request may not be unreasonably denied or delayed or conditioned on payment of a fee or deposit or other pet-related terms.

Sources

HUD housing resources for West Virginia (opens in a new tab)
Wisconsin

Housing policy

Explicit law

Protects people with a disability-related need for an ESA against housing refusal, eviction, harassment, or extra compensation because of the animal. Allows professional documentation and specified exceptions.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Wisconsin (opens in a new tab)
Wyoming

Housing policy

General law

Requires reasonable disability accommodations in housing rules, policies, practices, or services. The cited provision does not expressly name ESAs.

Sources

HUD housing resources for Wyoming (opens in a new tab)

PUTTING THE RULES IN CONTEXT

Your location matters.

State protections can operate separately from federal enforcement guidance. California, for example, confirms that its ESA housing protections remain in effect after HUD’s 2026 policy change. Read California’s legal alert.

Understand the 2026 HUD policy change

Housing accommodations

Check which housing is covered, how to request an accommodation, and what exceptions apply.

How to request an accommodation

Letters and documentation

Read the rules for supporting information and the professionals who provide it. Requirements can differ by state.

Understanding ESA letters

Public access

ESAs are not service animals under the ADA. Housing rules and public-access rules address different situations.

Department of Justice: service animal definitions

More from Laws & Policy

Emotional support animal laws: the national overviewThe 2026 HUD policy changeWhat to do if your accommodation request is denied

State housing resource links come from HUD’s State Information directory. Each summary links to its statutes or agency guidance; some statutory texts are hosted by Justia. These summaries are not automatic approval rules. Coverage, disability-related need, documentation, and statutory exceptions can affect an individual request. Local laws may also apply.