New Hampshire · NH
Yes. No New Hampshire statute covers ESAs, and none sets a waiting period, session count or in-person visit. Your request is a reasonable accommodation under RSA 354-A:11, III(b) and the federal Fair Housing Act. Your telehealth clinician must hold a New Hampshire licence, or PSYPACT authority for a psychologist (RSA 310:7, III). State complaints are due within 180 days (RSA 354-A:21, III). If you qualify, the signed PDF usually arrives within 24 to 48 hours. The price is $99.
to file with the Commission for Human Rights, half the year HUD allows
RSA 354-A:21, IIIor 100 dollars, whichever is greater: the ceiling on all deposits, a pet deposit included
RSA 540-A:6, I(a)for a covered landlord to return the deposit with a written list of damage
RSA 540-A:7, Ito sue in superior court, after 180 days on file with the Commission
RSA 354-A:21-a, INew Hampshire, with the capital marked
New Hampshire at a glance
Each answer is one line, with the section of New Hampshire law it comes from. The detail is further down the page.
No. No statute here defines or regulates ESAs in housing. The words "emotional support" turn up in the RSAs only as exclusions: from service-animal "work or tasks" (RSA 167-D:2, II), and from the 2026 chapter on public-safety comfort dogs (RSA 167-E:1, I). A housing request rests on the general accommodation clause in RSA 354-A:11, III(b) and on the federal Fair Housing Act. Pages that cite RSA 354-A:12 have the wrong section; it deals with blockbusting.
RSA 354-A:11, III(b); RSA 167-D:2, IINo. No rule here fixes a relationship length, a session count, an in-person visit or a renewal date for ESA paperwork. The telehealth statute asks one thing of the clinician: "the same standard of care as used in an in-person encounter" (RSA 310:7, IV(a)). One live evaluation can be enough if it meets that standard and the clinician finds you qualify. Claims that you first need an ongoing treatment relationship describe a vendor preference, not a state requirement.
RSA 310:7, IV(a)Yes, for telehealth while you are physically in the state. An out-of-state professional must be licensed by the matching board here, "or pursuant to a licensing compact or endorsement" (RSA 310:7, III). For a new client, the compact that works today is PSYPACT, and it covers psychologists only. The Counseling Compact is not live here, and the Social Work Compact is not yet issuing licences. The follow-up exception in RSA 310:7, VI helps only someone the clinician already treated in another state.
RSA 310:7, III, VINo state law forbids it, whatever the search summaries say. Ask for a waiver inside your accommodation request under RSA 354-A:11, III(b); nothing makes the waiver automatic. The deposit statute does set a ceiling. A security deposit is any money beyond the monthly rent paid "for any purpose" (RSA 540-A:5, II). All of it together is capped at one month's rent or 100 dollars, whichever is greater (RSA 540-A:6, I(a)). A refundable pet deposit fits inside that cap, not on top.
RSA 540-A:5, II; 540-A:6, I(a)180 days from the act, with the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights (RSA 354-A:21, III). That is half the one year HUD gives. After your complaint has sat on file for 180 days, or sooner with the Commission's written assent, you may move to superior court within three years of the act (RSA 354-A:21-a, I). The Commission is not a HUD partner agency, so a HUD complaint (one year) and a federal suit (two years) are separate tracks.
RSA 354-A:21, III; RSA 354-A:21-a, IWhen your tenancy "would constitute a direct threat to the health or safety of others" or would cause substantial physical damage to others' property (RSA 354-A:11, XI). A no-pets policy is not one of those grounds. It is the very kind of rule the accommodation clause reaches (RSA 354-A:11, III(b)). The landlord has to weigh your request. No statute here addresses breed, size, weight or the number of animals, and none sets a deadline for the answer.
