Maryland · MD
Yes. Maryland has no ESA statute, but its Fair Housing Act bars refusing reasonable accommodations (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-706(b)(4)), and 2026 state guidance says an untrained ESA can qualify. Your evaluation is a live video visit with a clinician licensed in Maryland, since state boards forbid care based solely on an online questionnaire (COMAR 10.58.06.05). If you qualify, the signed PDF usually arrives within 24 to 48 hours. The price is $99, paid before the consultation.
to file a housing complaint with MCCR, counted from the refusal
Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-1021(a)is the ceiling on any deposit, a pet deposit included, on leases from 1 October 2024
Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203(b)(1)for your deposit to come back with interest and an itemised damage list
Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203(e)(1), (g)or fewer in an owner-occupied building, and the landlord still has to consider a disability request
Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-704(a)(2)Maryland, with the capital marked
Maryland at a glance
Each answer is one line, with the section of Maryland law it comes from. The detail is further down the page.
Not by name. No statute regulates ESA letters or creates an ESA right in so many words. Your right comes from the state Fair Housing Act, which bars refusing reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-706(b)(4)). That clause has no training element. On 8 September 2026 the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (MCCR) issued guidance saying an untrained ESA can be such an accommodation. The Code names emotional support only to keep it out of the service-dog definition (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-706(a)(3)).
Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-706(a)(3), (b)(4); MCCR ESA guidance, 8 Sep 2026No. No statute or board rule sets a relationship length, a session count, an in-person visit or an expiry date for the letter. Two rules shape the visit instead. A counsellor or therapist "may not treat a client based solely on an online questionnaire" (COMAR 10.58.06.05). The social-work board has the same rule (COMAR 10.42.10.05B). Audio-only calls are not telehealth at all (Md. Code, Health Occ. § 1-1001). That is why the consultation for a Maryland letter is a live video visit.
COMAR 10.58.06.05, 10.42.10.05B; Md. Code, Health Occ. § 1-1001A clinician authorised to practise here. The licence rule follows where you are during the visit, not where the clinician sits (Md. Code, Health Occ. § 1-1005). In practice that means a clinician licensed in Maryland: a clinical social worker (LCSW-C), a clinical professional counsellor, a marriage and family therapist, a psychologist or a physician. A psychologist may also practise here by telehealth with PSYPACT authority (Md. Code, Health Occ. § 18-3A-01). The counselling and social-work compacts are enacted but cannot yet be used for a new client here.
Md. Code, Health Occ. §§ 1-1005, 18-3A-01MCCR says no, though no statute says so. Its guidance states that housing providers "may not impose fees, deposits, or other financial charges due to the presence of an ESA". That covers a fee for processing the request, even where other pets pay. The Tenants' Bill of Rights, attached to every lease (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-208(c)(4)), says no additional application fee or security deposit for an assistance animal. Both are agency positions. The only statutory no-extra-rent rule covers trained service dogs (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-706(d)). Damage the animal causes can still be charged (MCCR guidance Q14).
MCCR ESA guidance Q6, Q14; DHCD Tenants' Bill of Rights (eff. 1 Oct 2026); Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-706(d)Yes, and here state law is stricter than federal law. The owner-occupied exemption covers rooms in the owner's home and owner-occupied buildings of five or fewer rental units. It applies only to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status and source of income (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-704(a)(2)). Disability is not on that list. The one carve-out that reaches disability is a single-family home sold or rented privately, with no broker, agent or discriminatory advertisement (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-704(a)(1)).
Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-704(a)One month's rent at most on a lease signed from 1 October 2024 (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203(b)(1)). The state's tenant guide counts a pet deposit inside that ceiling. Overcharge, and you can recover up to three times the excess plus attorney's fees (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203(b)(3)). The deposit comes back within 45 days of move-out with interest (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203(e)(1)). A damage list must be mailed within those 45 days, or the landlord loses the right to withhold for damage (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203(g)). No lease clause can waive these rules.
Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203(b), (e), (g), (l); DHCD Tenants' Bill of RightsOne year from the refusal to file with MCCR (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-1021(a)). Start early. MCCR says its online questionnaire "does not constitute the filing of a complaint"; the case is filed once you sign the charge after intake. A state-court suit runs two years, with time paused while an MCCR case is pending (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-1035(b)). Its wording lets that suit start no sooner than 130 days after an MCCR complaint, so the safe course is to file there first. A federal Fair Housing Act suit needs no agency step.
