How to Get Your Emotional Support Animal Letter
in Arizona
Finding rental housing in Arizona as a pet owner can be a challenge. People recovering from psychological trauma often need their pets for emotional support, but not all landlords are accommodating. Federal and state laws provide some rights to pet owners who certify their pets as Emotional Support Animals (ESA).
Public access, travel, and workplace laws can also be confusing when it comes to comfort animals, which do not enjoy the same rights as service animals, but they do have protection from rental property pet policies under federal Fair Housing Laws.
You can be evicted for bringing an uncertified Emotional Support Animal in Arizona into a rental unit. Not to mention all the fees, fines, and court costs you’ll be responsible for paying. Landlords must adhere to the laws pertaining to them, however, or face penalties of their own.
American Service Pets helps people get the certification they need for rental housing, public access, and traveling with their support system. Pet deposits and extraneous fees no longer apply. Find out if you qualify for an Emotional Support Animal letter with our simple questionnaire. It’s all you need to be able to enjoy the rights provided for an Emotional Support Animal owner in Arizona.
Benefits of Using Emotional Support Animals
Arizona state law respects the need for ESAs for people with emotional trauma in some circumstances. The state protects the owners’ rights to have these animals live in a rental property with them. Comfort animals can be any type that you feel connected with, which helps you cope with troubling life situations.
ESAs are the key to a normally functioning life for people who struggle with emotional trauma. Here are some of the most beneficial aspects of certifying your support animal:
Naturopathic Therapy
The benefits of living with an animal are well known. Having a pet in your life has unique rewards that are a lot like the effects of depression medicines. More people than ever have been turning to a natural approach to ailments to avoid risks associated with drugs. Certified Emotional Support Animals are a natural treatment for PTSD, depression, panic attacks, and anxiety. Animals also impart a physical health boost because they inspire play and activity.
Genuine Comfort
Emotional trauma makes it easy to find yourself trapped in a negative thought pattern or doubting yourself and your decisions. The complications can last a lifetime. Add in the regular everyday life stressors, and you might end up with a bad case of the blues. Being with an animal you love lowers blood pressure, heart rate, and reduces stress.
Happiness Booster
Levels of serotonin and dopamine, natural mood enhancers, get a boost when you care for an animal you love. Beloved pets make you feel good. They never fail to elicit a chuckle, ease loneliness, and provide comfort when you need it most.
There are facets of personal, work, and social life that are hard to navigate for people with emotional disorders without the support of their animals. American Service Pets provides a fast and easy way for pet owners to get certification in less than a half-hour, in most cases.
Take the test to see if you qualify for an Arizona ESA letter now.
Emotional Support Animal Laws in Arizona
The law in Arizona recognizes ESAs as companions that provide support and comfort. They aren’t capable of performing specific tasks as Service Animals. They have no training to recognize signs of a mental disorder such as Psychiatric Service Animals (PSA). Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals serve different purposes and are afforded different rights under the law.
An Emotional Support Animal in Arizona has certain protections under the law, but only if their owners have a signed letter from a licensed Arizona medical professional. Official letters are accepted all over the country, but specific stipulations vary from state to state.
Housing Laws
According to the Fair Housing Act, landlords have the right to ask for an ESA letter when applicants request accommodations for their ESA. They are limited in how and what they can ask of a potential tenant, however. Landlords may not turn down a tenant for housing, evict them, or ask for a pet deposit.
An emotional support animal cannot be asked to wear a special vest or any identifiers, but they can be asked to prove current immunizations. Size and breed restrictions are not allowed for emotional support animals.
Public Places
An Emotional Support Animal in Arizona has no right to public access. Trained Service Animals are allowed in public places, but only if there is no health or safety risk involved. This covers all restaurants, libraries, grocery stores, shopping malls, or any public place.
Workplace Laws
The Americans with Disabilities Act protects the rights of the disabled to use a Service Dog at work. Some people cannot do their job without them. Arizona does not support the use of ESAs under this act. Obtaining an ESA letter could be the distinguishing factor you need. Employers may change their minds if the animal is small, well behaved, and house trained.
Travel Laws
Emotional support animals were once protected by the Air Carrier Access Act, but that is no longer true. The Department of Transportation (DOT) updated travel laws, and it is up to the airline whether or not they allow Emotional Support Animals to fly in the cabin. Pet owners should check with the airline to understand their policies. Emotional support animals in Arizona are also not guaranteed access to public transportation, including buses, trains, and ride-share services.
Understanding the laws in Arizona can ensure that you and your ESA enjoy the benefits afforded to you. American Service Pets is proud to offer an easy three-step process to provide emotional support animal letters to Arizona residents.
FAQ
The Basics
Arizona complies with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and it also has its own additional state service animal law as well.
In Arizona, “service animal” is defined as “any dog or miniature horse that is individually trained or in training to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability”
Arizona law states that disabilities include “physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” A disability must simple be an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of the affected individual.
Arizona law and federal law both allow a trained dog or miniature horse to be a service animal. Arizona law also specifically states that “Service animal does not include other species of animals, whether wild or domestic or trained or untrained.”
Yes, you may not fraudulently misrepresent an animal as a service animal or service animal in training. A court or law enforcement officer may charge the guilty party with a civil penalty and a fine of not more than $250 for each violation.
Yes, Arizona state law grants the same coverage to service animals in training and their handlers as it does to service dogs.
