Step 1
Start with the free screening; no card is needed. It asks where you live, what animal you have and how it helps you. It decides nothing about eligibility. It only shows whether booking a consultation makes sense.
Connecticut · CT
ESA letter CT: a Connecticut-licensed clinician, a letter that shows your need, and your rights
Yes. Connecticut sets no 30-day wait, session count or in-person rule for an ESA letter. Your request is a reasonable accommodation under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c, which reaches almost every landlord. After the Supreme Court's 2026 Mansions ruling, the letter should document an actual disability and why you need each animal. A clinician licensed in Connecticut evaluates you live. If you qualify, the signed PDF usually arrives within 24 to 48 hours. The price is $99.
300days
to file a formal complaint with the CHRO; an online intake form does not stop the clock
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-82(f)(2)1year
to sue in Superior Court directly, with no CHRO filing first
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-98a2months' rent
is the most a landlord may demand as a total security deposit, or 1 month if you are 62 or older
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(b)21days
for your deposit to come back after move-out, or 15 days after your forwarding address if later
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d)(2)Connecticut, with the capital marked
Connecticut at a glance
The 7 things a renter in Connecticut needs to know.
Each answer is one line, with the section of Connecticut law it comes from. The detail is further down the page.
- 01
Does Connecticut have an emotional support animal law?
Not a dedicated one. The housing right comes from the fair-housing statute, which treats refusing a reasonable accommodation that may be necessary for equal use of a dwelling as discrimination (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii)). The only statute that uses the words "emotional support animals" is § 46a-64d, added by Public Act 24-18. It tells the CHRO to post links to educational material. It creates no right, no letter rule and no fee rule.
Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii), 46a-64d - 02
Is there a 30-day wait, a second session or an expiry date?
None of the three. No state statute sets a relationship length, a session count, an in-person visit or a validity period for ESA paperwork. A letter said to lapse after 12 months reflects a vendor habit, not a legal deadline. What the state does regulate is the telehealth visit (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-906(b)). The provider must use real-time two-way technology or store-and-forward and know your medical history, including your primary-care provider's name and address. You get the clinician's licence number, and your consent is documented at the first telehealth interaction.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-906(b) - 03
Does my clinician need a Connecticut licence?
Yes, if you are in the state during the call. A telehealth provider must be licensed under title 20, the state's own licensing title. The temporary route for out-of-state registrants ran only until 30 June 2025 (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-906(a)(12)). The practice acts say the same thing in their own words; no one may practise clinical social work without a state licence (§ 20-195n(a)). The one compact route open today is PSYPACT authority for a psychologist. The Counseling Compact is enacted but not yet live here.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-906(a)(12); § 20-195n(a) - 04
Can my landlord charge pet rent or a pet deposit for my ESA?
State law does not forbid it, whatever some online summaries say. No statute bars pet charges for an ESA, and a 2025 law lets landlords leave "Any fee or deposit imposed for keeping a pet" out of the advertised rent (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7d(b)(2)). Ask in writing for a waiver as part of your accommodation request (§ 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii)). The total security deposit is capped at two months' rent, or one month if you are 62 or older (§ 47a-21(b)).
Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii), 47a-7d(b)(2), 47a-21(b) - 05
Does my small landlord have to follow this?
Almost certainly. For disability, the statute exempts two set-ups only. One is renting rooms in a single-family home the owner lives in. The other is renting one unit of a two-family house whose other unit the owner occupies (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(b)(1)). The four-family owner-occupied exemption covers familial status only (§ 46a-64c(b)(4)). Owner-occupied three- and four-family buildings are covered, and so are single-family rentals, unlike under the federal rule.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(b)(1), (b)(4) - 06
What must my letter show after the 2026 Supreme Court ruling?
An actual disability, or a record of one, and the reason you need each animal. On 31 March 2026 the Connecticut Supreme Court held that a tenant who was only "regarded as" disabled "was not entitled to an accommodation" (Mansions, SC 21111). That tenant had two dogs and a short therapist's letter. A diagnosis label is not the test on its own. The letter should explain how the condition substantially limits a major life activity and how the animal helps.
