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New York Emotional Support Animal Prescription Letter

  1. We are New York City’s #1 online emotional support animal approval center!  If you need to get certified online quickly with a letter from one of our doctors,  you have come to the right place!   Qualifying in New York is simple:  anxiety, depression, insomnia, and stress can qualify you to life with a pet in housing despite no-pet policies!

As a New york resident, to get a prescription you will need to fill out the online exam by clicking the link “online exam” in the navigation menu.

It is a 74 question exam, so please carve out about 20 minutes of your time to complete it.

Emotional Support Animals in New York


What is the Purpose of Emotional Support Animals?

People with disabilities can benefit greatly from the companionship of emotional support animals. An emotional support animal provides comfort to people with physical and mental disabilities or illnesses. The most common emotional support animals are dogs and cats. An emotional support animal is often referred to as an ESA for short.

If you are interested in owning an ESA in New York, you need to be familiar with the laws regarding ownership of these animals. If you rent property and go in public places with your emotional support animal, certain laws may apply to you or protect you. In other cases, some laws may not permit you to have an ESA in certain areas. Read on to find out when the law may or may not be on your side.

Do Laws Favor Owning a New York Emotional Support Animal?

Typically, the law protect an New York emotional support animal and an individual with a disability. If you want to own an ESA in New York, then you must meet certain requirements. The list below details these requirements and is cited from mfy.org.

– You must have a disability in order to have an ESA. A diagnosis alone is not enough to qualify you to have an ESA in rental housing. If you are the recipient of Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income, you are highly likely to meet the requirement. If you do not have this, you will have to prove that you are disabled and unable to live without the support of an ESA.
– You must meet all of the housing requirements of your current or potential residence. Examples include income and age requirements for tenants.
– You must have a reasonable animal as an emotional support animal. This means the animal has to be an appropriate size and not cause harm to other people.
– You will need to show proof that you need your ESA in order to independently live at your residence.

How Can People Get Emotional Support Animals?

In order to legally own your pet in your rental residence, you must get permission from your landlord. You can use SSI and SSDI documents to prove your disability, and a letter from a therapist or physician is often required. If your landlord denies you the right to own your emotional support animal, then you may contact the NY State Division of Human Rights.

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