Louisiana · LA
Yes, you can get an emotional support animal letter in Louisiana, but not on the day you apply. La. R.S. 46:1974 (Act 558 of 2024) requires a clinician licensed in Louisiana to evaluate you at least 30 days before the letter and to hold at least two sessions, in person or remotely. Cats count too. Your first session starts the clock; the letter issues on day 31, after the second. The price is $99, as in every state.
at least, from your clinical evaluation to the date printed on the letter
La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(4), (6)in person or remotely, before any support-animal letter may issue
La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(5)to file with the Attorney General's Equal Housing Opportunity Section
La. R.S. 51:2611(B)to sue in state court, a clock that an agency complaint does not pause
La. R.S. 51:2613(A), (C)Louisiana, with the capital marked
Louisiana at a glance
Each answer is one line, with the section of Louisiana law it comes from. The detail is further down the page.
Yes, but it regulates the letter, not your lease. The Support and Service Animal Integrity Act, La. R.S. 46:1971 to 46:1978, took effect on 1 August 2024 (Act 558 of 2024). Its term is "support animal": any animal other than a service dog, so cats count (La. R.S. 46:1973(6)). It sets who may write the letter, when, and what the letter prints, and it fines false claims. It creates no housing right and takes none away (La. R.S. 46:1978). The right to ask your landlord for an accommodation comes from the state's Equal Housing Opportunity Act and the federal Fair Housing Act.
La. R.S. 46:1973(6), 46:1978Yes, and the statute sets it. The clinician must have established a therapeutic relationship with you, and completed a clinical evaluation, at least 30 days before producing the letter (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(4), (6)). The clock runs from the evaluation, so it belongs in the first session. Day 30 meets the words "no less than thirty days". We date letters day 31 so the count is beyond argument. A letter sold for delivery within days of sign-up cannot meet this rule.
La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(4), (6)At least two, held "in person or remotely", before the letter issues (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(5)). Nothing in the statute makes either session in-person. Nothing says the two must be 30 days apart, either; that is a common misreading. The 30-day clocks run from the start of the relationship and from the clinical evaluation to the letter's date. We do not count a questionnaire as a session: both of ours are live video or phone sessions with your clinician.
La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(5)A clinician with an active Louisiana licence who is qualified to diagnose disabilities and has assessed yours (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(1)–(2)). The listed professions are physicians, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, psychologists, social workers and licensed professional counselors (La. R.S. 40:1231.1(A)(10)). Marriage and family therapists and physician assistants are not on that list. A counselor from another Compact state may also write on a Counseling Compact privilege, issued here since 20 April 2026. PSYPACT for psychologists takes effect only on 1 January 2028 (Act 302 of 2026).
La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(1)–(2); 40:1231.1(A)(10)Three items are required: the letter's effective date, the clinician's licence number, and the type of licence held (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(3)(a)–(c)). With the number, a landlord can look the licence up on the licensing board's site. A letter missing any of the three falls short of the statute's checklist. No state law sets an expiry date or a renewal cycle. "Valid for 12 months" is a seller's policy, not a Louisiana rule.
La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(3)State law does not stop it. The no-extra-charge rule applies to trained service dogs, not support animals (La. R.S. 46:1954(C)). You can ask for the charges to be waived as part of your accommodation request under La. R.S. 51:2606(A)(6)(c)(ii). Expect the waiver to be weighed on its facts; a federal court in New Orleans turned one down in 2025. There is no deposit cap. A refundable deposit has to come back within one month after the lease ends (La. R.S. 9:3251(A)).
La. R.S. 46:1954(C); 9:3251With the Attorney General's Equal Housing Opportunity Section, in writing, within one year of the refusal (La. R.S. 51:2611(B)). Call 225-326-6440 or 800-273-5718, email LADOJFairHousing@ag.louisiana.gov, or use the online form. The Commission on Human Rights is not the housing agency; the Attorney General administers the housing law (La. R.S. 51:2610(A)). A state-court suit must be filed within two years, and an agency complaint does not stretch that deadline (La. R.S. 51:2613(A), (C)).
