Getting An ESA In Texas: Here Is What You Need To Know
Back To Blogs List
If you are planning to get an emotional support animal, you must be aware of the law concerning ESAs in your state. Although there is not much difference in ESA laws in different states of the US, you can never be too careful when getting an ESA pet. A slight violation of the state law could take your support animal from you or result in public embarrassment.
If you’re a resident of the state of Texas and are looking for an authentic guide to get an ESA then this article is for you. Everything that you may need to know about acquiring an emotional support animal including the process of getting an esa letter online or other similar details will be covered in this post. Continue reading if you’re interested in knowing these details.
If you’re a Texas state resident then I have a good news for you. Texas law does not consider ESAs as mere pets. Instead, they are deemed as assistance animals that are meant to help an individual cope with mental or emotional health issues. Due to this reason, your landlord or any other house provider is legally responsible to accommodate your ESA without any inconvenience or additional fee.
The Texas laws are also strict for those landowners who do not cooperate with individuals having mental disorders or are suffering from an emotionally challenging state.
Animals that can be Registered as ESA in Texas
The Texas law does not specifically provide a list of animals that can be registered as ESA pets. However, usually domesticated animals like cats, dogs, rabbits, small horses, guinea pigs, and other similar animals are registered as emotional support animals. Birds like parrots, pigeons, peacocks, and doves are also commonly found to be registered as ESA pets in Texas.
You must be wondering if you could keep unusual animals like lizards, rats, snakes, or turtles as your pet. Well, both state and federal laws applicable to ESA owners in Texas do not explicitly prohibit from keeping such animals for emotional support. However, the ESA authority has set certain criteria for these kinds of animals that must be met to get an esa letter for housing. If the criteria are not fulfilled, the law automatically disqualifies you from having an ESA pet.
Process of Registering an ESA pet in Texas
The process of registering your pet as an ESA in Texas is more or less similar to other states. All you have to do is follow the following simple steps.
1. Consult a therapist
Since the primary requirement of getting an ESA is to have some mental or emotional disorder that is negatively impacting your overall health and necessitates a source of emotional support, you ought to consult licensed therapists to ensure that your condition mandates acquiring an emotional support animal.
Be wary of scammers while looking for a licensed professional. Many online ESA agencies are scamming people by recommending them to a esa letter that is not issued by a licensed professional. So be careful and check for your therapist’s professional details such as license number before the consultation.
2. Apply the letter
After consulting a therapist, the next step is to request your counselor to issue a emotional support animal letter recommending an ESA to you. In your application, you can even ask the counselor to customize the letter for you such as to specify the type of pet you’ll be needing or the places you can take your pet with you.
The counselor reviews your application and checks if your request is valid or not. To get an idea of the validation of your request, the counselor examines your condition based on the sessions he or she conducted with you. This assessment process does not take long. The application review and approval process can be completed in a day. You ought to know how to get an esa letter.
3. Get the letter
Once the counselor’s assessment is complete, your application request will either get approved or rejected. In case of approval of the request, the licensed professional will issue you the emotional support animal letter with the customized details that you requested. The letter will warrant you the right to housing your pet in a housing society or building where the pets are usually prohibited. At the same time, you can travel with your pet on airplanes without any additional boarding fee.
Law That Governs ESAs in Texas
In Texas, both federal and state-level laws are applicable on the housing and traveling of ESA pets. The federal-level law that is currently applicable is the Fair Housing Act. Under this act, all landowners in Texas are mandated to accommodate ESA pets without any additional accommodation charges.
Another law that governs ESAs is American Disabilities Act (ADA). This law governs all service animals including emotional support animals for people who suffer from mental or physical disabilities. Under this law, both landlords and travel agencies are expected to respect the emotional support animal needs of the disabled person.
The above guide will be of tremendous help for you if you are searching for ways to register your pet as an ESA in Texas.
One piece of advice that I would want to give you irrespective of your state is that before contacting ESA agencies for the issuance of ESA letters, keep an open eye for scammers. Many individuals have suffered at the hands of these fake websites who have charged hefty amounts for fake letters.
Comments