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Emotional Support Animal Laws in Illinois (2026 Guide)
Illinois emotional support animal laws for 2026: 310 ILCS 120 housing rights, what HUD’s changes mean, travel and public access rules, and how ESA letters work.
State protection: Illinois' Assistance Animal Integrity Act (310 ILCS 120) protects ESA owners in housing at the state level, regardless of shifts in HUD guidance.
ESA letters: A letter from a licensed mental health professional gives you the right to request reasonable housing accommodations, including waiving pet fees.
Limited access: ESAs don't have guaranteed access to workplaces, public places, or airline cabins. Flying with an assistance animal requires a trained psychiatric service dog (PSD).
No registry: There's no official ESA registration. A legitimate ESA letter is the documentation that matters.
Next step: If your pet helps you manage your mental health, you can start your ESA assessment to see if you qualify.
Emotional support animals (ESAs) can help people living with mental health conditions by providing a comforting presence in daily life and major life activities. Although ESAs are invaluable to their owners, they are not the same as service animals, as they have not completed the necessary training and do not perform specific work or tasks. While federal law protects the rights of service animals and their owners, the situation is more complicated for ESA owners. If you want to live and travel with your ESA in Illinois, it's a good idea to be familiar with Illinois emotional support animal laws.
If you live in Illinois and have a mental or emotional disability, you may benefit from the presence of an emotional support animal. We'll discuss everything you need to know about federal and Illinois ESA laws and how to get an official ESA letter for housing.
The Illinois Assistance Animal Integrity Act (310 ILCS 120)
Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Illinois Assistance Animal Integrity Act (310 ILCS 120) into law on August 23, 2019. The Assistance Animal Integrity Act defined assistance animals to include both emotional support animals and service animals and strengthened fraud verification.
Under Illinois law, an ESA letter gives you the right to request reasonable housing accommodations, including waiving pet fees and deposits. Housing providers must also generally waive no-pet policies, and landlords cannot request a specific form. Only a legitimate ESA letter is required to prove need for an ESA.
The statute also states that using fraudulent documentation in Illinois can result in a Class C misdemeanor. Section 15 protects landlords from liability if the animal causes injuries.
310 ILCS 120 is Illinois' safety net for ESA owners and has been in place since 2019. Though the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) withdrew its 2020 guidance in September 2025 and formally rescinded it in May 2026, Illinois residents remain protected under the Illinois Assistance Animal Integrity Act at the state level.
HUD withdrew its 2020 assistance animal guidance (FHEO-2020-01) in September 2025, and a May 2026 memo confirmed the rescission and narrowed federal enforcement to trained animals. The Fair Housing Act itself remains unchanged. Additionally, the Illinois Assistance Animal Integrity Act and Illinois Human Rights Act protections are unaffected by HUD's narrower federal enforcement posture. Illinois ESA owners are still protected under 310 ILCS 120.
How the Fair Housing Act Protects Illinois ESA Owners
Illinois housing laws allow emotional support animals and service animals in most housing. The Fair Housing Act (FHA) protects tenants with disabilities from discrimination, including their assistance animals. Landlords and property owners must make reasonable accommodations to enable such animals.
Where ESA Laws Apply in Illinois
Along with federal laws, emotional support animal laws in Illinois cover where you can and can't go with your ESA, including your home, public transportation, workplace, and other public areas. It's important to note that ESA laws regarding housing in Illinois differ significantly from those relating to traveling with your support animal or bringing it to a public place.
Illinois ESA Housing Laws
Illinois has a specific state statute that protects ESA owners' right to live together in housing. Under Section 15 of the Assistance Animal Integrity Act, landlords are given immunity from liability for injuries caused by a tenant's assistance animal on the property.
The federal Fair Housing Act also protects ESA owners from housing discrimination. Landlords cannot deny you a place to live based on a disability.
You'll typically give your official emotional support animal letter, which serves as your ESA documentation, to your landlord to prove that your animal is an emotional support animal.
