Emotional Support Animal Laws in Texas
Federal laws about emotional support animals apply in Texas. However, the state also has laws that can affect ESA owners in certain situations. As of 2025, the most impactful rules for Texans come from the federal Fair Housing Act and HUD guidance for housing, the Americans with Disabilities Act for workplaces and public places, and U.S. Department of Transportation rules for air travel. Texas statutes also address public access for service animals and penalties for misrepresentation.
Texas ESA Housing Laws
Throughout the US, housing providers are subject to the federal law known as the Fair Housing Act (FHA). The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing providers from discriminating against individuals based on many different criteria, including disability.Â
The FHA also requires housing providers to make reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities, including allowing assistance animals (such as ESAs) regardless of restrictions on pets. Under the Fair Housing Act, a landlord canât deny an emotional support animal and cannot charge additional rent or other pet fees to the owner of an ESA.Â
Housing providers in Texas are subject to the Texas Fair Housing Act. This state law mirrors the federal law, prohibiting discrimination and requiring housing providers to make reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Under the Texas FHA, landlords canât usually deny ESAs or charge extra fees.
There are some exceptions in the FHA and the Texas Fair Housing Act. Some types of housing arenât covered under these laws, including a single-family home sold or rented by the owner (who isnât a landlord of multiple properties). FHA rules also allow landlords to deny ESAs that threaten property damage or the safety of other residents.
Covered vs. Exempt Housing
- Covered: Most rental housing, condominiums and HOAs, and student housing including dorms and university apartments are covered by the FHA and Texas Fair Housing Act.
- Exempt: Owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units, single-family homes sold or rented by the owner without a broker, and housing owned or operated by religious organizations or private clubs when lodging is limited to members, consistent with the FHA.
Landlord Limits and What They Can Ask
- Allowed when disability or need is not obvious: a request for reliable documentation that you have a disability and a disability-related need for the animal. An ESA letter from a licensed provider typically satisfies this.
- Not allowed: requests for diagnosis details or medical records, requiring any animal certification, registration, or special training, charging pet rent, pet deposits, or third-party ESA verification fees.
- You remain responsible for your animalâs behavior and for paying for any actual damage the animal causes.
Breed, Size, and Weight Rules
Breed, size, or weight limits cannot be used by themselves to deny an ESA. Any denial must be based on an individualized assessment that the specific animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others or would cause substantial physical damage to the property that cannot be reduced or eliminated by another reasonable accommodation.
Process and Timelines for a Reasonable Accommodation
- Prepare your written accommodation request and attach your ESA letter.
- Submit your request to your housing provider as early as possible. Under HUDâs 2020 guidance, providers should respond promptly, within a reasonable time frame.
- Engage in an interactive dialogue with your housing provider and be responsive to reasonable follow-up questions limited to confirming disability and need if not obvious.
- If the initial request creates an undue administrative or financial burden, your housing provider should offer an effective alternative accommodation if one exists.
Student and Campus Housing
Most university housing in Texas, including dormitories and on-campus apartments, is covered by the FHA. Students can request ESA accommodations through disability services or the campus housing office. Schools may use their standard disability accommodation process, but they cannot require pet fees for ESAs.
Insurance Considerations
Insurance policy limitations generally do not justify denying an ESA. A denial based on insurance concerns should occur only if a specific policy would be canceled or premiums would significantly increase and no reasonable alternative coverage or accommodation exists.
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Texas ESA Laws for Employment
Employers in Texas and throughout the United States must allow employees to bring service animals with them to work (in most cases). This is due to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which is a federal law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. This law means that an individual can bring their service dog with them to work unless the presence of the service animal would affect the work environment (e.g., compromising a clean room).
Texas follows the regulations of the ADA, prohibiting employers from denying entrance to service animals. However, neither the ADA nor the Texas state government considers an emotional support animal to be a service animal. As such, employers may decide whether to allow emotional support animals on their premises.Â
If your employer does allow your emotional support animal, itâs important to make sure your ESA is potty trained and well-behaved at the office. Texas allows employers to remove assistance animals and service animals if they are out of control, threaten the safety of others, or are not potty trained.