La. R.S. 51:2611(B), 51:2613(A), (C)Louisiana law
Louisiana regulates the letter itself, whatever the species. Under La. R.S. 46:1974(A), the writer needs an active Louisiana licence, or a licence in a compact profession that lets them serve you here, and must be qualified to diagnose disabilities. The writer must have established a therapeutic relationship with you and completed a clinical evaluation at least 30 days before producing the letter. At least two sessions must also have taken place, in person or remotely. The letter prints its effective date and the writer's licence number and licence type. The statute sets no expiry date and no in-person visit. It also leaves your housing rights exactly where they were (La. R.S. 46:1978). Those rights come from the Equal Housing Opportunity Act, La. R.S. 51:2606(A)(6)(c)(ii), and from the federal Fair Housing Act. A landlord must consider a reasonable-accommodation request for a support animal. A refusal has to rest on a ground the law allows. The request may be unreasonable or unnecessary, or the tenancy may pose a direct threat to others or cause substantial physical damage to their property (La. R.S. 51:2606(C)). Complaints go to the Attorney General's Equal Housing Opportunity Section within one year (La. R.S. 51:2611(B)).
Source: La. R.S. 46:1974 (Act 558 of 2024, HB 407, effective 1 August 2024). This is general information, not legal advice.
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 Louisiana law and the Louisiana Attorney General's Equal Housing Opportunity Section.
“Has engaged with an individual in person or remotely in at least two sessions before issuing documentation”
Federal vs Louisiana
| Topic | Federal (Fair Housing Act) | Louisiana |
|---|---|---|
| Fees and deposits | Neither the Fair Housing Act nor 24 C.F.R. § 100.204 mentions pet fees. HUD pulled its no-fee guidance effective 17 September 2025, so a waiver has to be asked for. | No statute bars a pet fee, pet rent or deposit for a support animal; the no-extra-charge rule covers trained service dogs only (La. R.S. 46:1954(C)). No deposit cap. A refundable deposit comes back within one month of the lease ending (La. R.S. 9:3251(A)). |
| Documentation | The request must be for an accommodation needed because of a disability (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)). Federal law prescribes no letter content. | The letter must print its effective date, the writer's licence number and the licence type (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(3)). No state rule lists what a landlord may or may not ask for, and no expiry date exists. |
| Timing | No federal waiting period, session count or deadline for the landlord's answer. | A therapeutic relationship and a clinical evaluation at least 30 days before the letter, plus at least two sessions, in person or remotely (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(4)–(6)). No deadline for the landlord's reply. |
| Who may write | Federal law names no profession. | A psychologist, social worker, licensed professional counselor, physician, nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist with an active Louisiana licence, qualified to diagnose disabilities (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(1)–(2); 40:1231.1(A)(10)). Or a counselor holding a Counseling Compact privilege. Not marriage and family therapists or physician assistants. |
| Exemptions | Owner-occupied buildings of four units or fewer; single-family homes of an owner holding three or fewer, let with no broker (42 U.S.C. § 3603(b)). | The same two: an owner of three or fewer single-family houses renting without a broker, and an owner-occupied building for up to four families (La. R.S. 51:2604(B)). Owning a building for five or more families, or three or more deals as principal in 12 months, ends the house exemption (La. R.S. 51:2604(C)). |
| Where to file | HUD, which since May 2026 pursues only complaints about trained animals, or federal court. | The Attorney General's Equal Housing Opportunity Section, which administers the state housing law (La. R.S. 51:2610(A)): online form, 225-326-6440 or 800-273-5718. Not the Commission on Human Rights. Or state court. |
| Deadline | One year to HUD (42 U.S.C. § 3610(a)(1)(A)(i)); two years to sue, not counting time an agency case was pending (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)). | One year to the Attorney General (La. R.S. 51:2611(B)). Two years to state court, and the agency process does not pause that clock (La. R.S. 51:2613(A), (C)). |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
Your timeline in Louisiana
La. R.S. 46:1974(A) sets this calendar, and it binds every support-animal letter written here. The clinical evaluation that starts the 30-day clock happens at your first session. The second session comes before the letter. You pay at checkout before the first session; the screening before that is free, with no card.
A free screening with no card, then your first live video or phone session with a clinician licensed in Louisiana. The clinician completes the clinical evaluation and the disability assessment in this session. That opens the therapeutic relationship and starts both 30-day clocks (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(2), (4), (6)). Some people do not qualify, and you hear early if that is the answer.
The relationship runs, and nothing more is charged. Your second live session is booked now for day 31, because the statute needs two sessions before any letter (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(5)). Questions about the pet-fee waiver or your landlord's reply are answered as they come up. If your lease or move date falls inside this window, say so on day 1.
The second live session, with the same clinician. If you qualify, the letter issues after it, dated that day, with its effective date and the clinician's licence number and type (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(3)). Pet Support Letter includes the bold 12-point notice La. R.S. 46:1976 requires with every Louisiana letter. It says the letter gives your animal no service-dog rights, and that passing an animal off as a service dog may bring a civil penalty.
