An emotional support animal (ESA) is a vital part of some people’s every day lives, but what are the limitations on the number of emotional support animals? How many emotional support animals can you have?
There is no legal limit to the number of emotional support animals that you can have since they are not considered pets; however, each additional emotional support animal must be considered necessary by the person’s licensed healthcare professional.
Besides the need for verification from the medical professional, ESAs have several other regulations concerning their care and treatment that can limit the number you can have in your home.
What Limits Are There on ESAs?
ESAs are wonderful ways to help people cope with their unique stresses and challenges. Having an animal that depends on you is a great way to shift your focus away from the troubles of life for a time.
While there is no technical limit to the number of ESAs you can have, there are some regulations set in place by your medical professional and landlord that might limit the number of ESAs you can have.
Certification
The most important step in getting additional animals certified as ESAs is for a medical professional skilled in writing ESAs to evaluate your mental health concerns and agree that you need multiple ESAs to cope with a mental illness.
You can obtain an ESA letter through an in-person or online visit with a license healthcare professional. For some people, multiple ESAs are a lifesaver and can help deal with stress in a beneficial way.
For others, a doctor might suggest a different course of treatment depending on how effective they feel the previous ESAs have been as a part of their patient’s treatment.
Suitable Housing
Another important condition that may limit the number of ESAs you can have is your housing arrangement.
If you live in a studio apartment, for example, then it’s not feasible to accommodate multiple large ESAs in that small space. As such, your landlord would have legal recourse to have your ESA removed, or your healthcare provider might deny the request.
The standards for what classifies as humane housing can be a grey area, but if your healthcare professional or landlord believe that your ESA won’t have enough space, they may deny your request.
Reasonable Accommodation
Emotional support animals aren’t counted as pets and can live in complexes that have a zero-pet policy. Even so, landlords are only required to accomodate ESAs to a reasonable degree.
Depending on the type of animal you’re trying to certify as an ESA, your landlord isn’t required to accommodate it if they feel it would create a health hazard for any tenant or other animals living in the same area.