ADA Title I and ESAs
Under ADA Title I, employers must consider reasonable accommodations for qualified employees with disabilities through an interactive process. While an ESA is not a service animal under the ADA, permitting an animal at work may still be considered as a potential accommodation on a case-by-case basis depending on job duties, workplace safety, and whether it would create an undue hardship. Employees may be asked for documentation that verifies a disability and the disability-related need for the requested accommodation, but not for diagnosis details.
Practical Expectations at Work
- Your animal must be under control, housebroken, and not disrupt job performance or workplace operations.
- Employers may set reasonable rules, especially in regulated environments such as clean rooms, food production areas, or clinical settings, and may propose effective alternative accommodations if needed.
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Texas ESA Laws for Travel
There is a federal law that governs travel regulations for individuals with disabilities and their animals. The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) prohibits airlines from discriminating against passengers with disabilities. It requires air carriers to allow service animals to fly in the cabin with their owners for no additional fee.
Until 2020, the ACAA included assistance animals (e.g., emotional support animals) as well as service animals. However, the law was changed in 2020, and under the current version, only service animals are protected. Air carriers may choose to allow ESAs to fly in the cabin for free, but they arenât required to anymore. Some airlines still have policies in place for emotional support animals, but not all of them do.
Likewise, regulations for other forms of transportation generally relate to service animals, not emotional support animals. Most travel providers allow emotional support animals to travel as pets. If you have a small dog or cat that fits in a âcarry-onâ crate, you may be able to bring them with you in an airplane cabin (in their crate). Travel providers can charge pet fees for ESAs.
ACAA Update 2020 Final Rule
As of 2025, only trained service dogs qualify as service animals for air travel under the ACAA. Airlines may treat ESAs as pets and charge pet fees. For service dogs, airlines may require the U.S. DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form and, for flights of 8 hours or longer, the Service Animal Relief Attestation form.
Other Transportation
For most ground and sea travel providers, ESAs are treated as pets. Check the carrierâs policy for crate requirements, fees, and any size limits before you travel.
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Texas ESA Public Access Laws
Can you take your emotional support animal out in public in Texas? State laws cover a range of public spaces, including the following:
- Restaurants and other food establishments
- Stadiums and theaters
- Stores and sales locations
- Businesses
- Parks
- Transportation stations
- Service establishments
- Houses of worship
- Public gathering spaces
Generally, the ADA requires owners of public accommodations to allow a service animal. The same requirement doesnât exist for emotional support animals under federal or Texas state law. Owners of businesses and other public spaces may choose whether to allow emotional support animals or not. If your animal is out of control, the owner of the premises is allowed to deny entry.
ADA Basics in Public Places
Only service animals must be admitted under the ADA. When it is not obvious what service a dog provides, staff may ask only two questions: Is the dog required because of a disability, and what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask for documentation, require the dog to demonstrate tasks, or inquire about a personâs disability.
Texas-Specific Public Access Rules
Texas law protects access for trained service animals in public facilities and common carriers under the Texas Human Resources Code Chapter 121. Texas Health and Safety Code 437.023 also addresses service animals in food establishments. These state rules do not extend public access rights to ESAs.
Misrepresentation Penalties
As of 2025, misrepresenting an animal as a trained service animal in Texas is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000 and up to 30 hours of community service. See Texas Human Resources Code 121.006.
Protection for Assistance Animals
Texas law makes attacking or interfering with an assistance animal a criminal offense. Owners may also seek restitution for veterinary bills and related costs. See Texas Penal Code 42.091.
Sometimes ESA owners use brightly colored vests or harnesses for their animals, which is fine as long as the item doesnât indicate that an ESA is a service animal. In Texas, itâs a misdemeanor to misrepresent an animal as a service animal. If you use a harness on your ESA that implies itâs a service animal, you could be fined up to $1,000 and have to perform up to 30 hours of community service.
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How to Get a Legitimate ESA Letter in Texas
If you want to secure your rights under the FHA in Texas, you need a Texas ESA Letter that meets state requirements. Pettableâs online service makes it easy.
