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California ESA Housing Letter

Evaluation by a California-licensed mental health professional. California's 30-day rule is for emotional support dogs only: cats and other animals have no 30-day waiting period

Laws checked November 2026. California ESA laws in full

$129 evaluation and letter

  • Reviewed by a California-licensed professional
  • Your first letter for a dog: two sessions, and no sooner than 31 days after your professional's first review
  • Cats and other animals: most evaluations reviewed within 48 hours, and if you don't qualify, you won't be charged
  • If you don't get a letter, you won't pay for one: if your card was already charged, you're refunded in full; for a dog, the follow-up session fee is paid to the professional
Start my California evaluation Questions about the 30-day steps? Contact support first

18,000+ ESA letters issued since 2016.

California at a glance

  • California's 30-day rule is for emotional support dogs only: for a dog, state law requires a client relationship of at least 30 days and a clinical evaluation before the letter (Health & Safety Code §122318). Cats and other animals have no 30-day waiting period.
  • California's housing regulations say a support animal doesn't need to be trained, and bar pet fees, extra rent and extra deposits for an assistance animal (2 CCR §§12005, 12185).
  • An online certificate with no individualized assessment is presumed unreliable (2 CCR §12185).
  • Complaints go to the California Civil Rights Department, within one year.

How it works for an emotional support dog in California

For a dog, California law requires a 30-day relationship with your professional before an ESA letter. With MyPetCerts that's two sessions: your online evaluation and one follow-up session. Your letter comes no sooner than 31 days after your professional first reviews your evaluation. If this is your first MyPetCerts letter, here are the steps; if you've had a letter with us before, contact support.

  1. Your online evaluation (session 1)

    It starts your 30 days once your assigned professional reviews it.

  2. One follow-up session (session 2) with your assigned California-licensed professional

    Our support team helps you schedule it. The session fee is paid to the professional directly.

  3. Your letter, once your professional approves it

    No sooner than 31 days after your professional first reviews your evaluation.

Cat, rabbit or another animal? California's 30-day rule is for dogs only. You follow our usual review, and most evaluations are reviewed within 48 hours.

What California law says about emotional support animals

California adds its own rules to the federal Fair Housing Act: the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and its housing regulations cover support animals, and AB 468 sets rules for letters about emotional support dogs.

  • FEHA requires housing providers to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities, and its regulations count a support animal as an assistance animal that may be an accommodation. A support animal provides emotional, cognitive or other similar support, and it doesn't need to be trained. (2 CCR §12005(d))

  • The regulations say a person with an assistance animal, support animals included, can't be required to pay a pet fee, extra rent, an extra security deposit or liability insurance for it. You can be charged for damage the animal causes, apart from ordinary wear and tear. (2 CCR §12185(d))

  • A support animal certification from an online service that doesn't include an individualized assessment from a medical professional is presumed not to be reliable information. Before turning you down, the housing provider must give you a chance to provide more. (2 CCR §12185(c)(2))

  • In a July 20, 2026 legal alert, California's Civil Rights Department said that despite HUD's recent guidance, the state's fair housing laws still require housing providers to allow emotional support animals that haven't been trained, and that HUD's guidance doesn't change the complaints it accepts. (CRD Legal Alert 2026-01)

  • FEHA covers more homes than federal law. Its owner-occupied exemption is mainly for an owner who lives in a single-family house and rents to no more than one roomer or boarder. (Gov. Code §12927(c)(2)(A))

  • Knowingly and fraudulently claiming to own or train a guide, signal or service dog is a misdemeanor, with up to six months in county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Knowingly and fraudulently representing an emotional support dog as having a service dog's rights can bring civil penalties of $500, then $1,000, then $2,500 for repeat violations. (Penal Code §365.7; Health & Safety Code §122319)

Does California have a 30-day rule for ESA letters?

Yes, for emotional support dogs only. For a dog, the professional who writes your letter must hold a valid, active license in the jurisdiction where the letter is provided, have a client-provider relationship with you for at least 30 days first, and complete a clinical evaluation of your need for the dog. The letter must show the license's number, type, jurisdiction and effective date, and the professional must tell you, verbally or in writing, that knowingly and fraudulently claiming to own or train a guide, signal or service dog is a misdemeanor. The 30 days aren't required for someone verified as homeless. The rule doesn't cover cats or other animals, so they have no 30-day waiting period. AB 468 added it from January 1, 2022, and SB 774 last amended it from January 1, 2023. (Health & Safety Code §122318)

Checked November 2026 at the sources listed at the end of this page. More on California ESA laws.

What an ESA letter can and can't do in California (2026)

What an ESA letter is. It's a written statement from a mental health professional licensed in California that you have a disability and that an animal helps with it. You can give it to a landlord when you ask, in writing, for an exception to a no-pets rule. It is not a permit, and it doesn't make a landlord say yes.

What changed in 2025–2026. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) withdrew its 2013 and 2020 guidance on assistance animals, effective September 17, 2025 (Federal Register, April 6, 2026, Doc. 2026-06624). In a May 22, 2026 memo, HUD's fair housing office said it will find a violation in animal-accommodation complaints only in cases involving animals trained to provide disability-related assistance. The memo says requests to waive pet policies for animals trained to perform specific disability-related services are presumptively reasonable, and requests for untrained emotional support animals are not. What the 2026 HUD change means.

