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Emotional support animals provide support to a person suffering from a mental health illness. Whether it is a student struggling with anxiety or a veteran suffering from PTSD, an emotional support animal provides comfort and support in everyday life.

In Texas, emotional support animals are prescribed by a mental health professional to help someone with a mental health illness. Under the Texas state law, emotional support animals are companion animals which do not need to be trained, unlike service animals and provide safety and a sense of well-being to their owner.

Emotional support animals are only protected by two laws in Texas, the Air Carrier Access and the Fair House Act. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Texas Laws, an emotional support animal is not protected. 

Travel Laws

The Air Carrier Access Act protects emotional support animals across the country including the state of Texas. This law allows emotional support animals to travel with a passenger on an airplane and airlines have to accommodate for the passenger and comfort of the animal.

To travel with your emotional support animal you must have an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional which you can get at US Service Animals. We have a simple, easy to follow registration which allows you to register yourself and your animal and receive your letter via email to print and use.

Airlines will often require you to give 48-hour notice stating that you will be flying with an emotional support animal, fill out appropriate documents that are mandatory by the airline, and provide your ESA letter from a mental health professional. If you follow these rules and your emotional support animal is well-behaved, you will be allowed to take your emotional support animal in the plane cabin with you, during your flight.

Employment Laws

By law, an employer does not need to accommodate for emotional support animals because they are not protected under the American with Disability Acts. However, it is not against the law for workplaces to allow emotional support animals. Thus, if you express the need for your emotional support animal at work they may make an exception. There has been a recent rise in the number of employers allowing emotional support animals as they see the value and impact it has on their employees. 

Housing Laws

Housing in Texas is covered under the Fair Housing Act. This means anyone with a disability has the right for reasonable accommodation and all emotional assistant animals are protected under this law too. The law states any person with a disability, mental or physical, is allowed to have their emotional support animal or service animal into their home, even if it is has a no-pets policy.

This is the case for housing on University property too. At the University of Texas, emotional support animals are allowed in a university house but not in campus buildings or lecture halls.

If an emotional service animal causes a threat to the landlord or other tenants or causes damage to the property, the landlord can reject the emotional support animal from the accommodation.

ESA Letter

An ESA letter needs to be provided when going on airplanes and when requesting accommodation for you and your emotional support animal. We can provide you with everything you need to register your emotional support animal correctly. Simply call or schedule a consultation to speak to one of our licensed mental health professionals at US Service Animals in your state today to see if you qualify. Then once all the information is taken, you will receive your letter via email to print and use. By having this letter you can rest knowing that you will be protected under the Fair Housing Act and Air Carrier Access Act.

The process of registering your emotional support animal is quick and easy to do. The letter is needed for access to no-pet policy housing and airplanes. If you have an emotional service animal, having an ESA letter is highly recommended. Even if you don’t plan on traveling or moving home, you never know when you may need an ESA letter. With the easy and hassle-free registration from us at US Service Animals, you can register today and get your ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional via email, ready for you to print and use.