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ESA Letter NYC

How to Get an Emotional Support Animal in NYC | (The Definitive Guide)

Erika Caturegli, PhDWritten by: Erika Caturegli, PhD - Updated:Apr 15, 2025
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents

  • For your dog to be considered as an emotional support dog, you must have an ESA Letter from a Licensed Mental Health Therapist in your state.
  • There are two laws which define the housing and travel benefits your Emotional Support Dog may receive.
  • Emotional Support Dogs are not Service Dogs.
Do you qualify for an ESA?
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Those with certain psychiatric disabilities (anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc) may be afforded protection for an emotional support animal in New York, even in housing or employment situations that might otherwise prohibit animals. These legal protections are newer, more limited, and sometimes complicated compared to legal protections for service animals, but specific rights certainly exist.

Getting an Emotional Support Animal in NYC

To become a legal ESA owner in NYC, there are a few things you should know.

What is an Assistance Animal?

To begin, an assistance animal is an animal that provides the necessary care for their owner. This covers both service animals and emotional support animals.

However, emotional support animals differ from service animals because their purpose is to provide therapy to those suffering from an emotional/mental disability such as anxiety or depression. These animals need not to be limited to emotional support dogs; emotional support cats, and rabbits can also provide necessary relief for those suffering from psychiatric ailments.

Second, emotional support animals do not require specialized training as a service dog might. But, documentation proving the disability and the need for the support animal may be required in some instances.

Can’t Wait To Get Started?

The ESA Application process at CertaPet starts with a fast, free screening test that you can take right now. It takes only 5 minutes and shows if you may qualify for an ESA right away.

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How to Get an Emotional Support Animal in NYC: CertaPet’s Simple Process

Obtaining your emotional support animal letter shouldn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming.

CertaPet’s pre-screening is a simple process that can help determine if you may benefit from an ESA. You will be linked up with a LMHP within 48 hours of applying to see if an ESA is right for you.

To break down the process, here’s a step by step:1. Take the pre-screening to see if you might qualify for an emotional support animal.2. If so, CertaPet will connect you with a licensed mental health professional in your state.3. Talk to them! Tell them why you think you need an ESA. The LMHPs are there to help and want to help you get the furry care you deserve.4. If your LMHP determines you qualify for an emotional support animal, they will write you a letter and it will be available immediately to download off our HIPAA secure platform.5. Travel and live with your ESA with no worry at all.

Get Your ESA Letter Today
Click here to find it out

Emotional Support Animal Laws In New York

Support animals do not receive the same protections as service animals do. However, federal law offers protections in housing and travel.

The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA): The ESA Flying Law

The Air Carrier Access Act applies to individuals with disabilities and emotional support animals traveling on airplanes. However, the rules are more strict and individuals with disabilities may be required to present more documentation.

Flying with an emotional support animal in NYC typically requires a letter from a licensed mental health professional, which must explain that a mental health disability exists and there is a need for the animal. The letter should clearly indicate the type of practice (ie license type) in which the health care professional specializes.

The letter should also be under the health care professional’s letterhead and cannot be more than one year old. Finally, you may be required to give 48 hours advanced notices to the carrier.

The Fair Housing Act (FHA): The ESA Housing Law

Landlords must allow renters to live with their emotional support animal in NYC as a reasonable accommodation. This means that a landlord may not evict a renter or even charge a pet deposit for emotional support animals, except under rare circumstances.

A landlord may require a renter with an emotional support animal to show documentation supporting the fact that the renter has a disability and that reasonable accommodation for the support animal is necessary. You may be required to show a letter from your clinician to satisfy this requirement. However, the animal itself need not be certified since no training is required for emotional support animals.

Emotional Support Animal in NYC Employment Laws

Employers are not legally obligated to allow your ESA in the workplace. It is entirely up to the discretion of the employer whether or not you may bring your ESA to work with you.

Exceptions

Legal protection afforded to emotional support animals is limited. In New York, and under federal law, emotional support animals may not be permitted in public places to the same extent as service animals.

Employers also may require that support animals not pose a threat to others in the workplace or create an inappropriate work environment due to lack of house training.

Landlords may deny renters to live with emotional support animals if, even with reasonable accommodation, the animal poses a threat to the health and safety of others or would cause substantial property damage. This exception is very limited; the mere fact that an emotional support animal is large or of a particular breed does not allow the landlord to raise this exception.

The threat to safety or property must be particularized to the animal in question. On the other hand, the amount of damage done by an animal need not be great if it is unreasonable.

Everything you need to know about emotional support animal laws, requirements, and registration scams. Start you ESA Research here.

Certifying your emotional support animal or registering it on any site is FAKE. These scams ruin it for those truly in need of an ESA. All you need is a letter prescribed by a licensed mental health professional.

So now, you are wondering where to find a suitable near you. It’s simple! Research breeders around your area. You MUST make sure they pass all safety and health concerns of the animal. No puppy mills.

Or you can choose rescue dogs. Many roam the halls of animal shelters looking for a right home for them and you could just possibly find your furever family there. Look into the ASPCA Adoption Center, Animal Haven, and more!

2 Facts You Cannot Forget About ESAs

  1. ESA certifications and registrations are not real. If you can automatically get a “certificate” without any screening or meeting with a LMHP then chances are the site is a scam. You always need to go through your condition with an LMHP first.
  2. Emotional support animals are not the same as service animals. Unless the establishment is pet-friendly, you cannot bring your ESA with you anywhere outside the airport and housing accommodations.

Live in NYC? How to Get Connected with an LMHP in Your City Today!

Because laws governing the treatment of support animals are so new and complex, many employers and landlords may not be aware of the protections.

Take CertaPet’s online screening to see if you qualify for an emotional support animal. It only takes a few minutes and is 100% free.

Looking for an ESA?

The ESA Application process at CertaPet starts with a fast, free screening test that you can take right now. It takes only 5 minutes and shows if you may qualify for an ESA right away.

two dogs posing with a colorful pink and yellow background.

Emotional support animals: has America’s ‘epidemic’ gone too far?” – Documentary published by The Guardian.

fox news - service animal travel tips

Holidays can be stressful: Tips for traveling with an emotional support animal – CertaPet featured on the Fox6Now.

man carrying alligator

Prescription Pets: ‘I got a doctor’s note to fly with my dog” – Article by the Guardian.

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