CHRO ex rel. Pizzoferrato v. Mansions, LLC, SC 21111 (Conn. 2026) - 07
Where do I complain, and how long do I have?
File a formal complaint with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities within 300 days of the act (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-82(f)(2)). An online intake form, a call or an intake meeting does not count as filing. A housing complaint needs no notary, and filing is free (§ 46a-82(a)). You can instead sue in Superior Court within one year, without going to the CHRO first (§ 46a-98a).
Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 46a-82(a), (f)(2), 46a-98a
Connecticut law
Connecticut's fair-housing statute treats refusing a necessary accommodation as discrimination, and it reaches almost every landlord
No Connecticut statute is written for emotional support animals. The right sits in the general fair-housing law instead. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii) makes it discriminatory to refuse reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services when they may be necessary for a person with a disability to use and enjoy a dwelling equally. Asking to keep an ESA despite a no-pets rule is that kind of request. The duty also protects anyone who lives with you or intends to. A landlord has to consider the request and may refuse only on a ground the law allows. The disability exemptions are narrow: rooms in a single-family home the owner lives in, and one unit of a two-family house the owner occupies (§ 46a-64c(b)(1)). On 31 March 2026 the state Supreme Court rejected a claim that rested only on being "regarded as" disabled (Mansions, SC 21111). So your letter should document an actual disability, or a record of one, and the need for each animal. Complaints go to the CHRO within 300 days (§ 46a-82(f)(2)), or straight to Superior Court within one year (§ 46a-98a).
Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii) and (b)(1) (2026 Supplement). This is general information, not legal advice.
ComplaintsCommission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO), 450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 2, Hartford · 860-541-3400, toll-free in the state 1-800-477-5737, Housing Discrimination Unit 860-541-3403 · 300 days from the act (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-82(f)(2)); Superior Court within one year (§ 46a-98a)PenaltyNo Connecticut offence covers misrepresenting an emotional support animal or a service animal; the 2025 bills that tried to change that died (2025 SB 1130; 2025 SB 1386). Interfering with a disabled person's service animal is a class C misdemeanor (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-44(d)), and since 1 October 2026 a violation of the fair-housing statute is a class D misdemeanor (Public Act 26-77, § 16).
The federal Fair Housing Act still recognises the accommodation, and you can still enforce it in court. Since May 2026, HUD itself has stopped pursuing complaints about untrained emotional support animals, so in practice your protection comes from Connecticut law and the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.
“a refusal to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services, when such accommodations may be necessary”
Federal vs Connecticut
Where the federal Fair Housing Act stops and Connecticut law takes over.
| Topic | Federal (Fair Housing Act) | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| Fees and deposits | The Act and 24 C.F.R. § 100.204 say nothing about fees. HUD withdrew its no-fee guidance on 17 September 2025, so a waiver is something you ask for. | No state statute bans ESA pet charges; request a waiver under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii). The total security deposit is capped at two months' rent, or one month at 62 and over. It is due back within 21 days of move-out, or 15 days after your forwarding address if later (§ 47a-21(b), (d)). |
| Documentation | The request must be for an accommodation that may be necessary because of a disability (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)). No federal statute prescribes a letter format. | No statutory documentation rule. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64d(3) mentions "permissible methods" for telling an ESA from a service animal without listing them. After Mansions (Conn. 2026), a "regarded as" disability alone will not carry the request, so the letter should show an actual disability or a record of one. |
| Timing | No federal waiting period, and no federal deadline for the landlord's answer. | No waiting period, session count, in-person rule, response deadline or validity period (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c). The telehealth visit has to meet § 19a-906(b), and one live consultation can do that. |
| Who may write | Federal law names no profession and sets no licence rule for the writer. | No ESA writer list. Telehealth to a patient in the state needs a title 20 licence (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-906(a)(12)(A)), or PSYPACT authority for a psychologist. Licensed marriage and family therapists are among those who may write. |
| Exemptions | A building of four or fewer units where the owner lives, and some single-family homes rented by an owner of no more than three (42 U.S.C. § 3603(b)). | Only rooms in a single-family home the owner lives in, and one unit of an owner-occupied two-family house (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(b)(1)). The four-family exemption covers familial status only (§ 46a-64c(b)(4)). |
| Where to file | HUD or federal court. Since May 2026 HUD finds cause only where the animal is individually trained. | The CHRO, which is HUD's Fair Housing Assistance Program partner and can cross-file with HUD, or Superior Court directly without a CHRO filing first (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-98a). |
| Deadline | One year to complain to HUD (42 U.S.C. § 3610); two years to sue in federal court (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)). | 300 days to the CHRO (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-82(f)(2)). One year to sue in Superior Court directly (§ 46a-98a). With a CHRO release, sue within 90 days of receiving it (§ 46a-101(e)). |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
Your timeline in Connecticut
What actually happens, and when.