Md. Code, State Gov't §§ 20-1021(a), 20-1035(b); MCCR, Start a Complaint InquiryMaryland law
Maryland has no statute written for emotional support animals. The right you use is the state Fair Housing Act's general clause. It makes it unlawful to refuse "reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services" that a person with a disability may need to use and enjoy a dwelling (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-706(b)(4)). The clause has no training test. MCCR's regulation repeats the duty, adds an undue-hardship defence and bars questions about the "nature or severity" of a disability (COMAR 14.03.04.07). On 8 September 2026, answering HUD's May 2026 change, MCCR issued ESA guidance. It says an untrained ESA can be a reasonable accommodation. A blanket refusal with no individual review will very often be unlawful. Rejecting an animal solely for its species or breed is generally discriminatory. The same guidance lets a landlord refuse "rubber stamp" internet documentation and check for a bona fide relationship with the provider. A landlord may still refuse where the specific animal is a direct threat or would cause substantial physical damage (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-703(5)). Owner-occupied small buildings get no disability exemption (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-704(a)(2)). Complaints go to MCCR within one year (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-1021(a)).
Source: Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-706(b)(4) (Maryland Fair Housing Act, State Gov't Title 20, Subtitle 7). 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 Maryland law and the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights.
“reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services”
Federal vs Maryland
| Topic | Federal (Fair Housing Act) | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| Fees and deposits | Silent on money. Neither 42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B) nor 24 C.F.R. § 100.204 mentions pet charges. HUD pulled its old fee guidance effective 17 September 2025, so any waiver is part of what you ask for. | No statute bans an ESA fee; the statutory no-extra-rent rule is for trained service dogs (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-706(d)). MCCR guidance bars ESA fees, deposits and processing charges. The Tenants' Bill of Rights bars an extra application fee or deposit. Every deposit, pet deposits included, is capped at one month's rent (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203(b)(1)). |
| Documentation | The accommodation must be one that may be necessary because of a disability (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)). Congress set no letter format. | If the disability or need is not obvious, a landlord may ask for a medical provider's documentation of a disability and the animal's therapeutic benefit (MCCR guidance Q2). It may not ask for the diagnosis, its severity or your records (COMAR 14.03.04.07(B)(3); MCCR guidance Q9). |
| Timing | Federal law sets no waiting period before a letter and no deadline for the landlord's reply. | No waiting period or session count, but care may not rest on a questionnaire alone (COMAR 10.58.06.05). You may ask at any time, including after move-in (MCCR guidance Q11). No response deadline is set. |
| Who may write | The federal Act names no profession and no licence rule for the writer. | A clinician licensed or otherwise authorised in Maryland, because you are located here: a Maryland licence, or PSYPACT authority for a psychologist (Md. Code, Health Occ. §§ 1-1005, 18-3A-01). |
| Exemptions | An owner-occupied building of up to four units, and some single-family homes rented by an owner of three or fewer, fall outside the Act (42 U.S.C. § 3603(b)). | Living on site does not exempt a landlord from disability claims, even in a building of five or fewer units (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-704(a)(2)). Only a private single-family sale or rental without a broker falls outside the subtitle (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-704(a)(1)). |
| Where to file | A HUD complaint, though since May 2026 HUD finds cause only for trained animals, or a federal lawsuit. | MCCR, the state's only HUD Fair Housing Assistance Program agency, or state court. Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Prince George's County also run local offices. Pick one forum, because MCCR screens out complaints already filed with a partner agency. |
| Deadline | One year for a HUD complaint (42 U.S.C. § 3610); two years for a federal suit (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)). | One year to MCCR (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-1021(a)). Two years to state court, paused while MCCR has the case (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-1035(b)). Locally, one year in Montgomery and Prince George's counties and 300 days in Baltimore City. |
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Your timeline in Maryland
Maryland sets no waiting period, so one properly run clinical visit sets the pace. The licensing boards shape that visit. Care may not rest solely on an online questionnaire, and audio-only calls are not telehealth (COMAR 10.58.06.05; Md. Code, Health Occ. § 1-1001). So your consultation is a live video visit, and the clinician confirms who you are and where you are first. The screening is free and needs no card; you pay at checkout before the consultation.
Free screening, no card. A few questions about your home, your animal and how it helps you, plus a check that you are in Maryland. The screening never produces a letter by itself. A board rule forbids treating a client based solely on an online questionnaire (COMAR 10.58.06.05).
Pay at checkout, then meet a clinician licensed in Maryland on a live video call. First they verify your identity, for example with a government photo ID (COMAR 10.42.10.04). They also confirm you are in Maryland at the time of the call. Then comes the evaluation: do you have a disability, and does the animal meet a disability-related need? Some people do not qualify, and the call can end with no letter.
If you qualify, the signed PDF usually arrives within 24 to 48 hours of the consultation. It sits on the clinician's letterhead with their Maryland licence type and number, contact details and the evaluation date, so a landlord can verify it. It states disability and need but no diagnosis (COMAR 14.03.04.07(B)(3)). If you do not qualify, you can ask for a full refund within 7 days.
