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Oregon ESA Housing Letter

Online evaluation reviewed by an Oregon-licensed mental health professional, for a reasonable accommodation request under Oregon fair housing law

Laws checked November 2026. Oregon ESA laws in full

$129 evaluation and letter

  • Reviewed by an Oregon-licensed professional
  • Most evaluations reviewed within 48 hours
  • If you don't qualify, you won't be charged
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18,000+ ESA letters issued since 2016.

Oregon at a glance

  • Oregon's disability housing law has no small-landlord exemption (ORS 659A.145).
  • Oregon bars a pet security deposit for an animal a tenant with a disability needs as an accommodation (ORS 90.300(4)).
  • No Oregon statute requires a 30-day relationship before an ESA letter.
  • Complaints go to the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), within one year.

How it works

  1. Complete your online evaluation

    Tell us about your symptoms, how they affect daily life, and your animal. Choose Oregon as your state.

  2. An Oregon-licensed professional reviews it

    Most evaluations are reviewed within 48 hours. If they need more information, they'll ask.

  3. Download your letter as soon as you're approved

    It's in your free dashboard, ready to print or send to your landlord.

What Oregon law says about emotional support animals

Oregon has no ESA statute, but its fair housing law, its landlord-tenant law and a BOLI rule all reach assistance animals in housing.

  • Refusing to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services, when they may be needed to give a person with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling, is an unlawful practice in Oregon. (ORS 659A.145(2)(g))

  • Oregon's disability rule has no small-landlord exemption. The federal exemptions for some owner-occupied buildings and single-family rentals don't carry over to an Oregon disability claim. (ORS 659A.145; ORS 659A.421(8))

  • A landlord may not charge a pet security deposit for a service animal or companion animal that a tenant with a disability requires as a reasonable accommodation under fair housing laws. (ORS 90.300(4))

  • BOLI's fair housing rule treats refusing a person with a disability an animal that mitigates one or more of their disability-related needs as a violation, unless that animal is a direct threat. It says a housing provider may not charge deposits or other fees for keeping such an animal, and may ask only for the information it needs when the need isn't apparent. (OAR 839-005-0220(2)(c))

  • HUD's 2026 memo changes how HUD enforces federal law. It doesn't rewrite these Oregon rules, which don't require the animal to be trained. (OAR 839-005-0220)

  • We found no Oregon law that makes misrepresenting an emotional support animal a crime. Oregon's public accommodation rule covers assistance animals individually trained to do work or perform tasks, which an ESA isn't. (ORS 659A.143)

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

We found no Oregon statute that requires a 30-day relationship, or any set number of sessions, before an ESA letter, and no 2025 or 2026 Oregon bill proposed one. (ORS chapter 659A)

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

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

What an ESA letter is. It's a written statement from a mental health professional licensed in Oregon 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. Oregon's own rules are above.

What a letter can do: document your disability-related need when you request an accommodation, from a professional whose Oregon 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 Oregon 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 Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), Civil Rights Division, within one year of the unlawful practice. You start with BOLI's online questionnaire, which isn't yet a complaint: BOLI says a complaint isn't filed until it has your signed complaint, so start well before the year is up. Filing is free and you don't need a lawyer. (ORS 659A.820(2))

  • You can bring a lawsuit under the federal Fair Housing Act within two years. The Fair Housing Council of Oregon and Legal Aid Services of Oregon can help you weigh it. (42 U.S.C. §3613)

  • 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 Oregon reviewer

Your evaluation is reviewed by a mental health professional licensed in Oregon (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist). Their name, license type and license number are printed on your letter.

Renting in Oregon

  • 36.7% of occupied homes in Oregon are rented US: 34.8%
  • 630,439 renter households
  • $1,525 median gross rent a month US: $1,413

Oregon renters pay more than most: a median of $1,525 a month, $112 above the US median, and 36.7% of the state's occupied homes are rented. An extra pet deposit on top of that rent is one reason Oregon's deposit rule for assistance animals matters.

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

Where Oregon renters can get help

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

Oregon ESA letter questions

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

Oregon's rules are clearer than the federal ones. ORS 90.300(4) bars a pet security deposit for a companion animal a tenant with a disability needs as an accommodation, and BOLI's rule says a housing provider may not charge deposits or other fees for an animal it covers (OAR 839-005-0220). HUD's May 2026 memo is about federal enforcement, not these Oregon rules. If you're asked to pay, ask for the policy in writing.

Does my Oregon landlord's small building exempt them from my ESA request?

Probably not under Oregon law. Federal law exempts some owner-occupied buildings of up to four units and some single-family rentals, but Oregon's disability housing rule, ORS 659A.145, has no small-landlord exemption. BOLI or a lawyer can tell you how it applies to your home.

How do I file an ESA housing complaint with BOLI in Oregon?

With the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), Civil Rights Division, within one year of the unlawful practice (ORS 659A.820). Start with BOLI's online questionnaire or call 971-245-3844. You can also file with HUD within one year, or bring a federal lawsuit within two years.

Is misrepresenting an ESA against the law in Oregon?

We found no Oregon law that makes misrepresenting an emotional support animal a crime; bills to create one failed in 2019. Describe your animal accurately anyway. Oregon's public accommodation rule, ORS 659A.143, covers trained assistance animals, so an ESA has no right to go where pets aren't allowed.

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

No. We found no Oregon statute that requires a 30-day relationship or a set number of sessions before an ESA letter, and no 2025 or 2026 Oregon bill proposed one. Under BOLI's rule, a housing provider may ask only for the information it needs when your need isn't apparent.

How long is an ESA letter good for?

We found no Oregon 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.

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Sources (checked November 2026)

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