Nothing in Connecticut law makes you wait, so the clinical evaluation sets the pace. The screening is free and takes no card. You pay at checkout, before the consultation. The telehealth statute shapes the visit itself. It is live, the clinician asks about your history and your primary-care provider, shares a licence number and records your consent (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-906(b)).
Step 2
After checkout, you meet a clinician licensed in Connecticut, or a psychologist with PSYPACT authority, by live video or phone. Expect questions on your history, your primary-care provider and how your condition limits daily life (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-906(b)). Some people do not qualify. If that happens, ask for a refund within 7 days.
Step 3
If you qualify, the signed PDF usually arrives within 24 to 48 hours of the consultation. It documents the disability, how it limits you and the need for each animal, which is the standard the 2026 Mansions ruling points to. It carries the clinician's licence number, contact details and the consultation date.
Housing
What your Connecticut landlord may and may not do.
Under the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)) and Connecticut's own fair-housing law, a housing provider must consider a reasonable-accommodation request for an assistance animal, including where pets are prohibited. Each line below carries the section it comes from.
What they may do
Your landlord may
- Ask for information about a disability or a disability-related need that is not obvious. State law recognises "permissible methods" for telling an ESA from a service animal but does not list them, and how far a landlord may probe is still undecided. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64d(3)
- Ask why you need a second or third animal. In Mansions the landlord accepted one dog, refused the second and asked for more detail, and the Supreme Court did not rule those questions out. Mansions, SC 21111 (Conn. 2026)
- Refuse a request that is not necessary or not reasonable, including one that rests only on being "regarded as" disabled. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii); Mansions, SC 21111
- Quote pet rent or a pet deposit, and leave it out of the advertised rent, because no state statute bars the charge for an ESA. You can still ask for a waiver. Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 47a-7d(b)(2), 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii)
- Keep part of the security deposit for actual damage, itemised and sent within 21 days of move-out or 15 days after your forwarding address arrives, whichever is later. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d)(2)
What they may not do
Your landlord may not
- Refuse reasonable changes to rules, policies, practices or services that may be necessary for you to use and enjoy the home on equal terms. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii)
- Coerce, intimidate, threaten or interfere with you for exercising a right the fair-housing statute gives you, such as asking for an accommodation. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(a)(9)
- Lean on the federal four-unit or single-family exemption. Here the disability exemptions end at an owner-occupied two-family house. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(b)(1), (b)(4)
- Take a total security deposit above two months' rent, or above one month's rent if you are 62 or older. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(b)
- Hold your deposit past the deadline without an itemised list of damage. A landlord who does can owe twice the deposit, and since 1 October 2026 the Banking Commissioner can add a civil penalty. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d); Public Act 26-79, § 3
Illustrative exchange
What a lawful conversation looks like.
Most refusals are not a flat no. They are a question the housing provider is not allowed to ask, or a fee they are not allowed to charge. Here is the shape of a typical exchange in Connecticut, with the rule beside each reply.
