Ohio · OH
Yes. Ohio has no emotional support animal statute, no waiting period and no in-person requirement, so one live video evaluation can be enough. The clinician who evaluates you must be licensed in Ohio under the state's teletherapy rule (O.A.C. 4757-5-13(A)(1)). Your housing right comes from state civil-rights law and a Commission rule that bars extra charges for an animal assistant. The price is $99; if you qualify, the signed PDF usually arrives within 24 to 48 hours.
to file a housing charge with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission
R.C. 4112.05(B)(1)to sue in common pleas court; a pending charge does not pause it
R.C. 4112.055(A)(1)of waiting period; no initial in-person visit is needed to start teletherapy
O.A.C. 4757-5-13(C)for your landlord to itemise any deposit deduction after you move out
R.C. 5321.16(B)Ohio, with the capital marked
Ohio at a glance
Each answer is one line, with the section of Ohio law it comes from. The detail is further down the page.
No statute mentions emotional support animals. Your housing right comes from the Ohio Civil Rights Act, which bars refusing a reasonable accommodation when necessary for a person with a disability to use and enjoy a dwelling (R.C. 4112.02(H)(19)). Commission rules add the rest: an animal assistant is defined with no training element, and no extra charge may be required for one (O.A.C. 4112-5-02(C); 4112-5-07(C)).
R.C. 4112.02(H)(19); O.A.C. 4112-5-07(C)No. The state sets no minimum relationship, session count, renewal period or in-person requirement. Licensing boards may not demand an initial in-person visit for a patient with a mental health condition (R.C. 4743.09(B)(2)(c)(i)). The counselling and social-work board's own rule says no initial in-person or face-to-face visit is needed to begin teletherapy (O.A.C. 4757-5-13(C)).
R.C. 4743.09(B)(2)(c)(i); O.A.C. 4757-5-13(C)Yes. A counsellor, social worker or marriage and family therapist providing teletherapy to someone physically in Ohio must be licensed in Ohio (O.A.C. 4757-5-13(A)(1)), or hold an Ohio Counseling Compact privilege (R.C. 4757.51). Only independent-level licensees, the LISW, LPCC and IMFT, may diagnose without supervision (R.C. 4757.21; 4757.26). Every letter issued through this page comes from a clinician licensed in Ohio.
O.A.C. 4757-5-13(A)(1); R.C. 4757.21, 4757.26The state rule says a person with a disability who keeps an animal assistant on rented premises shall not be required to pay any extra charge for it, while staying liable for damage it does (O.A.C. 4112-5-07(C)). The Commission has treated emotional support animals as animal assistants in guidance that is not currently posted. Ask for the fee, deposit and pet rent to be removed as part of your request.
O.A.C. 4112-5-07(C)Yes. The statutory exemptions cover religious and private-club housing, occupancy standards, direct threat or substantial damage, and senior housing for familial status only (R.C. 4112.024). There is no owner-occupied or small-building carve-out, and "housing accommodations" means any building used or intended as a home, dwelling or sleeping place (R.C. 4112.01(A)(10)). A landlord living downstairs in a duplex is covered.
R.C. 4112.024; 4112.01(A)(10)The Ohio Civil Rights Commission, within one year of the act (R.C. 4112.05(B)(1)), online, by mail or in person, free of charge. You may instead sue in the county court of common pleas, also within one year, and filing a charge does not pause that clock (R.C. 4112.055(A)(1)). Only a federal Fair Housing Act suit has two years (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)).
R.C. 4112.05(B)(1); 4112.055(A)(1)Nothing in the housing rules. HB 247, effective 20 March 2026, rewrote the assistance-dog law and renumbered its sections without adding any emotional support animal or misrepresentation provision. HB 96, effective 30 September 2025, added a 30-to-60-day window to sue if the Commission or Attorney General fails to act, and left the one-year limit intact (R.C. 4112.055(A)(2)(b)). HUD stopped pursuing untrained-animal complaints in May 2026; the Commission has published nothing about it.
HB 247 (136th GA); R.C. 4112.055Ohio law
Ohio never passed an emotional support animal statute, so your protection is assembled from two older pieces of state law. The Ohio Civil Rights Act makes it unlawful for a housing provider to refuse reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services when necessary for a person with a disability to use and enjoy a dwelling (R.C. 4112.02(H)(19)). The Civil Rights Commission's binding rules then define an animal assistant as any animal which aids a person with a disability, with no training element (O.A.C. 4112-5-02(C)). They add that the person shall not be required to pay any extra charge for it, while remaining liable for damage it does (O.A.C. 4112-5-07(C)). The Commission has read untrained emotional support animals into that definition in technical guidance, T-31, which is not currently posted on its site. A refusal may rest only on grounds the law allows, such as a direct threat or substantial physical damage (R.C. 4112.024(D)). The landlord carries the burden of proving it, and speculative evidence will not do (O.A.C. 4112-5-07(E)–(F)). No small-landlord or owner-occupied exemption exists (R.C. 4112.024). Both clocks run one year: a charge to the Commission (R.C. 4112.05(B)(1)) and a suit in common pleas court (R.C. 4112.055(A)(1)). The clinician who evaluates you by video must be licensed in Ohio (O.A.C. 4757-5-13(A)(1)).
