State guides
Emotional Support Animal Laws by State
Your housing rights come from one federal law, the Fair Housing Act. States then add their own rules on top: letter timelines, fraud penalties, and broader protections. Start with your state.
The ESA rules, in one minute
The federal baseline every state builds on.
- Housing: under the Fair Housing Act, covered landlords must accommodate an emotional support animal even in no-pet buildings, with no pet rent, pet fees, or pet deposits.
- The document:the only one with legal weight is a letter from a licensed mental health professional (here's a sample ESA letter); registrations and certificates, ours included, are optional convenience items.
- Denials: a landlord can say no only on narrow grounds, and never because of breed, weight, or a pet policy.
- Public access:an ESA is not an ADA service animal, so stores, restaurants, and offices don't have to admit it.
- Flights:since early 2021, U.S. airlines treat ESAs as pets under each airline's own pet policy.
- Enforcement in 2026:start with your state fair-housing agency; since HUD's May 2026 memo, its office no longer pursues ESA-only housing complaints.
Deep-dive guides
Detailed law, rights, and process guides. More states are on the way.
California30-day law
Cal. Health & Safety Code § 122318
Texas
Texas Fair Housing Act, Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 301
Florida
Fla. Stat. § 760.27
Colorado
Colo. Rev. Stat. § 12-240-144
Utah
Utah Fair Housing Act, Utah Code § 57-21-5
Oregon
ORS 659A.145
Washington
Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), RCW 49.60.222
Arizona
Arizona Fair Housing Act, A.R.S. § 41-1491.19
Michigan
Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act, MCL 37.1506a
Georgia
Georgia Fair Housing Law, O.C.G.A. § 8-3-200
Nevada
NRS 118.105
New York
N.Y. Exec. Law § 296(18) & § 296(2-a)(d)
Pennsylvania
Assistance and Service Animal Integrity Act, 68 P.S. § 405.1–405.7
Illinois
Assistance Animal Integrity Act, 310 ILCS 120
Ohio
Ohio Rev. Code § 4112.02
New Jersey
New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, N.J.S.A. 10:5-12
Arkansas30-day law
Ark. Code Ann. § 20-14-1003
Iowa
Iowa Code § 216.8B
Louisiana30-day law
La. R.S. 46:1971–1978
Montana30-day law
Mont. Code Ann. § 70-24-114
Every other state
The Fair Housing Act applies nationwide, but since HUD narrowed its enforcement in May 2026 your state's own law decides how much protection you actually have. Dedicated law guides for the states below are on the way.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Your housing rights, beyond the statutes
The federal layer every state guide above builds on: the law, the letter, and what a landlord can and cannot do.
The Fair Housing Act and emotional support animals
The one federal law your rights come from.
Can a landlord deny an emotional support animal?
The valid and invalid reasons, and what to do next.
Getting an ESA letter for housing
What the letter must say and who it comes from.
Who can write an ESA letter
Which licenses count, in every state.
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