Georgia residents who are suffering from mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD may benefit from the presence of an emotional support animal (ESA). These animals can help calm their owners and bring a sense of ease to daily life, simply through companionship.
If you’re interested in adopting an ESA or wish to register your pet as one, federal law protects your right to keep an animal in your home to assist with your disability. In this guide, we will be discussing the requirements for obtaining an ESA and the laws surrounding them. Read on to learn all the laws for an ESA Georgia residents need to know.
Georgia ESA Laws: Summary of Legal Protections
Emotional support animals can provide a number of health benefits to their owners. Recent studies have concluded that positive social interactions with an animal (such as petting or holding them) can have both psychophysiological and psychosocial benefits. These benefits include lowering anxiety and reducing stress, pain, and depression.
Recognizing their benefits, the government protects emotional support animals by giving you certain rights. Below, we will discuss all about these laws to help you understand the protections of emotional support animals in Georgia.
Emotional Support Animal Georgia Regulations: ESA Laws in Georgia
We broke the emotional support animal laws into different categories to help Georgia residents better understand the laws covering these animals.
Georgia ESA Housing Laws
The right to keep an ESA in your home is protected by the Fair Housing Act as a reasonable accommodation for mitigation of your disability. This law states that landlords are not allowed to discriminate against emotional support animals and service dogs because that amounts to discrimination on the basis of disability. Under the protection of this act, you can bring your ESA to live with you (without added pet fees) even if the housing has a no pets policy. There are only a few exceptions. If you are denied your right to an ESA, you should seek out legal counsel.
Georgia ESA Employment Laws
While there are no specific laws that state an emotional support animal must be allowed into work with you, the Americans with Disabilities Act states that mental health disabilities are protected. The best course of action is to prepare all your documentation and discuss your needs with your employer. They may be willing to work with you, although there isn’t a legal requirement to accept ESAs in the workplace in Georgia.
Georgia ESA Travel Laws
When it comes to traveling around Georgia with an emotional support animal, they aren’t treated like service animals; they must follow pet policies in public spaces like restaurants and stores. The same goes for using public transportation, including buses and trains. However, some companies and organizations may make an exception for emotional support animals and accept them even if they normally have a no-pet policy. It never hurts to ask!
Georgia ESA Travel and Flying Laws
The Air Carrier Access Act allows service animals to be present in the cabin of a flight with their owner at no additional charge. However, since ESAs are not considered service animals, they are not offered this same access. You may still get to fly with your ESA as a carry-on if you keep them in a carrier, though you will likely have to pay an extra fee. Additionally, some airlines may allow an ESA if you ask, but it’s not a guaranteed legal right.
How to Get an ESA Letter in Georgia: ESA Letter Georgia Requirements
A Georgia ESA letter is a must for an animal to be a valid emotional support animal. Without this document, the animal will be treated the same as a pet, and will not qualify for any of the protections granted to them by the Fair Housing Act. This isn’t only specific to Georgia, however. All emotional support animals require a valid ESA letter to receive legal benefits.
The emotional support animal letter that Georgia residents need for their animals can be obtained from any mental health professional licensed in the state. However, there’s a process for it. To summarize it briefly, the ESA letter Georgia residents need first requires the owner to have a qualifying mental disability. Any mental disability recognized under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) qualifies for an emotional support animal.
However, this doesn’t mean that anyone who has a qualifying mental disability automatically will be able to get an ESA letter from their mental health worker. They will first listen to your symptoms and evaluate your condition before writing an ESA letter, so they might conclude that an emotional support animal isn’t the best option for your treatment plan.
Learn more about the process by checking out our guide on getting an ESA letter. It goes over everything you need to know about obtaining an ESA letter to prepare you for the process.
ESA Georgia Registration: ESA Certification in Georgia
An ESA letter is the only requirement for an emotional support animal to be legally recognized. However, ESA owners in Georgia can also consider registering their ESA with a reputable ESA organization. Not only would you receive the benefits of legal protections from your letter but you can also receive a card listing your rights, a little name tag for your animal, or other accessories that add visible legitimacy to your ESA. Landlords are more likely to acquiesce to your reasonable accommodation request if they believe that your animal is part of a registry and that you are informed of your rights.
Although an ESA letter is the only requirement, landlords in Georgia tend to be suspicious of emotional support animal claims and often place undue pressure on tenants to prove that their animal is a legitimate ESA. By having registration with a reputable organization like US Service Animals, the tenant will have additional proof and clarify that the owner has a legitimate ESA letter.
Additionally, when you register your emotional support animal with us (after obtaining your ESA letter), your animal will receive a unique registration number that can be verified online. Directing your landlord to our site to verify the registration number can save you the hassle of explaining ESA laws to your landlord as US Service Animals has many guides available. Learn more about ESA certification to have additional documentation for your emotional support animal.
Get an ESA Letter in Cities Across Georgia
Your experience obtaining an ESA letter varies greatly depending on your location within Georgia. For instance, finding a licensed mental health professional who specializes in your condition and is aware of emotional support animal benefits in Atlanta won’t be difficult, thanks to the high number of mental health professionals in the city.
However, it will likely be more expensive, as therapists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals tend to charge higher in the city, with some even having extra fees for issuing an emotional support animal letter.
Below, we overview ESA laws in the most popular cities in Georgia; to find out more, including how to get a legally valid ESA letter in these cities, click on the linked heading for the city you’re curious about.
