Esa Dog Laws Nc

Your pet is not recognized as an esa in the eyes of the law until you qualify for an esa letter.

Esa dog laws nc. According to federal and north carolina laws you cannot be discriminated against in a no pets policy rental unit if you need an emotional support animal. House lawmakers voted nearly unanimously tuesday to require certification of emotional support animals by licensed medical professionals and to make it a misdemeanor to misrepresent. North carolina law and federal law protect your right to have service dogs in public places and housing. People in a position of power such as landlords and flight attendants are not allowed to discriminate against owners or their emotional support animal if there is an applicable law in place that protects the emotional support animal.

Before you get an esa though familiarize yourself with the federal and state rules and regulations around having this type of assistance animal. The esa letter ensures the person is protected by the federal fair housing act air carrier access act and other federal and north carolina laws. Fair housing act emotional support animals choosing between your esa and housing is a decision you should never have to face and the federal fair housing act ensures you ll never have to. By lisa guerin j d.

Getting an emotional support animal in north carolina can be a relatively straightforward process. Any person who knows or has reason to know that an animal is a law enforcement agency animal an assistance animal or a search and rescue animal and whowillfully taunts teases harasses delays obstructs or attempts to delay or obstruct the animal in the performance of its duty as a law enforcement agency animal an assistance animal or a search and rescue animal is guilty of aclass 2 misdemeanor. Nonfhactproperty owners can decline any esa requests can charge pet fees deposits can ban breeds and can have no petspolicies. Emotional support animals rental units.

Landlords and airlines are not allowed to request specific details regarding an esa owner s condition and they cannot ask for medical records or a medical examination. However you will be expected to follow some steps to gain access to this type of housing. Representative holly grange supports the house bill 796. Esa owners have a right to protect sensitive and confidential information regarding their disability.

Under north carolina law and the federal americans with disabilities act ada people with disabilities may bring their service animals to all public accommodations such as restaurants museums hotels and stores. Wilmington nc wect the house passed a bill tuesday that would require landlords to make accommodations for people with disabilities to have medically approved emotional support animals in a unit. Esa laws also protect the privacy of an esa owner.