What didn't change. The federal Fair Housing Act still requires reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities (42 U.S.C. §3604(f)(3)(B)), and so does HUD's regulation (24 CFR 100.204). HUD's memo says it doesn't affect your right to bring a private lawsuit. California's own rules are above.

What a letter can do: document your disability-related need when you request an accommodation, from a professional whose California license your landlord can look up. What it can't do: force approval, waive pet fees on its own, or give your animal public-access or airline rights.

If your California landlord says no

  1. Ask in writing and keep your own copy of the request, your letter and every reply.
  2. Ask for the reason in writing, and send any information your landlord didn't consider.
  3. Describe your animal accurately, as an emotional support animal, not a service animal.

  • File with the California Civil Rights Department within one year of the discriminatory act, online through its complaint system or by phone. CRD says HUD's 2026 guidance doesn't change the complaints it accepts. (Gov. Code §12980(b))

  • You can bring a lawsuit instead. CRD's housing page gives two years from the date of the discrimination to file in court. Talk to a lawyer or legal aid first. (CRD, Housing)

  • You can also file with HUD within one year (42 U.S.C. §3610). Under its May 2026 memo, HUD finds a violation only where the animal is trained to provide disability-related assistance.

If your landlord denies your request in writing, you may also be eligible for a refund: see our refund policy.

Your California reviewer

Your evaluation is reviewed by a mental health professional licensed in California (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist). Their name, license type and license number are printed on your letter. For an emotional support dog, California requires the professional to be licensed in the jurisdiction where the letter is provided, which is why your reviewer holds a California license. (Health & Safety Code §122318(a)(2))

Renting in California

  • 44.1% of occupied homes in California are rented US: 34.8%
  • 5,980,523 renter households
  • $2,036 median gross rent a month US: $1,413

A larger share of California's occupied homes are rented than across the US: 44.1% against 34.8%, at a median rent of $2,036 a month, $623 above the US median, across 5,980,523 renter households.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table DP04, 2020–2024: California, United States.

Where California renters can get help

We're not affiliated with these organizations. Details are from their own websites (checked November 2026).

California ESA letter questions

Does California's 30-day rule apply to cats and other animals?

No. California's 30-day rule applies to dogs only: the 30-day relationship and clinical evaluation in Health & Safety Code §122318 are for documentation about an emotional support dog, though some landlords apply them to every animal. A cat, rabbit or other animal has no 30-day waiting period. California's housing regulations still look for an individualized assessment that describes the accommodation, including the species (2 CCR §12185(c)(2)): your evaluation asks about your animal, and your letter names it.

How long does a California ESA letter take?

It depends on your animal. For a cat or other animal, most evaluations are reviewed within 48 hours. For a dog, California law requires a 30-day relationship with your professional before an ESA letter. With MyPetCerts that's two sessions: your online evaluation and one follow-up session. Your letter comes no sooner than 31 days after your professional first reviews your evaluation. If you've had a letter with us before, contact support.

Can a therapist licensed in another state write my California ESA letter?

Not for an emotional support dog. California requires the professional to hold a valid, active license, to be licensed in the jurisdiction where the letter is provided, and to print the license's number, type, jurisdiction and effective date on the letter (Health & Safety Code §122318). Anyone can look up a California license on the DCA License Search.

Will my California landlord accept an online ESA certificate?

Maybe not. California's regulations say a support animal certification from an online service that doesn't include an individualized assessment from a medical professional is presumed not to be reliable (2 CCR §12185). A MyPetCerts letter comes from your own evaluation and is signed by the professional who evaluated you, and your landlord can confirm it with our Free Letter Verification for Landlords.

Can my California landlord charge a pet fee or deposit for my ESA?

California's rule is clearer than the federal one. Its housing regulations say a person with an assistance animal, support animals included, can't be required to pay a pet fee, extra rent, an extra security deposit or liability insurance for it, though you can be charged for damage beyond ordinary wear and tear (2 CCR §12185(d)). The Civil Rights Department said in July 2026 that state law still protects untrained ESAs despite HUD's 2026 memo. If you're asked to pay, ask for the policy in writing.

Where do I file an ESA housing complaint in California, and by when?

With the California Civil Rights Department, within one year of the discriminatory act (Gov. Code §12980), online or at 800-884-1684. You can also file with HUD within one year, or bring a lawsuit; CRD's housing page gives two years to file in court. Disability Rights California and LawHelpCA can point you to free legal help.

Is it a crime in California to call an ESA a service dog?

It can be. Knowingly and fraudulently claiming to own or train a guide, signal or service dog is a misdemeanor (Penal Code §365.7), and knowingly and fraudulently representing an emotional support dog as having a service dog's rights can bring civil penalties of $500 to $2,500 (Health & Safety Code §122319). Describe your animal as an emotional support animal.

How long is an ESA letter good for?

We found no California or federal law that sets an expiration date for an ESA letter. Many landlords ask for recent documentation. Your MyPetCerts letter is dated, and our Free Letter Verification for Landlords shows it as current for one year from its issue date.

Ready to start?

$129 · Reviewed by a California-licensed professional · If you don't get a letter, you won't pay for one: if your card was already charged, you're refunded in full; for a dog, the follow-up session fee is paid to the professional

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Sources (checked November 2026)

This page is general information for California renters, not legal advice. For the full summary of California's laws, see California ESA laws.