How to Get Your Emotional Support Animal Certification
in Minnesota

Minnesota says that people with disabilities are entitled to bring their service animals into all public accommodations, which includes streets, highways, sidewalks, and walkways; all public buildings, facilities, and places; all common carriers and modes of transportation; all hotels and lodging places; all places of public resort, amusement, or accommodation; and any other place to which the public is invited.

Public establishments cannot ask any questions beyond whether or not the animal is a service animal and what task(s) it is trained to perform.

Religious entities are not considered public accommodations by the ADA. Neither are private clubs, unless they regularly make facilities available to nonmembers. In terms of places that do fall under public accommodations law, service animals can still be removed or denied entry if they are not housebroken, out of control, or causing immediate threat of harm to other patrons.

Transportation listed in Minnesota statutes under public accommodations includes airplanes, motor vehicles, railroad trains, motor buses, boats, or any other public conveyances or modes of transportation. It is important to note however, that airplane travel with a service animal falls under the federal Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) and is therefore subject to additional regulations.

Generally the ADA says that service animals should be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work. In that case, the animal must be able to be controlled through another method, such as voice commands or signals.

According to Minnesota’s Department of Human Rights, employees do not have an automatic right to have a service or a support animal in the workplace. They must first request a reasonable accommodation, which can be denied if the animal poses a significant health or safety risk, or if granting the request would impose a significant burden on the employer.

Service dogs are generally allowed in any places in a hospital where the general public would be allowed. They may be barred from sterile hospital environments like operating rooms or burn units though.

If it is determined that discrimination has occurred, the guilty party may be subject to a civil penalty and a judge may order the payment of compensatory and punitive damages be paid to the individual who was discriminated against.

Minnesota 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.