Housing
Under the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)) and Maryland'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 Maryland, 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 Maryland statute bars a pet fee, pet rent or pet deposit for an emotional support animal. The statutory no-extra-rent rule protects a person with a trained service dog (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-706(d)), and an emotional support dog is excluded from that definition (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-706(a)(3)). Maryland's no-fee position comes from agency guidance instead. MCCR's guidance of 8 September 2026 says housing providers "may not impose fees, deposits, or other financial charges due to the presence of an ESA". It covers a charge for processing the request, and it applies even where the landlord normally charges for pets (MCCR guidance Q6). The Tenants' Bill of Rights, which must come with every lease (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-208(c)(4)), says the landlord "can't charge an additional application fee or additional security deposit" for an assistance animal. Neither document is statute, so name both in your request. Damage the animal causes can still be charged, or deducted under the landlord's usual policy (MCCR guidance Q14). The deposit itself is capped by statute. On leases signed from 1 October 2024, all deposits together, pet deposits included, may not exceed one month's rent (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203(b)(1)). The money comes back within 45 days with interest, and an overcharge can cost the landlord up to three times the excess (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203(b)(3), (e)(1)).
Small landlords
Maryland gives live-in landlords no exemption from disability requests. The owner-occupied exemption covers rooms in the owner's own home and owner-occupied buildings with five or fewer rental units. It reaches only claims based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status or source of income (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-704(a)(2)). So a landlord who lives in one half of a duplex must still consider your request, unlike under the federal four-unit exemption. The single exemption that does reach disability is a single-family home sold or rented without a broker, agent or discriminatory advertisement (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-704(a)(1)). An owner of a dwelling designed for five or more families, or a principal in three or more transactions in 12 months, is in the business and cannot use it (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-701(g)). Every landlord keeps two defences. One is a tenancy that would be a direct threat or cause substantial physical damage (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-703(5)). The other is genuine undue hardship (COMAR 14.03.04.07(C)(2)).
If your landlord says no
Phone: 410-767-8600 (Maryland Relay 711 · toll-free 800-637-6247) · File a complaint
Deadline: One year from the date the discriminatory practice occurred or ended (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-1021(a)). The online Preliminary Questionnaire only opens the process. MCCR says completing it "does not constitute the filing of a complaint". Your complaint is filed when you sign and return the charge after the intake interview. MCCR's office is at 6 St. Paul Street, Suite 900, Baltimore.
Court: You may sue in state court within two years, not counting time while an MCCR case was pending (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-1035(b)). The statute says that suit may begin "not sooner than 130 days after" a complaint filed with MCCR, so file there first. A court can award actual and punitive damages, an injunction and attorney's fees (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-1035(e)). A federal suit under the Fair Housing Act stays open for two years with no agency step (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)).
Retaliation: No one may "coerce, intimidate, threaten, interfere with, or retaliate against" you for using your fair-housing rights, including asking for an accommodation or filing with MCCR (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-708).
MCCR is the only HUD Fair Housing Assistance Program agency in Maryland (HUD FHAP list). It issued its ESA guidance in response to HUD's May 2026 change and still decides untrained-ESA charges under state law. So file an untrained-ESA case with MCCR, not HUD. Baltimore City (300 days), Montgomery County (one year) and Prince George's County (one year) also take housing complaints. Choose one forum, because MCCR's intake screens out complaints already filed with a federal or local partner agency.
Your envelope, item by item
Keep a dated copy of everything you send.
What to send your landlord
A few sentences asking your landlord to allow your emotional support animal as a reasonable accommodation under Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-706(b)(4). Name the animal, its species and breed, and say plainly that it is not a service dog. If a pet charge is on the table, mention MCCR's 2026 guidance and the Tenants' Bill of Rights. Date it and keep a copy.
The signed PDF from a clinician licensed in Maryland, on letterhead. It shows the licence type and number, contact details and the date of the live video evaluation. It states that you have a disability and that the animal gives a therapeutic benefit, which is what MCCR says a landlord may ask for (MCCR guidance Q2). The licence number lets the landlord verify it.
Your diagnosis, its severity and your medical records. The state regulation bars a landlord from asking about the "nature or severity" of a disability (COMAR 14.03.04.07(B)(3)). Leave registry cards and vests out too. MCCR says collars, vests or tags without more are generally insufficient (MCCR guidance Q2). Do answer fair questions about the animal's size, breed and housetraining.
No Maryland rule sets a response deadline, so ask for a written answer within a reasonable time. Even when refusing, the landlord should still try to work with you on a solution, MCCR says (MCCR guidance Q7). Note the date of any refusal or new pet charge. Your one-year clock to file with MCCR runs from there (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-1021(a)).
If your housing provider questions the letter, your clinician responds directly at no extra cost.
