By state
ESA letter rules by state.
Federal law gives you the right to request a reasonable accommodation. A few states add their own rules about who may write the letter and how long they must have known you. Start with your state.
Live state pages
Written to each state's own statute.
California
California law requires a 30-day clinician relationship before an ESA letter for a dog
ESA letter California →Texas
Texas has no ESA statute, so your housing right is a reasonable-accommodation clause, state and federal
ESA letter Texas →Florida
Florida's ESA statute, Fla. Stat. § 760.27, limits what a landlord may ask and bars extra charges for an accepted animal
ESA letter Florida →Colorado
Colorado presumes your assistance animal is a reasonable accommodation once your landlord has had a chance to engage
ESA letter Colorado →Washington
Washington State has no ESA statute, so your right rests on WLAD's reasonable-accommodation duty
ESA letter Washington →Oregon
Oregon law protects the animal that mitigates your disability, with no training test and no pet deposit
ESA letter Oregon →Utah
Utah law bars any extra fee or deposit for a support animal, and gives you 180 days to complain to UALD
ESA letter Utah →Arizona
Arizona has no ESA letter statute; your landlord must consider the request under A.R.S. § 41-1491.19
ESA letter Arizona →Wisconsin
Wisconsin names emotional support animals in its housing statute and requires a Wisconsin-licensed letter writer
ESA letter Wisconsin →Indiana
Indiana's own emotional support animal statute says who may write your ESA letter and bars a fee to keep the animal
ESA letter Indiana →Idaho
Idaho has no ESA letter statute, so your housing request rests on the federal Fair Housing Act
ESA letter Idaho →Ohio
Ohio has no emotional support animal statute, but its civil-rights rules bar extra charges and exempt no landlord
ESA letter Ohio →Michigan
Michigan has no emotional support animal (ESA) statute; the Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act is what protects you
ESA letter Michigan →Oklahoma
Oklahoma lets your landlord verify an ESA letter and presumes a bought one fraudulent until rebutted
ESA letter Oklahoma →Georgia
Georgia has no emotional support animal statute: your ESA letter backs a reasonable-accommodation request under § 8-3-202
ESA letter Georgia →Nevada
Nevada law bars a landlord from refusing to rent solely because of an animal that assists or supports you
ESA letter Nevada →Virginia
Virginia law treats your emotional support animal as an assistance animal, not a pet, and bars pet charges for it
ESA letter Virginia →Massachusetts
Massachusetts emotional support animal laws: M.G.L. c. 151B, the Fortin decision and MCAD's 2026 statement
ESA letter Massachusetts →North Carolina
North Carolina has no ESA statute; your right is the State Fair Housing Act's accommodation duty (G.S. § 41A-4(f)(2))
ESA letter North Carolina →Nebraska
Nebraska has no ESA statute; your right is the accommodation clause in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 20-319(2)(b)
ESA letter Nebraska →Iowa
Iowa landlords must answer an assistance-animal request in writing and may deny only on four listed grounds
ESA letter Iowa →Missouri
Missouri law makes refusing a needed accommodation unlawful, and makes faking an assistance animal a crime
ESA letter Missouri →Illinois
Illinois statute tells your landlord what to ask for and bars any pet fee, deposit or special insurance for an assistance animal
ESA letter Illinois →New York
N.Y. Exec. Law § 296(18) names "the use of an animal" as a housing accommodation; NYC law adds a cooperative dialogue and a written answer
ESA letter New York →Hawaii
Hawaii's own statute covers untrained emotional support animals and bars an extra pet deposit
ESA letter Hawaii →New Jersey
Emotional support animal rights in New Jersey rest on the LAD, DCR's rule N.J.A.C. 13:13-3.4 and Players Place II
ESA letter New Jersey →Pennsylvania
Act 118 counts a qualifying ESA as an assistance animal and caps what a landlord may demand; the Human Relations Act supplies the right
ESA letter Pennsylvania →Maryland
Maryland's accommodation clause, § 20-706(b)(4), has no training test, and the state civil-rights commission says an untrained ESA can still qualify
ESA letter Maryland →Tennessee
Tennessee law lets you request a no-pet and pet-fee exception for an animal that gives emotional support
ESA letter Tennessee →Kansas
Kansas has no ESA statute: your right is an accommodation request under K.S.A. 44-1016(h)(3)(B)
ESA letter Kansas →South Carolina
South Carolina law deems a letter showing a disability and emotional support sufficient for an animal that is not a service animal
ESA letter South Carolina →Minnesota
Minnesota law defines support animals, limits what a landlord may ask and bans extra fees once your request is granted