Source: R.C. 4112.02(H)(19) and Ohio Adm. Code 4112-5-07(C) (Ohio Laws, Legislative Service Commission). 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 Ohio law and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.
“shall not be required to pay any extra charge for such animal assistant”
Federal vs Ohio
| Topic | Federal (Fair Housing Act) | Ohio |
|---|---|---|
| Fees and deposits | The federal statute has no fee rule (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)), and HUD's 2020 no-fee guidance was withdrawn on 17 September 2025. A waiver is requested as part of the accommodation. | A person with a disability who keeps an animal assistant "shall not be required to pay any extra charge" for it, but is liable for damage it causes (O.A.C. 4112-5-07(C)). The Commission has treated emotional support animals as animal assistants. |
| 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 sets a letter format. | No letter format, licence-number or validity rule. When the disability or the need is not apparent, the landlord may seek reliable documentation of both, after the application stage (Commission guidance). Questions about the nature or severity of a disability are barred (R.C. 4112.02(H)(17)). |
| Timing | No federal deadline for the landlord's answer, and no waiting period before a letter. | No response deadline in state law. No waiting period, session count or initial in-person visit before the clinician's evaluation (R.C. 4743.09(B)(2)(c)(i); O.A.C. 4757-5-13(C)). |
| Who may write | Federal law names no writer. | A clinician licensed in Ohio who may diagnose independently: LISW, LPCC, IMFT, psychologist, physician, PA or APRN, or the holder of an Ohio Counseling Compact privilege (O.A.C. 4757-5-13(A)(1); R.C. 4757.21; 4757.26; 4757.51). LPC and LSW licensees may diagnose only under supervision. |
| Exemptions | Owner-occupied buildings of four or fewer units, and single-family houses sold or rented by an owner of three or fewer (42 U.S.C. § 3603(b)). | None for small or owner-occupied housing. Only religious and private-club housing, occupancy standards, direct threat and senior housing are carved out (R.C. 4112.024). |
| Where to file | HUD, which since May 2026 pursues only trained-animal complaints, or federal court. | The Ohio Civil Rights Commission, online, by mail or in person; or straight to the county court of common pleas without filing a charge first (R.C. 4112.055(A)(1)). |
| Deadline | One year to HUD (42 U.S.C. § 3610(a)(1)(A)(i)); two years to court (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)). | One year to the Commission (R.C. 4112.05(B)(1)); one year to common pleas court, and a pending charge does not pause it (R.C. 4112.055(A)(1)). |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
Your timeline in Ohio
Ohio sets no waiting period, so the timeline is short and we say so plainly: one live evaluation, then the letter if you qualify. The clinician who sees you is licensed in Ohio (O.A.C. 4757-5-13(A)(1)). In that first session the clinician confirms you are in the state and takes your informed consent, as the same rule requires (O.A.C. 4757-5-13(M), (O)).
Free screening, with no card and no charge. You answer a few questions about your housing and your animal, then choose a consultation time. Payment happens at checkout before the consultation; the published refund terms cover a finding that you do not qualify.
A live video or phone consultation with a clinician licensed in Ohio. It is a genuine clinical evaluation held to the same standard of care as an in-person visit (R.C. 4743.09(B)(2)(a)). The clinician confirms your location and takes your informed consent (O.A.C. 4757-5-13(M), (O)). Not everyone qualifies.
If you qualify, your signed PDF usually arrives within 24 to 48 hours of the consultation. If a landlord later asks the clinician to confirm the letter, that request is answered at no extra cost.
Housing
Under the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)) and Ohio'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 Ohio, with the rule beside each reply.
A made-up exchange to show the rules, not a real tenant or landlord.