Neither the ADA nor Arizona’s service animal law includes provisions for emotional support animals or therapy dogs due to the fact that these animals are not trained for specific tasks that would aid an individual with a disability.
FAQ
Public Accommodations & Travel with a Service Animal
State statutes defining public places are very broad, including essentially any place to which the general public is invited. This covers places of business, offices, and places of recreation, whether public or private.
Public accommodations may not ask questions about your disability or demand to see proof of service dog status. They may only ask whether the animal is a service animal and what task it performs.
There is a special exception for zoos or animal parks under Arizona law, barring service animals from any areas where they might come into direct contact with other animals in the zoo or park (like in a petting zoo for example). However, if you cannot take your service animal into any area of the zoo or park, the establishment must provide a free, clean, safe, and private place for your service animal to wait while you visit the restricted area. Service animals ARE allowed in places within zoos or parks where physical barriers would separate it from other animals.
Public accommodations law covers the use of transportation with a service animal. In Arizona, this “includes all forms of conveyance, including taxis, tow trucks, and ambulances.”
No. Under the ADA, service animals are not required to wear a vest, ID tag, or harness.
The ADA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees and applicants with disabilities unless there is a heavy cost or administrative burden. Employees and applicants who have service animals may request a waiver of a workplace’s no-pet rule as a reasonable accommodation.
Service animals must be allowed in patient rooms and anywhere else in the hospital the public and patients can go. They are generally also allowed to ride in an ambulance with their handlers unless the dog’s presence would interfere with the emergency medical staff’s ability to treat the patient. In this case, the staff should make arrangements to have the dog transported to the hospital.
Any person or business that violates public accommodations laws or discriminates against or interferes with a service animal in any way is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor in the state of Arizona.
Arizona follows the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), which defines a service animal as a dog (regardless of breed or size) trained to do work or perform tasks to assist a qualified individual with a diability, and may include psychiatric service dogs. Minature horses are excluded in this definition.
Airlines can require a passenger to provide a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) form attesting to the animal’s health, behavior, and training and a U.S. DOT form attesting that the animal can either not relieve itself or can relieve itself in a sanitary manner (if the animal will be on a flight that is 8 or more hours).
The ACAA does not address service animals in-training, so airlines are not required to carry them as they do not meet the requirements of an ACAA-defined service animal. However, airlines can make their own individual policies.
FAQ
Housing Law
Arizona mainly defers to the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) in terms of housing accommodations. State law does not specifically mention service dogs in housing, but according to the Attorney General of Arizona’s website, individuals with physical or mental disabilities are a protected category when it comes to housing.
While a landlord may not simply charge extra just for a service animal, handlers may be required to pay for any damages caused by the animal.
The FHA extends protections to both service dogs and emotional support animals if having an ESA is necessary for someone with a disability to have an equal opportunity to enjoy and use the home.
FAQ
Discrimination Complaints
If you believe your rights have been violated with regards to public accommodations for your service animal, you can file an Arizonans with Disabilities Act (AzDA) complaint with the state Attorney General’s office.
If you believe you are a victim of housing discrimination, you can file a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office through the Civil Rights Division. The Civil Rights Division has locations in Phoenix and Tucson, or it can be contacted via telephone. You can also reach out to the Southwest Fair Housing Council in Tucson for additional aid if needed.
How to Get Certified for an Emotional Support Animal in Arizona
American Service Pets has a quick and easy process to get certified for an emotional support animal. It’s just three simple steps:
Fill Out the Questionnaire
Answer the American Service Pets questionnaire to find out if you’re qualified for an Emotional Support Animal certification letter in just a few minutes.
Get a Doctor’s Approval
American Service Pets lets you choose to submit your file to an Arizona state licensed doctor for approval and authorization or find your own. Most requests are approved within a minute or two and sent to your email address.
Add Your Pet to the National Directory
Adding your pet to the national directory provided by American Service Pets is a critical part of the process. It provides an online profile that shows your pet’s status and certification letter.
Get certified for your support animal today. American Service Pets accepts approximately 95% of applicants within a half-hour. Your letter is sent to your email address right away.
The American Service Pets Advantage
American Service Pets has helped more than 45,000 owners validate the status of their emotional support animals. Here’s why we are the service you need:
- The chance to talk with a medical professional in Arizona about your health issues
- Free qualification procedure
- No prescription required
- All-in-one solution to support animal certification issues
Answer a few simple yes or no questions to get your pet certified as an emotional support animal today with American Service Pets. Get on the fast track to enjoying all your pet has to offer without the worry of repercussions.
Experts in Nationwide Support Animal Certification
Arizona support animal certification answers rental housing issues and other instances when you are denied access with your support system. American Service Pets aids pet owners in getting the help they need for their emotional or psychiatric support animal. Take our test today for certification in less than half an hour or call us at (480) 447-8350 for quick answers regarding Emotional Support Animal certification in Arizona.
Disclaimer: We would like to emphasize that while the terms “certification” or “registration” may be used in relation to Emotional Support Animals, there is no official certification process for ESAs or any form of ESA registry as of this date. As such, the use of these terms should not be interpreted as legally recognized designations by government or regulatory authorities. Remember, ESAs can provide a valuable source of comfort and support, but their recognition relies on proper documentation from a healthcare professional and adherence to relevant laws and guidelines.