A made-up exchange to show the rules, not a real tenant or landlord.
Pet fees and deposits
No Connecticut statute bans pet fees, pet deposits or pet rent for an emotional support animal, and none expressly allows them either. Ask your landlord in writing to waive them as part of your accommodation request under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii). Treat a waiver as a request, not an entitlement. The only statute that mentions pet charges is § 47a-7d(b)(2), from 2025. It lets a landlord leave "Any fee or deposit imposed for keeping a pet" out of the advertised rent. Since 1 April 2026 every written lease must open with the standardized rental terms summary form, so check it for pet charges (§ 47a-7d(d)). The general deposit rules still protect you. Your total security deposit may not exceed two months' rent, or one month's rent if you are 62 or older (§ 47a-21(b)). It must come back within 21 days of the end of the tenancy, or 15 days after the landlord receives your written forwarding address if that is later (§ 47a-21(d)(2)). A landlord who misses that deadline can owe twice the deposit (§ 47a-21(d)). Since 1 October 2026 the Banking Commissioner can also order a civil penalty for deposit violations (Public Act 26-79, § 3).
Small landlords
Connecticut's disability exemptions are narrower than the federal ones. The statute does not apply to renting a room or rooms in a single-family dwelling where the owner actually lives. Nor does it apply to a unit in a building for no more than two families living independently, when the owner lives in the other unit (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(b)(1)). For disability, that is the whole list. The four-family owner-occupied exemption in § 46a-64c(b)(4) covers familial status only. No exemption exists for an owner of three or fewer single-family houses. So an owner who lives in a three- or four-family house, or who rents out a single-family home, still has to consider your request.
If your landlord says no
Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO)
Phone: 860-541-3400 · File a complaint
Deadline: File a formal complaint within 300 days of the alleged act (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-82(f)(2)). An online intake form, a phone call or an intake meeting does not stop that clock, so finish the formal filing in time. A housing complaint need not be notarised (§ 46a-82(a)), and filing is free. In a housing case the landlord must answer under oath within 10 days, according to the CHRO's complaint-processing page.
Court: You can skip the CHRO and sue in Superior Court within one year of the discriminatory practice (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-98a). That route closes once the Commission has a conciliation agreement or has begun a hearing. If your CHRO complaint is still pending after 180 days, you can ask for a release and then sue within 90 days of receiving it (§ 46a-101(b), (e)). Relief can include an injunction and punitive damages of up to 50,000 dollars (§ 46a-89(b)(2)). A federal suit is open for two years (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)).
Retaliation: No one may coerce, intimidate, threaten or interfere with you for exercising a right under the fair-housing statute, and asking for an accommodation is one (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(a)(9)).
The CHRO is HUD's Fair Housing Assistance Program partner for the state and can send a complaint to HUD under federal law. Its Housing Discrimination Unit answers on 860-541-3403 or at chro.housing@ct.gov; the toll-free line inside the state is 1-800-477-5737. The statute aims for an investigation within 100 days and a final disposition within one year unless that is impracticable (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(f)). After a reasonable-cause finding, either side has 20 days to choose a court action instead of a hearing. Filing starts an investigation; it does not promise a cause finding.
Your envelope, item by item
- A short written request
- The clinician's letter
- A waiver request for pet charges
- What to do with the answer
Keep a dated copy of everything you send.
What to send your landlord
The request, the letter, and what happens next.
- 1
A short written request
Three or four sentences, dated. Say you have a disability, name the animal and its species, and ask for an exception to the no-pets rule as a reasonable accommodation (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii)). If you have two animals, ask for each one by name. Keep a copy and note how you sent it.
- 2
The clinician's letter
Signed by a clinician licensed in Connecticut, or a psychologist with PSYPACT authority, after a live evaluation. In line with Mansions (Conn. 2026), it documents an actual disability or a record of one, how it limits a major life activity, and why each animal is needed. It shows the licence number, contact details and consultation date.
