Can I write my own ESA letter using this template?

You can write it, but it won't work. The letter's weight comes from who signs it: a licensed provider who evaluated you. Landlords verify the license number and the letterhead, and a self-signed template fails that check in seconds. Use the template to understand what a real letter contains, or to hand to your existing therapist.

What must an ESA letter say?

That you have a disability (no diagnosis on paper), that the animal provides support that eases its symptoms, and who the provider is: name, license type, license number and state, on letterhead, signed and dated. Louisiana, Montana and Iowa ask for more, as do California and Arkansas for dogs, and the template adds those lines when you pick the state.

Which states have extra rules for ESA letters?

Five. Louisiana and Montana require a client relationship of at least 30 days before the letter for any animal, and California and Arkansas do for emotional support dogs. Iowa has no waiting period, but the letter must certify whether the relationship has lasted 30 days and add an expiry date and a fee statement. Our ESA laws by state guide has the rest of each state's rules.

How long is an ESA letter good for?

No federal rule gives it an expiry date, but landlords usually look for a letter dated within the last year. Iowa puts it in law: a finding must be made within 12 months of the lease starting and is valid for 12 months or the term of the lease, whichever is longer. Arkansas asks the provider of an emotional support dog letter to evaluate the need once a year.

Is there a free ESA letter?

One honest path: if you already see a therapist or psychiatrist, ask them. Many will write an ESA letter at no extra charge as part of your care. 'Free ESA letter' websites, though, are lead-generation funnels or unsigned templates. If you don't have a provider, a legitimate letter means paying a real clinician for a real evaluation. In some states we can book you a live video evaluation with an independent therapist licensed there for $120, refunded in full if they can't approve you.

Does a landlord have to accept a letter that looks like this?

If it's genuine, written and signed by a licensed provider after a real evaluation, it is the documentation the Fair Housing Act's reasonable-accommodation rule runs on, and what a landlord may check is that it is genuine: the license, the office and the date. The statute is unchanged, but since May 2026 HUD's own enforcement office acts only for individually trained animals, so the duty now runs through the courts and state law.

Free template + sample

Free ESA Letter Template and Sample Letter

An ESA letter is a one-page letter from a licensed healthcare provider, on their letterhead, saying you have a disability and that your animal helps with it. Fill in your part below, take the draft to your provider as a Word file or a PDF, and they complete and sign it.

No sign-up
Word and PDF
State rules built in

Fill in the template

1Fill in your part
Your name, your animal and how it helps, your state and the dates.
2Bring the draft to your provider
Your licensed provider reviews it, edits it and signs it after their own evaluation.
3They add their details
Name, license and contact details go in the bracketed gaps, on their letterhead.
4Give it to your landlord
With your request to keep the animal, and keep a copy.

Free template

Fill in the ESA letter template

Fill in your part and the draft updates as you type. Your provider's details stay as bracketed gaps for them to complete.

Your draft

[Provider name], [credentials]

[License type] · License #[number] · [State of license]

[Practice address and phone]

[Date]

Re: Reasonable Accommodation Request for an Emotional Support Animal

To Whom It May Concern:

I am a licensed mental health professional in the State of [state] ([license type], license #[number]). [client name] has been my client since [date of first appointment], and I have completed a clinical evaluation of them. They are a person with a disability as defined by the Fair Housing Act, meaning a mental health condition that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

In my professional judgment, my client's animal companion provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms of this condition. I therefore support their request for a reasonable accommodation to keep this animal in their residence, consistent with the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)).

Please contact my office should you require verification of this letter's authenticity.

Sincerely,

[Signature]

[Provider name], [credentials] · License #[number]

Download the draft for your provider

Their part is in [brackets]; the Word file marks it in yellow.

From ESA Card

Want a real one? Book a video call with a licensed therapist in your state.

A 15 to 30 minute video call with a therapist licensed in your state
If they find you eligible, a signed letter with their license number on it
A full refund if they can't approve you

Sample letter

What a finished ESA letter looks like

Four parts do the work. Use them to check any letter you are handed, ours to fill in or one you pay for.

Jordan R. Ellis, LCSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker · License #SAMPLE-00000
Verified at your state licensing board · (512) 555-0100

July 22, 2026

Re: Reasonable Accommodation Request for an Emotional Support Animal

To Whom It May Concern:

I am a licensed mental health professional in the State of Texas. I have completed a clinical evaluation of my client, who is a person with a disability as defined by the Fair Housing Act, meaning a mental health condition that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

Please contact my office should you require verification of this letter's authenticity.

Sincerely,

Jordan R. Ellis

Jordan R. Ellis, LCSW · #SAMPLE-00000

① Letterhead + credentials

Real name, real license type, real contact info. It's the first thing a leasing office looks for.

② License number

Verifiable against the state board in about 30 seconds. This is the letter's spine.

③ The clinical statement

Disability + support relationship, stated plainly, with no diagnosis disclosed. Privacy is built into the standard.

④ Date + signature

Current (within ~12 months) and personally signed. Undated PDFs get bounced.

What a landlord can check

Not the wording. A leasing office checks that the provider is real, licensed where you live, and the one who signed.

The license number
Looked up on the state licensing board's site, usually in under a minute.
The license type
One that can diagnose and treat mental health conditions.
The state
The provider is licensed in the state where you live.
The date and signature
Signed by hand or e-signature, and usually dated within the last year.
The office
A real address and a phone number that answers.

What a landlord can't ask for

Your diagnosis or the details of your treatment
Your medical records

A letter you sign yourself fails the first check on the list, which is why the template leaves the signature to your provider.

Holding a finished letter? Paste it into our free ESA letter checker to see what it's missing.

State rules

Five states ask the letter for more

Pick one of these states in the template and it adds the lines that state's law asks for.

California

30 days firstDogs

For a dog, the provider must be licensed in California and have a client relationship of at least 30 days, and the letter gives the license type, number, state and effective date.

Cal. Health & Safety Code § 122318 · California guide

Arkansas

30 days firstDogs

For a dog, the provider must be licensed in Arkansas, have a client relationship of at least 30 days and evaluate you once a year, and the letter gives the license type, number, state and effective date.

Ark. Code § 20-14-1003 · Arkansas guide

Louisiana

30 days firstAny animal

For any animal, a therapeutic relationship of at least 30 days and at least two sessions, in person or remote, before the letter, which gives its own effective date and the license number and type.

La. R.S. 46:1974 · Louisiana guide

Montana

30 days firstAny animal

For any animal, a provider licensed in Montana with a client relationship of at least 30 days; the letter names the support this particular animal gives and the license effective date, number and type, for each animal.

Mont. Code § 70-24-114 · Montana guide

Iowa

No waiting periodAny animal

No waiting period, but the written finding must certify whether the relationship has lasted 30 days and cover seven more points, from the support the animal gives to an expiry date and whether a separate fee was paid. The template adds them.

Iowa Code § 216.8C · Iowa guide

Every other state's rules are in our ESA laws by state guide.

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About 3 minutes · Instant digital delivery

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ESA letter template questions

Yes. Fill in your part above and download the draft as Word: you get a .docx your provider can open in Word, Google Docs or Pages, review, edit and move onto their own letterhead, with their details still to fill marked in yellow. The PDF is a print-ready copy instead. There is no sign-up and no email to give.