ESA Laws in Atlanta
Atlanta is undoubtedly the most medically equipped city in Georgia. It has the highest number of licensed mental health professionals in the state, allowing residents to find a professional who specializes in their condition. We also have a guide on getting an ESA letter in Atlanta that can prepare residents to obtain the documents they need for their animal.
ESA Laws in Augusta
Augusta also boasts a comprehensive mental health ecosystem, mainly thanks to the Medical College of Georgia and Augusta University Health. Although the number of licensed mental health professionals serving the area is smaller than in Atlanta, residents will have no trouble finding a suitable LMHP to write an ESA letter. Plus, the city is home to countless pet-friendly attractions and events, making it perfect to socialize with an emotional support animal.
ESA Laws in Columbus
Columbus is one of the most mental health aware cities, not just in Georgia but also in the country. Being home to Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), the city has a strong military and veteran population. Consequently, many of the city’s licensed mental health professionals are aware of the benefits of emotional support animals, making it easier for individuals who experience the therapeutic benefits of an animal to get their ESA letters.
ESA Laws in Savannah
Savannah has a relaxed coastal culture and an overall pet-friendly community. However, the city isn’t home to a high number of mental health professionals who can write an ESA letter. These limited in-person options make many of the city’s residents turn to online ESA letters, such as the one you can obtain through US Service Animals.
ESA Laws in Athens
Home to the University of Georgia, Athens is exceptionally aware of the benefits of emotional support animals. The city offers a good selection of mental health professionals, allowing residents to connect with a licensed mental health professional who can write an ESA letter. The landlords in Athens also tend to be aware of the benefits of emotional support animals, making ESA claims generally stress-free.
ESAs vs Psychiatric Service Dogs in Georgia
Emotional support animals and psychiatric service dogs are completely different. Although both help someone with psychiatric disability, they serve different purposes. Here’s more on their differences for Georgia residents to choose between the two.
The biggest difference between emotional support animals and psychiatric service dogs is the training requirement. Unlike emotional support animals, psychiatric service dogs must be trained for a disability-related task. Common tasks include deep pressure therapy, tactile stimulation, reminding medication, and guiding the handler to a safe space.
This difference in training requirements, coupled with the fact that the Americans with Disabilities Act doesn’t define emotional support animals as service animals, also creates a difference in public access rights. Psychiatric service dogs can accompany their handlers in public, including in places that typically have a no-pet policy, like restaurants and stores, whereas ESAs must follow pet policies.
How to Get a Psychiatric Service Dog in Georgia
Georgia residents have two options for getting a psychiatric service dog: one is buying one. However, finding a psychiatric service dog for sale outside of major cities like Atlanta and Augusta can be quite challenging. There’s also the financial involvement; service dogs can cost tens of thousands of dollars, which is a significant investment.
On the other hand, a more accessible and affordable alternative is training your own psychiatric service dog. While this might seem impossible at first, even if you’re experienced with dog training, it is entirely possible, as long as you get professional help. Complete our PSD training consultation form to learn more about how you can train your own psychiatric service dog.
FAQs About Georgia Emotional Support Animal Laws
We answer some of the most commonly asked questions about Georgia ESA laws below.
Does Georgia Recognize Emotional Support Animals?
Georgia doesn’t have emotional support animal laws that apply specifically to the state. However, Georgia recognizes emotional support animals as per the Fair Housing Act. Emotional support animals in Georgia were also covered under the Air Carrier Access Act until the Department of Transportation updated its rule for air travel with an emotional support animal.
Who Can Write an ESA Letter in Georgia?
Only licensed mental health professionals can write an ESA letter in Georgia, like in all the other states. This includes mental health professionals like therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, licensed mental health nurse practitioners, and licensed clinical social workers. In addition to these LMHPs, your primary care physician has the ability to write an ESA letter.
How Fast Can I Get an ESA Letter in Georgia?
Getting an ESA letter is a process, since your mental health worker needs to first diagnose if you have a qualifying mental disability and then decide if an emotional support animal would benefit you. All this takes time, though once diagnosed and determined, issuing the letter takes only minutes. If you need to get an ESA letter urgently, we can connect you with an LMHP to issue your letter in less than 24 hours. That’s, of course, if you qualify.
Are Online Consultations for ESA Letters Legal In Georgia?
Yes, online consultations for ESA letters, as well as drug prescriptions, are completely legal in Georgia. As long as the telehealth provider qualifies to write it, meaning that they are licensed in Georgia, they can write and issue an ESA letter online.
Can A Landlord Charge a Pet Deposit for an Emotional Support Animal In Georgia?
Georgia landlords cannot charge a pet fee, pet rent, or pet deposit for an emotional support animal. This is strictly forbidden because emotional support animals can’t be treated like pets, as they are protected under the Fair Housing Act. A closer legal comparison would be that ESAs are considered medical equipment. If a landlord requires any extra charges for an emotional support animal, the tenant can file an FHA complaint and seek out legal counsel.
Are Emotional Support Animals Allowed in Hotels in Georgia?
The Fair Housing Act doesn’t cover hotels, and since Georgia doesn’t have any additional protections for emotional support animals when it comes to hotels and other stays, ESAs don’t get accommodation rights. It is up to the hotel management to decide whether or not they allow emotional support animals, which many hotels do in Georgia, especially in Atlanta and Augusta.