- 3
A waiver request for pet charges
If the listing or the lease summary form shows pet rent or a pet deposit, ask in the same message for it to be waived as part of the accommodation. No state statute bars the charge (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7d(b)(2)). So the request should be in writing, and you should keep the reply.
- 4
What to do with the answer
No state statute sets a deadline for the landlord's reply, so ask for a written answer within a reasonable time. Expect follow-up questions, especially about a second animal. If the answer is no, note the date. You have 300 days to file with the CHRO (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-82(f)(2)) or one year to sue (§ 46a-98a).
If your housing provider questions the letter, your clinician responds directly at no extra cost.
Connecticut renters by city
The same rules from Hartford to Storrs.
The same statute and the same agency apply from Hartford to Stamford. HUD lists no local fair-housing agency in the state, so there is no city layer and every renter files with the CHRO. A tenant in Hartford, New Haven or Waterbury runs on the same 300-day clock as one in Bridgeport, Norwalk or Danbury (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-82(f)(2)). The Commission has regional offices in Hartford (860-566-7710), Bridgeport (203-579-6246), Waterbury (203-805-6530) and Norwich (860-886-5703). If you rent in an owner-occupied three-family house in New Haven or Bridgeport, you are covered; only an owner-occupied two-family house is exempt (§ 46a-64c(b)(1)). Our clinicians licensed in Connecticut consult by video or phone, so the timeline is the same in Stamford and in Storrs. It is a free screening, one live consultation, and a signed PDF that usually arrives within 24 to 48 hours if you qualify. Students at UConn in Storrs, or at Southern Connecticut State University or Yale in New Haven, should also ask their school, because campus housing runs its own accommodation process.
- Hartford
- New Haven
- Bridgeport
- Stamford
- Waterbury
- Norwalk
- Danbury
- Storrs
Myths in Connecticut
Three things you will read elsewhere that are not Connecticut law.
Connecticut keeps an ESA registry, and a registered or certified animal cannot be turned down.
FactNo registry exists, and certificates, ID cards and vests have no legal effect. A 2025 bill to set up a registration system for service and emotional support animals died in committee (2025 Proposed HB 6216). The right rests on the accommodation clause in Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii), and a landlord may still refuse on a ground the law allows.
Faking a service animal is a class C misdemeanor under Connecticut law.
FactThat misreads the statute. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-44(d) punishes a person who intentionally interferes with a disabled person's use of a service animal; it protects handlers. No state offence covers misrepresenting a service animal or an ESA. All five 2025 bills on misrepresentation or registration died, among them SB 1386, SB 1130 and Proposed HB 6216.
Connecticut law bans pet deposits and pet rent for emotional support animals.
FactNo state statute says so. A 2025 law lets landlords leave pet fees and deposits out of the advertised rent (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7d(b)(2)), and HUD's federal no-fee guidance was withdrawn in September 2025. You can ask for a waiver as part of your accommodation (§ 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii)), and the deposit cap still applies (§ 47a-21(b)).
Task-trained dogs are a different document. If your dog performs trained tasks for a psychiatric disability, read about the psychiatric service dog (PSD) letter online, written after a real consultation.
Same price in every state
ESA letter for housing
$99 one time
Typical competitor price $159 — you save up to $60
The reasonable-accommodation letter you give your landlord, after a live clinical evaluation.
- Live video or phone consultation
- Signed PDF on clinician letterhead
- License type, number and jurisdiction shown
- Landlord verification support included
ESA + PSD combination
$149 one time
Both letters from one course of care, including the consultations for each.
- Everything in the housing letter
- Psychiatric service dog letter included
- Both consultations with a licensed clinician
- One clinical record, two documents
PSD letter & consultation
$79 one time
For people who already have housing sorted and need psychiatric service dog documentation only.
- Live consultation with a licensed clinician
- Psychiatric service dog letter
- Disability-related task documented
- No housing letter included
Signed PDF within 24 to 48 hours of your consultation. Same-day evaluations are often available for early bookings. Read the guarantee and refund terms.