ESA letter Minnesota →Arkansas
Arkansas regulates who writes an emotional support dog letter, and a separate statute gives you the housing right
ESA letter Arkansas →Alabama
Alabama ESA laws: documentation only when your need is not obvious, and only from your own provider
ESA letter Alabama →Louisiana
Louisiana requires a 30-day relationship, two sessions and three printed details before any support-animal letter
ESA letter Louisiana →Kentucky
Kentucky ESA laws: KRS 383.085 names emotional support animals and ends pet charges once your request is granted
ESA letter Kentucky →New Mexico
New Mexico has no ESA statute, so your housing request rests on the federal Fair Housing Act
ESA letter New Mexico →Montana
A Montana ESA letter needs a Montana licence, 30 days of relationship and a finished clinical evaluation
ESA letter Montana →South Dakota
Emotional support animals in South Dakota housing: proof only when your need is not obvious, and two things it must confirm
ESA letter South Dakota →Alaska
No ESA statute exists here; your request rests on AS 18.80.240, which reaches nearly every landlord
ESA letter Alaska →Maine
Maine treats an untrained ESA as an assistance animal, and a covered landlord may not charge a fee or deposit for it
ESA letter Maine →Wyoming
Wyoming's statute names emotional support animals in rentals, but no state agency enforces it
ESA letter Wyoming →Delaware
Delaware has no ESA statute; the accommodation clause in 6 Del. C. § 4603A(a)(2) carries your request
ESA letter Delaware →West Virginia
West Virginia emotional support animal laws: § 16B-18 covers support animals under 150 pounds and rules out pet charges
ESA letter West Virginia →Washington, DC
DC treats an ESA request as a reasonable accommodation, and most landlords must consider it
ESA letter Washington, DC →North Dakota
A no-pets landlord in North Dakota may ask for reliable documentation of two things, and no rule makes you wait
ESA letter North Dakota →Mississippi
Mississippi has no ESA law, no fair housing act and no agency, so the federal FHA carries your request
ESA letter Mississippi →New Hampshire
No ESA statute exists in New Hampshire; the request rests on RSA 354-A:11, III(b), with a 180-day clock
ESA letter New Hampshire →Rhode Island
Your ESA request rests on the state fair housing act, and owner-occupied buildings get no exemption
ESA letter Rhode Island →Connecticut
Connecticut's fair-housing statute treats refusing a necessary accommodation as discrimination, and it reaches almost every landlord
ESA letter Connecticut →Vermont
Vermont's Human Rights Commission rules cover emotional support animals in housing, trained or not
ESA letter Vermont →More states are being added as clinician coverage is confirmed. Clinicians licensed in your state handle your consultation wherever you are.
All 50 states and DC
Pick your state.
Live pages are linked. The rest are being written in the order renters search for them, each from its own state's statutes.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Washington, DC
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
ESA rules by state
Which states have an ESA statute, a waiting period, or a fee ban.
Verified on each state's own statute or regulation. States are added as their law files are checked; click a header to sort.
| State | ESA statute? | 30-day rule? | Pet fee for an accommodated ESA | Complaint deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Yes — H&S §§ 122317–122319.5 (letters) + 2 CCR § 12185 (housing) | Yes, 30 days (dog letters; H&S § 122318) | Banned once accommodated (2 CCR § 12185(d)(2)) | Civil Rights Department, 1 year |
| Texas | No — Texas Fair Housing Act, Prop. Code § 301.025(c)(2) | No | Not banned; ask for a waiver (TDHCA-funded housing excepted) | TWC Civil Rights Division, 1 year |
| Florida | Yes — Fla. Stat. § 760.27 | No | No "extra compensation" once accommodated (§ 760.27(2)) | Commission on Human Relations, 1 year |
| Colorado | Yes — CADA, § 24-34-502.2 (HB26-1045) + clinician duties § 12-240-144 | No | Not banned; ask for a waiver | Civil Rights Division, 1 year |
| Washington | No — WLAD, RCW 49.60.222 | No | Not banned statewide (Human Rights Commission guidance only) | Human Rights Commission, 1 year |
| Oregon | No — ORS 659A.145 + OAR 839-005-0220 | No | Deposit and fees barred (ORS 90.300(4); OAR 839-005-0220) | BOLI Civil Rights Division, 1 year |
| Utah | Yes — Utah Code § 26B-6-803 | No | Banned (§ 26B-6-803(1)(b)) | Labor Commission (UALD), 180 days |
| Arizona | Partly — "assistance animal" defined in A.R.S. § 41-1491 (HB 2068, 2025) | No | Not banned; ask for a waiver | Attorney General Civil Rights Division, 1 year |
Swipe sideways on a phone to see the whole table. General information, not legal advice.
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