RSA 354-A:11, III(b), XINo. Fitting an animal that is not a service animal with a service-animal "collar, leash, vest, sign, or harness" is unlawful (RSA 167-D:8, II). The chapter makes it a misdemeanor without naming a class, so it is presumed class B (RSA 167-D:10, I; RSA 625:9, IV(c)). That means a fine of up to 1,200 dollars and no jail or probation (RSA 651:2, III, IV(a)). Your ESA's protection is in housing, not in shops or restaurants.
RSA 167-D:8, II; RSA 167-D:10, I; RSA 651:2, IV(a)New Hampshire law
No statute in this state is written for emotional support animals. A request for one is a disability accommodation under the Law Against Discrimination (RSA 354-A:8). RSA 354-A:11, III(b) makes it a civil rights violation to refuse reasonable accommodations in "rules, policies, practices, or services" that may be necessary for equal use and enjoyment of a dwelling. A no-pets rule is exactly such a policy, and the clause contains no training test. The federal Fair Housing Act runs alongside it (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)). Your landlord has to consider the request. A refusal must rest on a ground the statute names: a direct threat to the health or safety of others, or substantial physical damage to others' property (RSA 354-A:11, XI). Disability means an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, so a diagnosis label alone does not decide it (RSA 354-A:2, IV). The state route is the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights, and its clock is short: 180 days from the act (RSA 354-A:21, III). Once a complaint has been on file for 180 days, you may take it to superior court within three years (RSA 354-A:21-a, I). The Commission is not a HUD partner agency.
Source: RSA 354-A:11, III(b) (Law Against Discrimination, disability in housing; 2021, 152:2, eff. 1 Jan 2022). 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 New Hampshire law and the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights.
“To refuse to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services”
Federal vs New Hampshire
| Topic | Federal (Fair Housing Act) | New Hampshire |
|---|---|---|
| Fees and deposits | The Act's text and the accommodation rule at 24 C.F.R. § 100.204 set no terms for pet charges. The HUD no-fee position came from guidance withdrawn effective 17 September 2025. | No ESA fee ban; ask for a waiver under RSA 354-A:11, III(b). A refundable pet deposit counts toward the cap of one month's rent or 100 dollars, whichever is greater, and is due back within 30 days (RSA 540-A:6, I(a); 540-A:7, I). |
| Documentation | The accommodation must be necessary because of a disability (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)). The statute prescribes no letter. | No documentation statute, set wording or expiry. Because the change must be "necessary", a landlord may ask for proof of disability and need when neither is obvious (RSA 354-A:11, III(b)). |
| Timing | Nothing in the federal text sets a waiting period or a deadline for the housing provider's reply. | No 30-day rule, session count, in-person visit or reply deadline. Telehealth must meet the in-person standard of care (RSA 310:7, IV(a)). Your own 180-day filing clock is the limit to watch (RSA 354-A:21, III). |
| Who may write | The federal statute names no profession. | For telehealth to someone in the state: a clinician licensed by the matching board here, or one practising under a compact. PSYPACT works today; the Counseling and Social Work compacts do not yet (RSA 310:7, III). |
| Exemptions | An owner-occupied building of four or fewer units, and some single-family homes rented by their owner (42 U.S.C. § 3603(b)). | Owner-occupied buildings for up to four families and rooms in the owner's home. The text exempts only RSA 354-A:10, not the accommodation clause in RSA 354-A:11, and no ruling has tested it (RSA 354-A:15, II–III). |
| Where to file | HUD, which since May 2026 finds cause only for individually trained animals, or federal court. | The New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights, which is not a HUD FHAP agency. Superior court opens after 180 days on file (RSA 354-A:21; RSA 354-A:21-a). |
| Deadline | One year to HUD (42 U.S.C. § 3610). Two years to federal court (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)); on the text, a state case does not pause that clock. | 180 days to the Commission (RSA 354-A:21, III). Superior court within three years of the act (RSA 354-A:21-a, I). |
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Your timeline in New Hampshire
State law adds no waiting period, no second session and no office visit, so the evaluation itself sets the pace. The screening costs nothing and asks for no card. You pay at checkout before the live consultation, and the clinician may decline.