Why this letter holds up
Written to Connecticut's rules, by a clinician a landlord can check.
- The clinician. A clinician licensed in Connecticut evaluates you in a live video or phone consultation. Clinical review of this page: Darren Rafel, LCSW.
- What the letter contains. Confirmation of a disability-related need for your animal, the animal it covers, and the clinician's licence type, number, jurisdiction and effective date, signed on letterhead. No diagnosis.
- How a landlord verifies it. The licence number is checked against the state licensing board; if they ask us, the clinician confirms the letter is genuine without disclosing anything else.
The refund terms, in full
- If you do not qualify. If the licensed clinician determines after your assessment that you do not meet the clinical criteria for an ESA or PSD letter, the assessment and letter fee is refunded in full. Requests must be made within 7 days of being notified that you did not qualify. The clinician's clinical determination is final.
- If your housing provider refuses the letter. If your landlord, property manager or housing authority refuses to accept the letter, you get a full refund. Contact us within 30 days of receiving your letter with the written denial (or reasonable evidence of the refusal), your full name and the letter's issue date. We first apply complimentary landlord verification support and contact the housing provider on your behalf; if the refusal stands, the refund is issued.
Read the exact terms. Money-back guarantee: full refund if you do not qualify, and a full refund if your housing provider refuses the letter.
What clients say
★★★★★I had a really positive experience from start to finish. The process was smooth, and I felt comfortable sharing everything without feeling rushed or judged. The questions were straightforward and easy to answer, and I really appreciated how respectful and understanding everyone was throughout the process. Having the opportunity to speak with a licensed professional afterward was also very helpful and added a lot of value to the experience. Overall, I’m very satisfied with the service
Hamza Khalid · Trustpilot, 2026-09
★★★★★Great service!! 5 stars hands down!
Jen Khan · Trustpilot, 2026-09
Read all Pet Support Letter reviews on Trustpilot. We show our own reviews only, word for word.
Connecticut FAQ
Connecticut questions, answered from the statute.
What qualifies you to get an ESA letter?
A clinician has to find a disability and a link between it and the animal. Here that means a mental or physical condition that substantially limits a major life activity, or a documented record of one (Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 46a-64b(8), 46a-51(20)). Since the 2026 Mansions ruling, being only "regarded as" disabled is not enough, and each animal needs its own reason. A diagnosis such as anxiety counts only if it limits you that way. Not everyone qualifies.
Can I just ask my doctor for an ESA letter?
Yes, if your doctor holds a Connecticut licence and will evaluate the need. No statute lists who may write. For a video visit the writer must be licensed under title 20 (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-906(a)(12)(A)). That includes physicians, APRNs, psychologists, clinical social workers, professional counsellors and marriage and family therapists. The letter still has to show the disability and the need for each animal. If your doctor declines, our evaluation costs $99, paid at checkout before the consultation.
How to get an emotional support dog in CT?
Your own dog can be the animal. State law asks for no training and keeps no registry. The evaluation is about you: a clinician licensed in Connecticut assesses whether you have a qualifying disability and whether the dog eases it. If so, send the letter with a written accommodation request under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii). Stores and restaurants are different, because only a trained service animal has access there (§ 46a-44(b)).
Can a landlord deny an emotional support animal in CT?
Yes, but only on a lawful ground. A covered landlord must consider a reasonable accommodation that may be necessary (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c(a)(6)(C)(ii)). The landlord can refuse one that is unreasonable, unnecessary or based only on being "regarded as" disabled. Only owners renting rooms in their own single-family home, or one unit of a two-family house they live in, are exempt (§ 46a-64c(b)(1)). Expect questions if you ask for more than one animal.
Can I sue my landlord for denying my emotional support animal?