Pet fees and deposits
Ohio's rule is its own, and it survived the HUD withdrawals because it is state law. A person with a disability who keeps an animal assistant on rented premises "shall not be required to pay any extra charge for such animal assistant" (O.A.C. 4112-5-07(C)). The same rule makes that person "liable for damage done by the animal assistant to the premises". The Commission has treated emotional support animals as animal assistants. The technical guidance that says so, T-31, is not currently posted on its site, and no state court ruling applying the rule to an emotional support animal has been located. So ask for the pet fee, pet deposit and pet rent to be removed as part of your accommodation request, and expect to pay for actual damage. Ordinary security deposits have no cap here. A deposit above the greater of 50 dollars or one month's rent earns 5 per cent interest once you have stayed six months (R.C. 5321.16(A)). Any deduction must be itemised in a written notice within 30 days of move-out, provided you gave a forwarding address in writing (R.C. 5321.16(B)). Wrongful withholding costs the landlord the amount withheld a second time, plus your attorney's fees (R.C. 5321.16(C)).
Small landlords
No state exemption. The housing provisions reach every "housing accommodation", meaning any building or part of one used or intended as a home, dwelling or sleeping place (R.C. 4112.01(A)(10)). The statutory carve-outs are religious organisations' non-commercial housing, private clubs' incidental lodgings, reasonable occupancy standards, direct threat or substantial damage, and senior housing for familial status only (R.C. 4112.024(A)–(E)). Nothing exempts an owner who lives in the building or owns only a few units, so the owner-occupied duplex that federal law leaves out (42 U.S.C. § 3603(b)) is covered by R.C. 4112.02(H)(19).
If your landlord says no
Phone: 1-888-278-7101 (TTY 800-750-0750 (English), 888-269-0678 (Spanish); local 614-466-2785) · File a complaint
Deadline: One year from the act (R.C. 4112.05(B)(1)). File online, which needs an email address, or by mail or in person at 30 East Broad Street, Columbus; filing is free. The Commission is meant to finish its preliminary investigation within 100 days and to issue any complaint within one year of your charge (R.C. 4112.05(B)(3), (B)(7)).
Court: You may skip the Commission and sue in the common pleas court of the county where it happened, within one year, and a pending charge does not pause that clock (R.C. 4112.055(A)(1)). Either side may demand a jury; the court awards actual damages, attorney's fees, costs and expert fees, and may add an injunction and punitive damages (R.C. 4112.055(D)).
Retaliation: Coercing, intimidating or threatening you for exercising housing rights, or treating you worse because you filed a charge or testified, is itself unlawful (R.C. 4112.02(H)(12), (I)).
The Commission is HUD's designated fair-housing partner agency for the state, and Canton, Dayton and Shaker Heights run HUD-listed local agencies. After a hearing the Commission may add a civil penalty of up to 10,000 dollars for a first violation (R.C. 4112.05(G)(1)(b)). Its emotional support animal guidance, T-31, is not currently posted on its site, and it has published nothing on the May 2026 HUD memo.
Your envelope, item by item
Keep a dated copy of everything you send.
What to send your landlord
Two or three sentences asking for a reasonable accommodation for your emotional support animal under R.C. 4112.02(H)(19). Name the animal, say the letter is attached, and keep a dated copy. The Commission's guidance treats the request as belonging after the application stage, so make it once you have applied or signed.
No state statute or rule prescribes what the letter must contain. A letter that holds up shows the clinician's name, Ohio licence type and number or compact authority, and the date. It states that the evaluation was a live telehealth consultation with you located in Ohio, and records a disability within R.C. 4112.01(A)(13) and a disability-related need. It does not state a diagnosis.
Whether you have a disability, what it is or how severe it is (R.C. 4112.02(H)(17)). Written or oral inquiries and records about an applicant's disability are barred by rule (O.A.C. 4112-5-07(B)). The Commission's guidance adds that no medical-records release, certificate, ID card or training papers may be demanded, and that an internet certificate alone "without more, will not suffice".
The state sets no deadline for the landlord's answer, so ask for a reply within a stated number of days and keep the exchange in writing. If the answer is no, the landlord carries the burden of establishing the basis for it; "Speculative evidence of hazards to health and safety will not suffice" (O.A.C. 4112-5-07(E)–(F)). Note the date of any refusal: both one-year clocks start then (R.C. 4112.05(B)(1); 4112.055(A)(1)).
If your housing provider questions the letter, your clinician responds directly at no extra cost.
Ohio renters by city
The rules are the same in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, Dayton, Youngstown and Canton, because the housing right is state law. The Civil Rights Commission takes charges from every county, online, by mail or in person at its Columbus office, within one year (R.C. 4112.05(B)(1)). Canton and Dayton also have HUD-listed local fair-housing agencies: the Canton Fair Housing Commission at 330-438-4133 and the Dayton Human Relations Council at 937-228-5854. Shaker Heights, next to Cleveland, has a Fair Housing Review Board at 216-491-1443. Our clinicians licensed in Ohio consult by live video or phone, so a renter in Youngstown follows the same screening, consultation and 24-to-48-hour timeline as one in Cincinnati.