Start with the free screening; no card is asked for. It covers your home, your animal and what the animal does for you. It also confirms you will be physically in New Hampshire during the call, because that is what brings in the licence rule (RSA 310:7, III).
Pay at checkout, then meet a clinician licensed in New Hampshire, or a psychologist with PSYPACT authority, by live video or phone. The session follows the in-person standard of care (RSA 310:7, IV(a)). The clinician decides whether an impairment substantially limits a major life activity (RSA 354-A:2, IV) and whether the animal meets a related need. Some people are declined.
If you qualify, the signed PDF usually arrives within 24 to 48 hours of the consultation. It shows the clinician's name, licence type, New Hampshire licence number or PSYPACT authority, and the evaluation date. It states the need without naming a diagnosis. If you do not qualify, ask for a full refund within 7 days.
Housing
Under the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)) and New Hampshire'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 New Hampshire, 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 New Hampshire law bars a pet fee, pet rent or a pet deposit for an emotional support animal. Ask your landlord to waive the charge as part of your accommodation request under RSA 354-A:11, III(b). Treat that as a request; no statute promises it. The deposit statute still limits what a covered landlord can hold. A "security deposit" is all money paid beyond the monthly rent "for any purpose" (RSA 540-A:5, II). The total may not exceed one month's rent or 100 dollars, whichever is greater (RSA 540-A:6, I(a)). A refundable pet deposit therefore sits inside that cap, not on top of it. If you already paid a full month's deposit, no room is left for a refundable pet deposit. Whether a non-refundable pet fee also counts toward the cap is untested. The deposit comes back within 30 days of the end of the tenancy, with a written, itemised list of any damage claimed (RSA 540-A:7, I). Breaking the cap counts as a Consumer Protection Act violation, and a landlord who breaks the return rules can owe twice the deposit (RSA 540-A:8, I). These deposit rules do not bind an owner renting a single-family house with no other rental property. They also exclude units in an owner-occupied building of five units or fewer, unless the unit is occupied by someone 60 or older (RSA 540-A:5, I). The only recent pet-charge bill, HB 1553 (2026), "relative to pet-related fees and rent in residential tenancies", died in the House on 19 February 2026.
Small landlords
The state exemptions are narrower than many pages claim. RSA 354-A:15, II exempts renting units in a building for not more than four families when the owner lives in one of them. RSA 354-A:15, III exempts renting rooms in a private home where the owner or a family member lives, even during an absence of up to 12 months. But the section opens "Nothing contained in RSA 354-A:10 shall prohibit", and RSA 354-A:10 is the general real-estate section. The accommodation duty sits in RSA 354-A:11, III(b), which the exemption does not name. On the text, a small owner-occupied landlord still owes you consideration under state law, though no ruling has tested the point. The federal claim is different, because the Fair Housing Act keeps its own exemption for owner-occupied buildings of four or fewer units (42 U.S.C. § 3603(b)). A page quoting a three-unit figure for the state rule has it wrong (RSA 354-A:15, II). The deposit statute uses a separate cut-off of five owner-occupied units, so check it on its own terms (RSA 540-A:5, I).
If your landlord says no
Phone: 603-271-2767 (Relay NH 711, or 1-800-735-2964 from out of state · fax 603-271-6339) · File a complaint
Deadline: File within 180 days of the act (RSA 354-A:21, III). Begin with a call to intake on 603-271-2767; staff use the Commission's housing and commercial property intake questionnaire. The formal complaint is a verified written complaint (RSA 354-A:21, I(a)). The office is at 57 Regional Drive, Suite 8, Concord, open weekdays 8:00 to 4:00, and pressing 0 on the main line reaches an interpreter. The Commission must close each case or begin adjudication within 24 months of filing (RSA 354-A:21, IV).