Yes. You can sue in Superior Court within one year of the refusal without filing with the CHRO first (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-98a). Or file with the CHRO within 300 days (§ 46a-82(f)(2)) and later ask for a release to sue. A court can order an injunction and other relief, including punitive damages of up to 50,000 dollars (§ 46a-89(b)(2)). A federal suit is open for two years (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)).
What are the legal requirements for service dogs in Connecticut?
State law uses the ADA meaning: a dog trained to do work or tasks for a person with a disability, including one in training (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22-327(12)). Where the need is not obvious, staff may ask only whether the dog is required because of a disability and what task it is trained to do (§ 46a-64(a)). An ESA has no public-access right, so a business may exclude it. Since 2021 airlines may treat ESAs as pets.
How much does an ESA letter cost in Connecticut?
$99 for a housing letter, $149 together with a psychiatric service dog letter, or $79 for a PSD letter and consultation on its own. The consultation and landlord verification support are included, and the price is the same across every state.
Nearby states and resources
Moving across a state line changes the rules.
Sources
Every legal statement on this page, and where it comes from.
- Conn. Gen. Stat. ch. 814c, 2026 Supplement (§§ 46a-51(20), 46a-64, 46a-64c: accommodation clause, interference, exemptions, investigation timeline) accessed 2026-11-07
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64d (CHRO to link educational materials on service, emotional support and therapy animals; Public Act 24-18) accessed 2026-11-07
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-82 (300-day filing deadline; housing complaints need not be notarized) accessed 2026-11-07
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-89 (punitive damages up to 50,000 dollars; civil penalties) accessed 2026-11-07
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-98a (direct Superior Court action within one year) accessed 2026-11-07
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-101 (release after 180 days; suit within 90 days of the release) accessed 2026-11-07
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-44 (service animals; intentional interference is a class C misdemeanor) accessed 2026-11-07
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22-327(12) (service animal has the meaning in 28 CFR 35.104, including an animal in training) accessed 2026-11-07
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21, 2026 Supplement (security deposits: two-month cap, one month at 62 or older, 21-day return, double liability) accessed 2026-11-07
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7d, 2026 Supplement (pet fee or deposit may be left out of advertised rent; rental terms summary form from 1 April 2026) accessed 2026-11-07
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-906, 2026 Supplement (telehealth provider licensed under title 20; real-time contact, history, licence number, consent) accessed 2026-11-07
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-195n (no clinical social work without a licence) accessed 2026-11-07
- Public Act 26-77, § 16 (violation of § 46a-64c a class D misdemeanor from 1 October 2026) accessed 2026-11-07
- Public Act 26-79, § 3 (Banking Commissioner civil penalties for security-deposit violations from 1 October 2026) accessed 2026-11-07
- CHRO ex rel. Pizzoferrato v. Mansions, LLC, SC 21111, SC 21113 (Conn. 31 March 2026) accessed 2026-11-07
- 2025 SB 1386 (penalty study for misrepresenting a dog as a service animal; died on the House calendar) accessed 2026-11-07
- 2025 SB 1130 (intentional misrepresentation of a dog as a service animal; died in committee) accessed 2026-11-07
- 2025 Proposed HB 6216 (registration system for service and emotional support animals; died in committee) accessed 2026-11-07
- CHRO, File a complaint (300 days; filing is free; intake is not a formal complaint) accessed 2026-11-07
- CHRO, Complaint Processing (10-day answer in housing cases; 20-day election; cross-filing with HUD) accessed 2026-11-07
- CHRO, Contact Us (Hartford address, phones, regional offices) accessed 2026-11-07
- PSYPACT participating states map (Connecticut enacted 2022, effective 1 October 2022) accessed 2026-11-07
- Counseling Compact live states (Connecticut not yet live) accessed 2026-11-07
- HUD list of Fair Housing Assistance Program agencies (Connecticut CHRO) accessed 2026-11-07
- HUD FHEO enforcement memorandum, 22 May 2026 accessed 2026-11-07
General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed 2026-11-07 by Darren Rafel, LCSW. Statutes change; we re-check each state page and record the date above.
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