Myths in Ohio
Ohio has an emotional support animal registry, and a "certified" ESA letter or ID card is what landlords have to honour.
FactNo. The state has no registry and no certification scheme for emotional support animals, and the Commission's guidance says an internet certificate "without more, will not suffice". What counts is reliable documentation of a disability and a disability-related need from a qualified provider, supporting a request under R.C. 4112.02(H)(19).
Passing a pet off as a service dog or emotional support animal is a fourth-degree misdemeanour in Ohio under R.C. 955.43, with 30 days in jail and a 250-dollar fine.
FactOhio has no misrepresentation offence. Section 955.43 punishes whoever recklessly denies a trained assistance dog's handler access, or charges a fee for the dog (R.C. 955.43(C)–(D)). The 30 days and 250 dollars fall on that business, not on a renter (R.C. 2929.24(A)(4); 2929.28(A)(2)(a)(iv)). The companion section vendors cite, § 955.99, was repealed on 20 March 2026 by HB 247, and the 2017 bill that would have created the offence never passed.
With no emotional support animal statute, Ohio renters rely on federal law and have two years to sue.
FactOhio has its own protection, with no training requirement: the accommodation duty in R.C. 4112.02(H)(19) and the animal-assistant rules in O.A.C. 4112-5-02(C) and 4112-5-07(C). A suit under state law must be filed in common pleas court within one year (R.C. 4112.055(A)(1)); only a federal Fair Housing Act claim gets two years (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)).
Task-trained dogs are a different document. If your dog performs trained tasks for a psychiatric disability, read about the a psychiatric service dog letter, 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.
★★★★★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.
Ohio FAQ
A disability as Ohio defines it: a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as caring for yourself, walking, hearing, breathing, learning or working (R.C. 4112.01(A)(13)). You also need a disability-related need that the animal meets. A diagnosis by itself does not establish either. A clinician licensed in Ohio decides after a live evaluation, and some people do not qualify; if you do not, the fee is refunded on request within 7 days.
Simpler than in 30-day states, but not automatic. The state sets no waiting period, session count or in-person rule (R.C. 4743.09(B)(2)(c)(i); O.A.C. 4757-5-13(C)), so one live video consultation with a clinician licensed in Ohio can be enough. That consultation is a real evaluation held to the in-person standard of care, and the clinician may find you do not qualify. The price is $99, paid at checkout before the consultation; the free screening comes first.
Some do, and the state makes it easy: every Ohio licence can be checked on eLicense Ohio, so the letter carries the clinician's licence type and number. The Commission's guidance lets a landlord seek updated verification from an Ohio-licensed provider when the writer had no prior relationship with you; our clinician answers that request. No state rule says a letter expires after twelve months; that figure is a last-contact test for out-of-state providers, not a validity period.
Only on grounds the law allows. The accommodation is owed when necessary for equal use and enjoyment of the dwelling (R.C. 4112.02(H)(19)). A refusal must rest on a direct threat to others' health or safety, or substantial physical damage to property, proven with concrete evidence (R.C. 4112.024(D)). Speculative safety fears do not count, and the landlord bears the burden of justifying a refusal (O.A.C. 4112-5-07(E)–(F)). A no-pets policy or a live-in owner's small building is no ground at all.
There is no emotional support animal statute. Housing protection comes from the Ohio Civil Rights Act's accommodation duty (R.C. 4112.02(H)(19)) and the Commission's animal-assistant rules, which carry no training requirement and bar extra charges (O.A.C. 4112-5-02(C); 4112-5-07(C)). Charges go to the Commission within one year (R.C. 4112.05(B)(1)). The state has no misrepresentation offence, and its assistance-dog access law covers only agency-trained dogs (R.C. 955.021(B)(3)), so emotional support animals have no public-access rights.
You can say it, but it changes nothing legally. Ohio has no penalty for the claim. But a landlord owes an accommodation only when a disability and a disability-related need are shown (R.C. 4112.02(H)(19)), and may ask for reliable documentation. Without a clinician's finding there is nothing to verify, and a clinician who signs without evaluating risks board discipline. Calling the dog a service dog adds nothing either; access rights belong only to agency-trained assistance dogs (R.C. 955.43(B)).
$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
ESA letter rules, timeline and cost in Michigan.
ESA letter Michigan →ESA letter rules, timeline and cost in Indiana.
ESA letter Indiana →Page coming soon. The hub lists every state and which pages are live.
ESA letter rules by state →Sources
General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed 2026-10-08 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.
