F.A.Q.

What is an Emotional Support Animal (ESA)?

An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) is a companion animal that a licensed mental health professional has determined will provide therapeutic benefit to you if you have a mental or emotional disability. Emotional support animals are typically dogs, but can be other animals, even your own pet. Emotional support animals don't require specific training. You can ask a landlord to allow one as a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Under its May 2026 memo, HUD finds a violation only where the animal is trained to provide disability-related assistance, so how a request for an untrained ESA is handled now depends more on the property and your state. Since a 2021 U.S. Department of Transportation rule change, airlines are no longer required to accommodate ESAs, though some airlines still choose to accept them.

How do I qualify for an Emotional Support Animal?

If you are affected by an emotional or mental health disorder like 450 millions others worldwide (that's 1 in 4!), then chances are you may qualify for an Emotional Support Animal.

Do you think you qualify? Try our Free Pre-Qualification it's Easy, Fast and Free , and will determine your eligibility for an emotional support animal letter in just a 2 minutes.

Where can I get an ESA letter?

You can get your ESA letter here by one our licensed mental health professionals. We provide ESA Home, and Flight letters if you qualify as having a verifiable a mental disorder.

Do you think you qualify? Try our Free Pre-Qualification it's Easy, Fast and Free , and will determine your eligibility for an emotional support animal letter in just a 2 minutes.

Who can write an ESA letter?

We recommend, and MyPetCerts uses, a licensed mental health professional who holds a current license in the state where you're located. Some states have rules on this: Texas's licensing board says a professional is practicing in Texas when the client is located there (22 TAC §882.23), and Florida's law accepts an out-of-state practitioner only after at least one in-person visit (Fla. Stat. §760.27). The letter should include the professional's license information.

Do ESA letters expire?

We found no federal or state law that sets an expiration date for an Emotional Support Animal letter, but many landlords ask for recent documentation. Your MyPetCerts letter is dated, and our free letter verification shows it as current for 1 year from its issue date. After that you can renew it from your dashboard.

Where are Emotional Support Animals allowed?

One of the biggest questions about emotional support animals is where they are allowed. ESA’s are allowed in fewer places than traditional service animals. They do not have special rights to access any business, except where individual states have changed this right.

Camps, motels, and hotels are treated as businesses and emotional support dogs are treated as pets. Therefore, the business can determine what animals they will allow. In housing, you can ask a landlord with a “no pets” policy to make a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act; see the next question.

What protections are provided by the FHA for ESA’s?

The Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. §3604(f)(3)(B)) requires housing providers to make reasonable accommodations in rules and policies when needed for a person with a disability to use and enjoy a home. Since May 2026, HUD says it will find a violation over a pet policy only where the animal is trained to provide disability-related assistance. Private lawsuits are still possible, and state law varies.

Does the 2026 HUD policy change affect my ESA letter?

HUD withdrew its 2013 and 2020 guidance on assistance animals, effective September 17, 2025 (Federal Register Doc. 2026-06624, April 6, 2026). On May 22, 2026, HUD's fair housing office said it will find a violation in animal-accommodation complaints only for animals trained to provide disability-related assistance, and that requests to waive pet policies for animals trained to perform specific disability-related services are presumptively reasonable while requests for untrained emotional support animals are not. So an untrained ESA no longer gets an automatic federal housing accommodation.

What didn't change: the Fair Housing Act and HUD's reasonable-accommodation regulation are the same, the memo says private lawsuits are still available, and some states have their own ESA housing laws. HUD's memo says requests to waive pet policies for animals trained to perform specific disability-related services are presumptively reasonable, and that requests for untrained ESAs are not. That includes trained Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSDs); public access is governed by the ADA. Your ESA letter still documents your clinical need; how a housing request is handled now depends more on the property and your state.

For a full breakdown of what changed and what it means for you, read our article: What the 2026 HUD Policy Change Means for Emotional Support Animals.

Can you have more than 1 ESA?

Yes. Regarding multiple animals, the case for reasonable accommodation would still be the same. For example, if someone was claiming the need for multiple emotional support animals, the person would need to provide documentation (e.g. home letter, or flight letter) for each animal from a licensed mental health professional.

Can breed restrictions be put on ESA dogs?

It depends. HUD's earlier guidance said breed, size and weight limits shouldn't apply to assistance animals, but HUD withdrew that guidance effective September 17, 2025. Today it depends on whether your animal is trained, the type of property, and state and local law. Ask your housing provider for its policy in writing.

What if my city or county has a ban on certain breeds of dogs?

HUD's earlier guidance on breed, size and weight limits for assistance animals was withdrawn effective September 17, 2025, so local breed rules may now apply to an untrained ESA. Check your city or county's rules and ask your housing provider how it handles them.

Should you have to pay a pet deposit for your ESA?

It depends on the animal, the property and your state. HUD withdrew its 2013 and 2020 assistance-animal guidance effective September 17, 2025, and under its May 2026 memo HUD finds a violation only where the animal is trained to provide disability-related assistance. A 2004 HUD and Justice Department statement on reasonable accommodations, which that withdrawal did not include, says housing providers may not require extra fees or deposits as a condition of granting an accommodation; how that applies to untrained ESAs today is unclear. Some state and local laws, and federally funded housing covered by Section 504, may still limit fees; Texas law, for example, bars deposits for trained service dogs (Tex. Hum. Res. Code §121.003(h)). Ask your landlord in writing, and see your state's page.

Is an Emotional Support Animal allowed on on-campus or university housing?

Many colleges or universities have “no pets” rules in regards to their housing. However, one case noted that on-campus housing does meet the definition of “dwelling” in the FHA (Fair Housing Act). Because of this, it ruled that the college was required to make reasonable accommodations for disabled students in on-campus housing. Many universities and colleges have adopted policies for assistance animals in their on-campus housing.

Is there a size limit to ESA’s?

It depends. HUD's earlier guidance said size, weight and breed limits shouldn't apply to assistance animals, but that guidance was withdrawn effective September 17, 2025. Today it depends on whether your animal is trained, the property, and state and local law.

Why do I need to link my ESA ID to my letter?

Linking your Emotional Support Animal to your letter adds your animal's details (name, type and breed) to your letter. For your privacy, our ESA letter verification never shows your name, your animal or anything about your health.

How do I verify my ESA and therapist license information for Free?

Steps

1. Go to the Verification page under the "Resources" drop down.
2. Next click the Search Now button
3. Enter the MPC ID and your last name as it appears on your letter.

From this search you or your landlord can confirm your ESA letter is authentic and current, and verify the therapist's license information with a link to their state board. It never shows your name, your animal or anything about your health.

How do I request a reasonable accommodation form?

We have to receive a signed waiver from you to allow the signing therapist to release information to your complex or landlord. This release is called a reasonable accommodation form.

Steps

1. Go to the Verification page under the "Resources" drop down.
2. Next click the buttonGet Started button.
3. Add the Reasonable Accommodation Form to your shopping cart and checkout.

Once we receive your payment we can forward the form to your signing therapist to complete her section. NOTE: You will be required to add your information (name, address, etc) and sign this form before we send it to the therapist.