Court: Once your complaint has been on file for 180 days, or sooner if the Commission assents in writing, you may sue in superior court within three years of the act (RSA 354-A:21-a, I). Either side may demand a jury, and enhanced compensatory damages are possible for a willful or reckless violation (RSA 354-A:21-a, I). After finding probable cause in a housing case, the Commission may sue in superior court itself (RSA 354-A:21-a, III). A federal suit is open for two years (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)). On the statute's text, a Commission case does not pause that federal clock (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(B)), so note the two-year date.
Retaliation: Coercing, intimidating, threatening or interfering with you for using your housing rights is a civil rights violation (RSA 354-A:14). So is retaliating because you opposed a forbidden practice or filed, testified or assisted (RSA 354-A:19). The eviction-reprisal defence in RSA 540:13-a does not list accommodation requests, so rely on those two sections.
The Commission is not on HUD's list of Fair Housing Assistance Program agencies, so HUD does not route cases to it. You can also complain to HUD within one year (42 U.S.C. § 3610), though HUD now finds cause only for trained animals, or sue under the federal Act within two years (42 U.S.C. § 3613). While a Commission case is pending it is the exclusive state route, and its final determination bars other actions on the same grievance (RSA 354-A:25). Get legal advice before letting a case run to a final determination. Since 1 July 2025 the Commission has been administratively attached to the Department of Justice (RSA 354-A:3).
Your envelope, item by item
Keep a dated copy of everything you send.
What to send your landlord
Put it in writing, by email or letter. Say you have a disability and ask for an exception to the no-pets rule as a reasonable accommodation (RSA 354-A:11, III(b)). Name the animal and its species. If a pet deposit, fee or pet rent is quoted, ask in the same message for a waiver. Keep a dated copy, because your 180-day clock may matter later.
Signed, on letterhead, by a clinician licensed in New Hampshire or a psychologist with PSYPACT authority. It gives the clinician's name, licence type, New Hampshire licence number or PSYPACT authority, and the date of your live evaluation. It states a disability and a disability-related need for this animal. No state rule fixes the wording; those details let a landlord check the licence (RSA 310:7, III).
Your diagnosis, therapy notes, an online registry number, an ID card and any service vest. The state keeps no ESA registry. Service-animal gear on an ESA is itself unlawful (RSA 167-D:8, II). A template you fill in yourself is not an evaluation, and it carries no clinician licence a landlord can verify.
No statute sets a deadline for the landlord's answer, so ask for a written reply by a named date. If the reply is no, write down the date. If a deposit pushes the total past the larger of one month's rent or 100 dollars, note that too (RSA 540-A:6, I(a)). Your 180 days to file with the Commission run from the act (RSA 354-A:21, III). Keep any written denial; a refund for a refused letter needs it within 30 days.
If your housing provider questions the letter, your clinician responds directly at no extra cost.
New Hampshire renters by city
The rules are identical in all eight cities, because the housing right is state law and one agency hears the complaints. Renters in Manchester, Nashua and Concord, in Derry and Salem near the Massachusetts line, and in Portsmouth, Dover and Rochester on the Seacoast all file with the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights. The number is 603-271-2767, and the deadline is 180 days (RSA 354-A:21, III). Its office is at 57 Regional Drive in Concord. Telehealth removes the distance for the evaluation. A clinician licensed in the state can see you in Keene or Hanover exactly as in Nashua, provided you are inside the state during the call (RSA 310:7, III). Each renter follows the same three steps: a free screening, one live video or phone consultation, and a signed PDF that usually arrives within 24 to 48 hours if you qualify. Students in UNH or Dartmouth housing go through the school's own disability-services process. For legal help, the Disability Rights Center lists the New Hampshire Legal Assistance Fair Housing Project, 603 Legal Aid and the state Bar's Lawyer Referral Service. In every city an ESA has no right to enter shops, restaurants or hotels; RSA 167-D:4 gives that access to trained service dogs.