1. Complete Our Assessment
You can find out if you are likely to qualify for an emotional support animal by taking our online pre-screening quiz. If you meet the basic requirements, youâll then choose which type of letter you need: housing, travel, or both.
2. Consult With a Therapist
Once you e-sign the consent forms, weâll match you with a licensed mental health professional, and you can make an appointment that fits your schedule. The LMHP will determine whether your condition qualifies for an ESA during this telehealth evaluation.
3. Get your Emotional Support Animal Letter
If you are eligible for an ESA, your therapist will write and sign an ESA Letter that meets federal and state requirements. You can choose rush service to get your letter in as little as 24 hours (California residents excluded).
We offer a complete satisfaction guarantee, so if your letter doesnât work as intended, we will refund 100% of your money.
Who Can Write an ESA Letter in Texas
ESA letters should be written by a licensed mental health professional or other appropriately licensed healthcare provider consistent with Texas law and telehealth rules. Best practice, consistent with HUD guidance, is to work with a provider licensed in the state where you reside or where services are provided. Examples include licensed professional counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, licensed clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, and in some cases physicians or nurse practitioners who provide mental health treatment.
What Your ESA Letter Should Include
- Providerâs name, professional license type and number, and state of licensure
- Date of issuance
- Affirmation of a professional relationship and that you have a mental or emotional disability
- Confirmation that the animal provides support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of the disability
- Provider contact information to allow housing providers to verify the letter if needed
When to Share Your Letter
- Submit your letter with a written reasonable accommodation request before signing a lease or as soon as the need arises.
- Be prepared to renew or update the letter periodically if reasonably requested by your housing provider.
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Money Back Guarantee
If your ESA Letter is not approved, we will refund 100% of your payment.
What is an Emotional Support Animal?
A well-trained dog, cat, bird, or any other animal whose presence provides comfort and support to an individual with a mental or emotional disability is an emotional support animal. An ESAâs unconditional love and soothing presence can help mitigate many of the symptoms of mental illnesses to improve an individualâs quality of life.
Some of the conditions that an emotional support animal can help with are generalized anxiety, depression, social anxiety, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), panic disorder, autism, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Individuals with other conditions may also qualify for an emotional support animal.
Terminology Crosswalk
- Under HUD and the Fair Housing Act: the term assistance animal includes both ESAs and service animals. ESAs do not require special training to qualify as assistance animals for housing.
- Under the ADA and Texas Human Resources Code for public places: a service animal is a trained dog that performs specific tasks for a person with a disability. Miniature horses may be considered under the ADA in limited circumstances, but not under the ACAA.
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What is a Service Animal?
While any animal can be an ESA, the definition of a service animal is much narrower. The Americans with Disabilities Act defines a service animal as a dog (and in some cases, a miniature horse) that is trained to work or perform specific tasks to assist an owner with a disability.Â
The work that a service animal performs must directly relate to their ownerâs disability. For example, a service dog can alert a deaf person, help prevent self-harm during a seizure or assist with a mental disability. Service dogs can accompany their owners almost everywhere.
Service dogs can be trained by anyone with no requirement for a professional trainer. However, training a service animal can be a difficult task without the correct knowledge. Pettable offers an online PSD training program that will teach you how to train a psychiatric service dog. If this is your goal, take our online quiz to see if a PSD training program is right for you and your pet.
Terminology Crosswalk
- ADA public access: service animals are trained dogs that perform work or tasks. Miniature horses may be accommodated in limited cases.
- HUD housing: ESAs are assistance animals with no training requirement, and housing providers must reasonably accommodate them.
- Air travel under ACAA: only trained service dogs qualify as service animals. ESAs are treated under airline pet policies.
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Difference Between an Emotional Support Animal and a Service Animal
While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, a service animal isnât the same as an emotional support animal. Service animals are dogs (and sometimes miniature horses) that perform specific tasks in support of their ownersâ physical, mental, or emotional disabilities. They are protected by the ADA and allowed into most public spaces.Â
Emotional support animals donât need to have any special training, and they can be any sort of animal. They are exempt from housing-related pet restrictions and fees under the Fair Housing Act. However, owners of public spaces arenât required to accommodate ESAs.
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