An emotional support animal (ESA) is a companion animal (a dog or other common domestic animal) that a medical professional has determined provides benefit for an individual with a disability. To be afforded protection under federal law, a person must meet the federal definition of disability and must have a note from a doctor—not a family doctor, but a therapist stating that the person has an emotional or mental disability and that the emotional support animal provides a benefit for the individual with the disability. An animal doesn’t need specific training to be an emotional support animal, and more than one tenant has tested the boundaries of what’s allowable.

An ESA Prescription Letter
To receive legal protections, an ESA requires an ESA letter from a licensed therapist. A licensed mental health professional can write a prescription for an ESA, providing the individual with the therapist’s official ESA letter, which means the animal becomes a certified ESA. If the therapist isn’t aware of this process or for some other reason can’t or won’t prescribe an ESA, the individual can go online to get one. ESAs are exempt from no-pet housing restrictions. The landlord or housing provider may not discriminate or charge pet fees or deposits to the individual if the owner has an ESA letter from a physician or licensed therapist.