How ESA Evaluations Work: Who Can Write the Letter and What to Avoid

Your dog got you out of bed today. Your cat is the only thing that settles you at night. So you search for how to make that official, and the first page of results is full of "instant" letters and one-click registries.

Most of those are not what they claim to be. Here is how an emotional support animal (ESA) evaluation actually works, who is allowed to write the letter, and what the law does and does not give you.

What is an ESA, and what is it not?

An emotional support animal is a companion animal that helps a person with a disability through its presence. It does not need special training. That is the main difference from a service animal.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a service animal is a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. The federal regulation says plainly that emotional support and comfort do not count as work or tasks for that definition. So an ESA does not get the public access a service dog gets in stores, restaurants, or on public transit.

That is a legal line, not a judgment about how much your animal helps you. It just decides which rules apply.

Who can write an ESA letter?

The letter comes from a licensed health care professional, usually a therapist, counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, or physician, who is licensed to practice where you live and who actually knows your situation. It is a document about you and your need for the animal. The animal does not get a diploma.

Some states add their own rules. California is the clearest example. A California law that took effect in 2022, Assembly Bill 468, requires a professional who documents a person's need for an emotional support dog to hold a valid license, to have a client-provider relationship with that person for at least 30 days, and to complete a clinical evaluation first. If you live in California, a letter issued the same day you sign up does not meet that rule.

What does a legitimate evaluation look like?

Expect a real conversation. The clinician asks about your history, your daily life, and what has been hard lately. You talk about how your animal fits into that: what changes when it is nearby, and what your routine looks like without it.

Then the clinician decides. Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes it is "not now," or a suggestion for a different kind of support. A real evaluation can end in a no, and that is part of how you know it is real.

Many evaluations now happen by video or phone. That can be perfectly fine. Online telehealth services, including CertaPet ESA evaluations, connect people with licensed clinicians remotely, and the checklist in the next section applies to any of them.

Red flags that point to a letter mill

These are the signs that a site is selling paper, not an evaluation:

• Approval is promised before anyone has talked to you, or the letter arrives in minutes.
• No licensed clinician is named, or no license can be checked with your state board.
• The site sells "certificates," "registrations," ID cards, or vests as if they carry legal weight. The Department of Justice says service animal certificates sold online convey no rights under the ADA, and nothing in the federal housing or air travel rules we cite here creates an ESA registry either.
• The site promises that every landlord or airline will accept the letter.
• Nothing about your own situation is asked before the checkout page.

A good habit is to look up the clinician's license number on your state licensing board's website before you pay. It takes two minutes.

What changed for housing?

The Fair Housing Act requires landlords to make reasonable accommodations in their rules and policies when a person with a disability needs one to use and enjoy a home. For years, a 2020 HUD notice (FHEO-2020-01) told housing providers how to handle requests involving ESAs. HUD withdrew that notice effective September 17, 2025.

In May 2026, HUD went further in an enforcement memo. It said its fair housing office will pursue complaints only when the animal was individually trained to do disability-related work, and that a request to waive a pet policy for an untrained ESA is not presumed reasonable. The law itself did not change, and state laws and courts still matter. But the old picture, where a letter alone reliably beat a no-pets rule, is no longer something you can count on.

If you are renting, talk to your landlord early, keep your documentation current, and check your state's fair housing agency for local rules. This is general information, not legal advice.

Air travel: ESAs are pets now

This one is simple. In a final rule published December 10, 2020, the Department of Transportation said airlines are not required to recognize emotional support animals as service animals and may treat them as pets. The rule took effect January 11, 2021. An ESA letter does not change how an airline handles your animal, so check the airline's pet policy before you book.

Trained psychiatric service dogs are different. The same rule treats them like other service dogs, and airlines can ask for DOT forms ahead of the flight.

Where this leaves you

An ESA letter is a medical document that comes from a licensed professional who has evaluated you. It is not a registration, and in many places it protects less than it did a few years ago. The bond you have with your animal is real either way. Our piece on what changes when a companion pet becomes an emotional support animal goes deeper on the difference, and you can keep that bond strong day to day with simple shared hobbies.

If you are still unsure, start with your own doctor or therapist. They already know you, and that history is exactly what a legitimate letter is built on.