Housing
Under the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)) and Louisiana'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
What they may not do
Illustrative exchange
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 Louisiana, 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 Louisiana law bars a pet fee, pet rent or pet deposit for an emotional support animal. Act 558 of 2024 says nothing about fees. The state's no-extra-charge rule protects trained service dogs only (La. R.S. 46:1954(C)). So ask your landlord to waive the pet charges as part of the reasonable-accommodation request under La. R.S. 51:2606(A)(6)(c)(ii). Treat the answer as open: a federal court in New Orleans refused one such waiver in 2025. What the state does regulate is the deposit, though it sets no cap on its size. A refundable deposit, a pet deposit included, must be returned within one month after the lease ends (La. R.S. 9:3251(A)). The landlord may keep only what is reasonably necessary to cover a default or unreasonable wear, with an itemised statement, and you should leave a forwarding address when you go (La. R.S. 9:3251(A)). If the landlord has not paid within 30 days of your written demand, the failure counts as wilful. You can then recover the amount kept plus 300 dollars or twice that amount, whichever is greater (La. R.S. 9:3252(A)). A lease clause that waives these rights is void (La. R.S. 9:3254).
Small landlords
The state's exemptions mirror the federal ones and reach disability claims. A private owner of no more than three single-family houses, renting without a broker, is outside the Equal Housing Opportunity Act for those houses (La. R.S. 51:2604(B)(1)). So is a building with living quarters for up to four families when the owner lives in one of them (La. R.S. 51:2604(B)(2)). The house exemption is lost by anyone who owns a building for five or more families, or who acted as principal in three or more sales or rentals in the past 12 months (La. R.S. 51:2604(C)). Exempt owners still may not publish discriminatory advertising (La. R.S. 51:2606(A)(3)). Act 558 adds no exemption of its own, and the Senate removed a landlord-immunity clause before the bill passed.
If your landlord says no
Phone: 225-326-6440 · File a complaint
Deadline: One year from the discriminatory act, in writing (La. R.S. 51:2611(B)). Use the online form, the printable form, the toll-free line 800-273-5718 or LADOJFairHousing@ag.louisiana.gov. A fair-housing specialist reviews each online submission first. The Attorney General serves the landlord within ten days, must refer the complaint to a mediation panel, and is to finish the investigation within 100 days unless that is impracticable (La. R.S. 51:2611(A)(2), (C)(1), (F)).
Court: You may sue in state court within two years of the act, and an Attorney General complaint does not pause that deadline (La. R.S. 51:2613(A), (C)). The court can award actual and punitive damages, court costs and reasonable attorney fees (La. R.S. 51:2613(E)). Choosing federal court bars the same claim in state court later (La. R.S. 51:2613(H)). A federal suit is open for two years, excluding time an agency case was pending (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)).
Retaliation: Coercing, intimidating, threatening or interfering with you for exercising your rights under the housing law is itself unlawful (La. R.S. 51:2609).
The Commission on Human Rights handles jobs, credit and public places. Its new website mentions housing, but the housing law belongs to the Attorney General (La. R.S. 51:2610(A)). File there, and do not rely on an intake elsewhere to stop the one-year clock. Free help: the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center in New Orleans, toll-free 877-445-2100.
Your envelope, item by item
Keep a dated copy of everything you send.
What to send your landlord
A few lines asking for "a reasonable accommodation for a support animal" under La. R.S. 51:2606 and the Fair Housing Act. Give the animal's name and species. Never describe it as a service dog, which La. R.S. 46:1975 makes a fineable claim. Add one sentence asking for the pet charges to be waived. Keep a dated copy.
Your clinician's letter on their own letterhead, showing its effective date, the licence number and the licence type (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(3)). It confirms a disability-related need for the animal without naming a diagnosis. It carries no expiry date, because no state law sets one.
Any registry card, ID or vest receipt. No ESA registry exists here, and the statute denies a therapeutic relationship to anyone who issues documents without "a meaningful assessment" (La. R.S. 46:1973(7)). The bold seller's notice from your order is for your own records.
No state rule gives the landlord a deadline to answer, so ask for a reply in writing and follow up after a week or two. If the answer is no, write down the date. The one-year clock for an Attorney General complaint runs from it (La. R.S. 51:2611(B)). The two-year court deadline runs regardless (La. R.S. 51:2613(C)).
If your housing provider questions the letter, your clinician responds directly at no extra cost.
Louisiana renters by city
The letter rule and the complaint route are identical in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Kenner, Bossier City and Monroe, because both come from state statute. The Attorney General's Equal Housing Opportunity Section, on North Third Street in Baton Rouge, takes housing complaints from every parish within one year (La. R.S. 51:2611(B)). No city agency is confirmed as a second filing route. Our sessions are by live video or phone with a clinician licensed in Louisiana. A renter in Monroe therefore keeps the same calendar as one in Kenner: first session and evaluation on day 1, second session and letter on day 31. Alexandria, Houma and every other parish follow the same statewide rules. Students in campus housing at LSU, Tulane or UL Lafayette also go through the university's own animal-request process, so contact the housing office before move-in.