According to federal law, a licensed healthcare professional must write and sign your letter for it to be recognized as an official emotional support animal letter. In most cases, your landlord can't deny you and your emotional support animal housing unless your ESA poses a direct threat to other residents or the property.
Illinois ESA Laws for Employment
Emotional support animal laws state that your employer cannot discriminate against you because of your need for an assistance animal. However, employers aren't automatically required to allow emotional support animals at work. Whether they decide to allow ESAs depends on each employer, as no employment laws specifically discuss ESAs.
You can show your official ESA letter to your supervisor or boss as an ESA owner. They may decide that it's acceptable for you to bring your ESA to work. On the other hand, some employers may refuse your request, and you will need to abide by their decision. Certain employers may request that your emotional support animal be thoroughly trained and well-behaved before you bring them into the workplace.
Illinois ESA Laws for Travel
No federal or state legislation guarantees your right to travel with your ESA. However, some airlines may accommodate emotional support animals on a case-by-case basis. If you choose to travel by air, call ahead and let the airline know you have an emotional support animal you'd like with you on your journey. They might say no, or they could ask for more information about your ESA, including its breed and size, and request a copy of your ESA letter.
It's worth noting that the Air Carrier Access Act protects service animals, including psychiatric service animals, that are trained to perform tasks specifically related to an individual's disability. However, it does not cover emotional support animals or other assistance animals. The airline may view your ESA as an ordinary pet, subject to their standard policies about bringing animals onboard. If you'd like to fly with an assistance animal, a trained psychiatric service dog (PSD) is the option protected under federal law.
In some circumstances, you may be able to bring your ESA on subways, trains, or buses, but you'll need to check with each transit company to find out about their travel rules. Some companies may not allow animals except for service dogs, while others may allow ESAs if they are small enough to go in a pet carrier or sit on your lap.
Illinois ESA Public Access Laws
If you want to bring your emotional support animal to places like restaurants, stores, hotels, or libraries, you will need to check with the owner or manager of each establishment. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Illinois law protect service animals, there are no laws that guarantee emotional support animals access to these establishments.
However, plenty of places will accommodate you if you call ahead and check on their rules for emotional support animals. These establishments may ask to see an official ESA letter and will likely expect your ESA to be well trained and under your control.
Your emotional support animal is essential for your mental health, so it's a good idea to bring a copy of your official letter when you leave home with your ESA. This will give you the best chance of your ESA being admitted to the places you want to go.
How to Get a Legitimate ESA Letter in Illinois
If you already own an emotional support animal and want to make it official, you can follow a few easy steps to get an ESA letter. Here is the step-by-step process you'll need to complete to get your letter.
1. Complete Our Assessment
The first step towards getting an official Illinois ESA letter with Pettable is to take our brief online assessment. This brief online assessment will both help us assess your specific needs and pre-qualify your eligibility for an ESA letter. However, to officially qualify, you will need to speak with a licensed mental health professional.
2. Consult With an LMHP
At the end of the online assessment, you will be able to book a phone consultation with a licensed mental health professional (LMHP) at a time of your choice, and prepay for your ESA letter. The LMHP will issue an official Illinois ESA letter if you qualify, and if you don't, we'll offer you a full refund — it's entirely risk-free.
3. Use Your ESA Letter
To take advantage of the rights offered to you by an ESA letter, you'll need to show it to your landlord. Your ESA letter gives you the right to request reasonable housing accommodations, including living with your pet and waiving pet fees. Landlords can deny a request only in limited circumstances. If for whatever reason your landlord denies your Pettable ESA letter, let our support team know and we will offer you a full refund.
If your ESA Letter is not approved, we will refund 100% of your payment.
Do You Need to Register Your Emotional Support Animal in Illinois?
No, ESA registration is not required in the state of Illinois, or any state for that matter. It's commonly believed that emotional support animals need to be "registered" or "certified," but this is completely false — an ESA letter is the only documentation you need to request housing accommodations. Make sure to avoid websites with too-good-to-be-true offers for registering your ESA, as they are likely trying to sell you an illegitimate product.