Maryland renters by city
The housing rules are the same in Baltimore, Rockville, Silver Spring, Bethesda, Bowie, Laurel, Columbia and Annapolis. They come from state law and MCCR's statewide guidance, not from any city ordinance. Any renter in the state can file with MCCR within one year (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-1021(a)), on 410-767-8600 or toll-free on 800-637-6247. What differs is a second, local door. Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Prince George's County run their own offices, described below. Renters in Columbia, Annapolis and Frederick can use MCCR. Every consultation is a live video visit with a clinician licensed in Maryland, so the timeline does not change by city. You get a free screening, one video evaluation, and a signed PDF that usually arrives within 24 to 48 hours if you qualify. Students in campus housing at UMD, UMBC, Johns Hopkins or Towson go through the university's own accommodation process.
Myths in Maryland
A Maryland ESA registration, certificate or vest is what makes your animal official.
FactNothing like that exists in Maryland law. There is no state ESA registry or certificate, and a landlord gains nothing from one. MCCR says collars, vests or tags worn by the animal, without more, are generally insufficient (MCCR guidance Q2). What a landlord can act on is a medical provider's documentation of a disability and the animal's therapeutic benefit (MCCR guidance Q2). That is the clinician's letter.
With an ESA letter, federal law bans pet fees and stops a Maryland landlord asking about breed, size or weight.
FactWrong on both counts. HUD's old no-fee guidance was withdrawn in 2025, and the federal statute says nothing about fees. Here the no-fee position comes from MCCR's 2026 guidance and the Tenants' Bill of Rights, which are agency positions rather than statute (MCCR guidance Q6). Questions are a separate matter. A landlord may ask an animal's size, weight, breed and species (MCCR guidance Q10). Only a rejection based solely on species or breed is generally discriminatory (MCCR guidance Q8).
A Maryland ESA letter expires after 12 months and must be renewed every year.
FactNo statute, regulation or MCCR guidance sets a validity period, a maximum letter age or a renewal date. The twelve-month figure is a sales habit, not a legal rule. A landlord may ask for information when your disability or need is not obvious (DHCD Tenants' Bill of Rights). A new lease is a sensible moment to check that your letter is current. MCCR adds that a request can be made at any time, including after move-in (MCCR guidance Q11).
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.
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Maryland FAQ
Start with the free screening, then pay $99 at checkout and meet a clinician licensed in Maryland on a live video call. The clinician checks your identity and location and makes a real evaluation, because the boards forbid care based solely on an online questionnaire (COMAR 10.58.06.05). Some people do not qualify. If you do, the signed PDF usually arrives within 24 to 48 hours, ready to send with your accommodation request.
Your disability qualifies, not the dog. State law defines disability as an impairment that "substantially limits one or more of an individual's major life activities" (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-701(b)(1)(i)). A clinician must find that, plus a link between the disability and the support the dog gives (MCCR guidance Q1). No training test applies to an ESA. Other species count too; rejecting one solely for its species or breed is generally discriminatory (MCCR guidance Q8).
Yes, but only after looking at your request individually. A landlord may refuse where the specific animal is a direct threat or would cause substantial damage, or where the accommodation imposes genuine undue hardship (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-703(5); COMAR 14.03.04.07(C)(2)). A blanket refusal will very often be unlawful (MCCR guidance Q4). Live-in landlords of small buildings are not exempt (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-704(a)(2)). Rubber-stamp internet letters may be refused (MCCR guidance Q3).
The dog's own behaviour, not its breed. A direct-threat finding must rest on "the individualized characteristics of the specific animal", such as a known history of injuring people or damaging property (MCCR guidance Q10, Q12). A landlord may also ask whether the dog is housetrained and whether you can control it in shared spaces. Rejecting a dog solely for its breed is generally evidence of discrimination (MCCR guidance Q8).
A vest changes nothing. A service dog must be "individually trained to do work or perform tasks" for a person with a disability, and a dog that provides only emotional support is excluded (Md. Code, State Gov't § 20-706(a)(3)). MCCR calls vests and tags alone generally insufficient (MCCR guidance Q2). Maryland has no crime for a false ESA claim, but a landlord can still refuse weak paperwork. An ESA also has no public-access rights.
Pets are the landlord's call; an ESA is not a pet. The Tenants' Bill of Rights describes assistance animals as "not pets". For an ESA, MCCR's guidance says no fees, deposits or other charges, and the Tenants' Bill of Rights says no extra application fee or deposit. Both are guidance, not statute, and damage can still be billed (MCCR guidance Q6, Q14). Any deposit, pet deposits included, is capped at one month's rent (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203(b)(1)).
$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 2026-10-22 by Darren Rafel, LCSW. Statutes change; we re-check each state page and record the date above.
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