Myths in New Hampshire
Landlords here cannot charge pet rent, pet fees or a pet deposit for an emotional support animal.
FactThat line runs through most search summaries, and no New Hampshire law says it. RSA 354-A:11, III(b) contains no fee term. The HUD no-fee position came from guidance withdrawn effective 17 September 2025. You can ask for a waiver as part of the accommodation. What the state imposes is a ceiling: a refundable pet deposit counts inside the cap of one month's rent or 100 dollars, whichever is greater (RSA 540-A:5, II; 540-A:6, I(a)).
A clinician licensed in another state can evaluate you online and write a letter that works here.
FactNot while you are physically in the state. Telehealth to a patient here requires a New Hampshire licence, or practice "pursuant to a licensing compact or endorsement" (RSA 310:7, III). For a new client, PSYPACT is the one working compact today, and only for psychologists. The Counseling Compact is not live here, and no Social Work Compact licence has issued. Whoever evaluates you must also meet the in-person standard of care (RSA 310:7, IV(a)).
You need an online ESA registry, the letter expires after 12 months, and a landlord gets 10 business days to reply.
FactNone of that is state law. No statute here creates an ESA registry, a validity or renewal period, or a response deadline for landlords. Some renters ask for an updated letter when a lease renews; that is a choice, not a requirement. The real legal risk is gear. Putting a service-animal vest or harness on an ESA is a misdemeanor, presumed class B, with a fine of up to 1,200 dollars (RSA 167-D:8, II; RSA 167-D:10, I; RSA 651:2, IV(a)).
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.
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
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.
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New Hampshire FAQ
A disability as state law defines it: "A physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of such person's major life activities" (RSA 354-A:2, IV). A diagnosis on its own does not settle that. What counts is how the condition limits your daily life, and whether the animal meets a need tied to it. A clinician licensed in New Hampshire makes that judgement after a live evaluation, and not everyone qualifies.
Yes, in rented housing. A landlord with a no-pets rule has to consider a request for an exception (RSA 354-A:11, III(b)), and the federal Fair Housing Act applies as well. There is no ESA statute, registry or public-access right. An ESA has no right to enter shops, restaurants or hotels, and since 2021 airlines may treat one as a pet. Trained service dogs are a separate category with their own access rule (RSA 167-D:4).
Only on a ground the law allows. The landlord has to consider your request (RSA 354-A:11, III(b)). A refusal is lawful where the tenancy would threaten others' health or safety, or would cause substantial physical damage to others' property (RSA 354-A:11, XI). A request can also fail if no disability-related need is shown. A refusal starts your 180-day clock with the Commission (RSA 354-A:21, III), and HUD remains a separate one-year route (42 U.S.C. § 3610).
Training. A service animal is a dog "individually trained" to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability (RSA 167-D:1, IV). Emotional support or comfort "does not constitute work or tasks" (RSA 167-D:2, II). Psychiatric tasks can count, such as interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviour (RSA 167-D:2, I(i)). No letter creates service-animal status; the dog's training does. An untrained dog in a service vest exposes you to a misdemeanor charge (RSA 167-D:8, II).
A trained service dog may go with its handler into any "public facility, housing accommodation, or place of public accommodation", on the same conditions that apply to everyone (RSA 167-D:4). RSA 354-A:16 and 354-A:17 also bar disability discrimination in public accommodations. Write down the date, the staff member and what was said, then get legal advice. An ESA is different: it has no access right, so a hotel may apply its usual pet policy (RSA 167-D:2, II).
No state fee or ESA registry exists, so there is nothing official to buy. If you already see a clinician licensed in New Hampshire, ask them; their letter does the same job. A free template is not an evaluation, and a landlord can check the writer's licence (RSA 310:7, III). With us, the screening is free and the evaluation costs $99, paid at checkout before the consultation. If you do not qualify, request a full refund within 7 days.
$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 2026-11-07 by Darren Rafel, LCSW. Statutes change; we re-check each state page and record the date above.
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