What Is an Emotional Support Animal?
An emotional support animal is an assistance animal that helps a person cope with emotional or mental disabilities, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, or phobias. A support animal doesn't need any specialized training to offer comfort and companionship to its owner. Support animals are protected under the Fair Housing Act, and landlords must generally accommodate them — as long as you have a valid ESA letter. However, there aren't any laws guaranteeing ESAs the right to enter establishments such as restaurants, cafes, or shopping malls — nor are they automatically allowed on public transportation.
Emotional support animals are usually dogs, but they can also be cats, rabbits, miniature horses, or other animals, as long as their presence provides therapeutic benefits to their owners.
The Difference Between Emotional Support Animals and Service Animals
There are some notable differences between emotional support animals and service animals.
One of the most obvious is that service animals are nearly always dogs. Emotional support animals can be any creature, including dogs, cats, turtles, miniature horses, and other animals.
Another difference between service dogs and emotional support animals is that service dogs require individualized training to perform specific tasks that help people with a physical or mental impairment. In contrast, emotional support animals don't need specialized training to assist their owners.
The Air Carrier Access Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act protect service animals in public places, including commercial air travel. The federal Fair Housing Act covers service animals and emotional support animals, generally allowing assistance animals to live with their owners.
Living With Your ESA in Illinois
Illinois gives ESA owners state-level housing protections that stay in place even as federal enforcement shifts. If your pet is part of how you manage your mental health, a letter from a licensed mental health professional is the documentation that matters. When you're ready, you can get your ESA letter through Pettable and see if you qualify.
Do I have to tell my landlord I have a support animal in Illinois?
It's best to show your landlord your ESA letter to clarify your situation and your right to live with an emotional support animal. It also lets you request a waiver of pet fees and deposits as a reasonable accommodation.
Can a landlord deny an emotional support animal in Illinois?
Under Illinois and federal law, landlords and other property owners must generally make reasonable accommodations for you and your support animal unless your animal directly threatens other tenants or the property.
When do I tell my landlord about my support animal in Illinois?
You can give your landlord your letter before or after signing your lease. It's best to tell your landlord about your ESA (and show them your letter) as soon as possible so they can make the necessary arrangements before you move in.
Can a landlord in Illinois charge a fee for an ESA?
Under Illinois and federal law, an official letter verifying your need for an ESA gives you the right to request reasonable housing accommodations, including waiving pet fees, deposits, and pet rent. Most clients use their ESA letter to eliminate pet deposits and monthly pet fees.
Can you have more than one ESA in Illinois?
You can have more than one support animal in Illinois. However, in official letters, a mental health professional must attest to your need for multiple emotional support animals.
What restrictions can my landlord place on my emotional support animal in Illinois?
The Fair Housing Act provides ESA owners with certain protections. Your landlord must offer you reasonable accommodation, and they cannot ask you to put any identifying vests, tags, or materials on your animal. However, it helps to consider your ESA's size and temperament, and your ESA must not cause damage to the property or threaten other residents.
What is the Illinois Assistance Animal Integrity Act?
The Illinois Assistance Animal Integrity Act, or 310 ILCS 120, defines "assistance animal" to include both service animals and emotional support animals, sets out required documentation, and includes fraud-prevention strategies.
Is my Illinois landlord liable if my ESA injures someone?
Under Section 15 of the Illinois Assistance Animal Integrity Act, landlords are not liable for injuries caused by an assistance animal on the property when a reasonable accommodation is provided.
Can Chicago have different ESA rules than the rest of Illinois?
Municipal ordinances may add local nuance on top of state and federal law. It's always best to check with the Chicago Commission on Human Relations for city-specific questions.
Susana is an avid animal lover and has been around animals her entire life, and has volunteered at several different animal shelters in Southern California. She has a loving family at home that consists of her husband, son, two dogs, and one cat. She enjoys trying new Italian recipes, playing piano, making pottery, and outdoor hiking with her family and dogs in her spare time.
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