Myths in Louisiana
A national ESA registry or an online registration number makes your animal official in Louisiana.
FactNo such registry exists, and the state recognises none. The statute counts only documentation from a qualified licensed clinician after a 30-day relationship, a clinical evaluation and two sessions (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)). It also says a provider who hands out "a certificate, license, letter, or similar document" without "a meaningful assessment" has no therapeutic relationship with you at all (La. R.S. 46:1973(7)).
Louisiana's 2024 ESA law bans pet fees, pet rent and deposits for emotional support animals.
FactAct 558 says nothing about fees (La. R.S. 46:1971–1978). The state's no-extra-charge rule covers trained service dogs only (La. R.S. 46:1954(C)). In 2025 a federal court in New Orleans upheld a 400-dollar animal fee against an ESA tenant's waiver request, on the facts of that case. You can still ask for a waiver; it is a request, not a right.
The two sessions must be held at least 30 days apart.
FactThe enacted text counts differently. The relationship and the clinical evaluation must each be at least 30 days old on the letter's date, and at least two sessions must come before it (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(4)–(6)). The sessions themselves need not be 30 days apart. Search results often link HB 407 as first filed, which is not the law; the codified La. R.S. 46:1974 is.
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.
Typical competitor price $159 — you save up to $60
The reasonable-accommodation letter you give your landlord, after a live clinical evaluation.
Both letters from one course of care, including the consultations for each.
For people who already have housing sorted and need psychiatric service dog documentation only.
Your letter issues on day 31, after the second live session, because La. R.S. 46:1974(A) requires 30 days and two sessions first. You pay the same price as in any other state. Read the guarantee and refund terms.
Why this letter holds up
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.
★★★★★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.
Louisiana FAQ
Housing. It supports your request to a landlord for a reasonable accommodation, such as keeping a support animal in a no-pets building, under La. R.S. 51:2606 and the Fair Housing Act. Here the letter must also meet La. R.S. 46:1974. It gives no public access: the right to enter shops and restaurants belongs to trained service dogs, not support animals (La. R.S. 46:1953). Since 2021, airlines may treat an ESA as a pet.
At least 30 days here. The relationship and the clinical evaluation must both predate the letter by 30 days or more, and at least two sessions must come first (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(4)–(6)). We hold the first session on day 1 and issue the letter on day 31, after the second. A letter offered within days cannot meet the statute. Your landlord then decides, and no state rule sets a deadline for that answer.
No. Telling a landlord you need a support animal when you do not is itself a violation (La. R.S. 46:1974(C)). Calling any animal a service dog to a landlord or a business is another (La. R.S. 46:1975). Either can bring a fine of up to 500 dollars, then up to 1,000, then up to 2,500 for later offences (La. R.S. 46:1977). Ask instead for a reasonable accommodation for a support animal, backed by a letter that meets La. R.S. 46:1974.
There is no free shortcut and no registry to join. If a clinician licensed in Louisiana already treats you, ask them; the same 30-day and two-session rules apply to their letter (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)). Our evaluation costs $99, paid before the first session, and covers both sessions. Not everyone qualifies. If the clinician finds you do not, ask for a full refund within 7 days.
In shops, restaurants and other public places, staff may ask two things only. Is the dog needed because of a disability, and what work or task has it been trained to perform (La. R.S. 46:1953(E))? They may not demand paperwork proving the dog's training or licensing. They may remove a dog that is out of control or not housebroken (La. R.S. 46:1953(D)). Support animals have no public-access right at all.
Only if the writer holds an active Louisiana licence, or is a licensed professional counselor with a Counseling Compact privilege for Louisiana (La. R.S. 46:1974(A)(1)). A clinician in another state also needs Louisiana licensure or board approval to treat you here by telehealth (La. R.S. 40:1223.4(B)(3)(a)). The letter still needs the 30 days, the two sessions and the three printed details. A letter that skips them misses La. R.S. 46:1974.
$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
Sources
General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed 2026-10-27 by Darren Rafel, LCSW. Statutes change; we re-check each state page and record the date above.
Two-minute screening, confidential, no card. You will see your exact state timeline before anything is charged.
Start the free screening HIPAA-compliant intake · Licensed clinicians · Money-back guarantee: full refund if you do not qualify, and a full refund if your housing provider refuses the letter.
