ESA Laws in New Jersey
According to the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA), anyone with an emotional support animal and a legitimate ESA letter must be given full and equal access to housing opportunities. As long as you can present a valid ESA letter to your housing provider, they must make reasonable accommodations for your assistance animal to live with you – even in rented apartments with “no pets” policies. They must also waive any pet charges and weight or breed restrictions that they normally impose.
If you are hoping to bring your emotional support animal to a public place that has not declared itself to be pet-friendly, it’s a good idea to present your ESA letter to the owner or manager. Unlike service animals, emotional support animals have no legal protection when it comes to being admitted to public places. In addition to stores, restaurants, cinemas, libraries, and hotels, this also includes workplaces and commercial aircraft (under the Air Carrier Access Act). For air travel, your emotional support animal will likely have to fly as an ordinary pet, without any special privileges.
However, if you contact the venue manager (or an airline representative, or your boss), explain the situation, and offer to show your ESA letter, you might be pleasantly surprised at their willingness to accommodate you and your emotional support animal. For this reason, having the correct documentation for your ESA, in the form of an official ESA letter, is more important than ever.