Most of us have always been familiar with service animals in some way, but more recently, another type of support animal has become more common. Emotional support animals have become more and more popular in recent years due to the mental health benefits they can provide.
Pets offer us companionship, a constant camaraderie that we may need, a comfort when we’re down. Pets are our loyal friends. Sometimes, animals become more than pets or are brought into the home to be more than pets. Animals can offer emotional support that may be much needed for certain mental and emotional ailments.
The question is, what are our rights when it comes to emotional support animals in Hawaii? Can we take them everywhere like we might take a service dog? Are we allowed to travel with them or take them to the grocery store? There are many different facets in play here, and they can vary by state.
In this article, we will cover the laws that affect an ESA Hawaii locals need to know before considering whether an emotional support animal is the right option for their treatment plan.
Hawaii ESA Laws: Summary of Legal Protections
Just like many other states, Hawaii emotional support animal laws are pretty much non-existent. The only instance where emotional support animals are mentioned in Hawaii is a statement acknowledging that ESAs are excluded from the definition of service animals.
However, this doesn’t mean that emotional support animals aren’t protected in Hawaii; they have federal protections under the Fair Housing Act, for example. Below, we will provide an in-depth overview of emotional support animal laws to note in Hawaii.
Emotional Support Animal Hawaii Regulations: ESA Laws in Hawaii
Here are the emotional support animal laws in Hawaii when it comes to housing protections, workplace accommodations, public access, air travel, and more.
Hawaii ESA Housing Laws
Landlords in Hawaii cannot deny accommodation to individuals with an emotional support animal due to no-pet policies. Even though Hawaii doesn’t have statewide ESA laws, the Fair Housing Act (FHA), a federal law that prohibits discrimination against tenants with disabilities and other protected classes, grants housing protections to emotional support animals.
Emotional support animals in Hawaii are also exempt from the HOA decisions restricting pets, including weight and breed restrictions. Therefore, legally recognized emotional support animals with an ESA letter are exempt from pet rules when it comes to housing. We will discuss how you can get this critical document to have these protections for your animal in the coming parts below.
Hawaii ESA Employment Laws
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) considers service animals as a reasonable accommodation in the workplace. However, this shouldn’t confuse those with an emotional support animal; ESAs don’t fit this definition. Hawaii employers don’t have a legal obligation to allow ESAs at the workplace, but many do so at their own discretion.
With many workplaces now recognizing the benefits of having an ESA, employers in Hawaii and elsewhere are now willing to allow ESAs (and even pets) in the workplace more than ever. If you have an emotional support animal and think that you would benefit from having your animal at work, consider bringing this up with your employer to explore the possibility.
Hawaii ESA Travel Laws
Traveling with an emotional support animal in terms of getting around Hawaii requires following pet rules. Unfortunately, emotional support animals don’t have the same public access rights as service animals, which can accompany their handlers everywhere they go, including restaurants, cafes, shops, and malls.
Although some businesses in Hawaii make an exception for emotional support animals, there aren’t that many in Hawaii. You will generally need to follow the pet policies when entering most establishments.
Hawaii ESA Travel and Flying Laws
As someone who has an emotional support animal in Hawaii, you must follow the pet travel requirements when navigating the state. This includes going between islands with ferries, public transportation within the islands, and ridesharing/taxis.
The same also applies to air travel with an emotional support animal. You must follow the pet travel requirements of the airline you’re flying with, given that none of the airlines that fly to and from Hawaii make an exception for emotional support animals. The Air Carrier Access Act, the federal law that governs air travel with an ESA, used to allow emotional support animals just like service animals, but the law was amended in January 2021.
How to Get an ESA Letter in Hawaii: ESA Letter Hawaii Requirements
An ESA letter is a must-have for everyone who wants to have a legally recognized emotional support animal. This document can only be obtained from a licensed mental health professional in Hawaii, and we can help you connect with one.
Step-by-Step Guide to Getting an ESA Letter in Hawaii
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can get your ESA letter in Hawaii with the help of US Service Animals.
- Schedule a risk-free consultation call.
- Attend the consultation via live video or phone.
- Speak about your symptoms with the mental health professional to decide if an ESA is a good fit for you.
- If it is, receive your diagnosis and have your provider write an ESA letter, essentially prescribing you an emotional support animal for your treatment.
While the above provides a quick overview of the process, you can learn more about it by reading this guide. It covers everything you need to know about the whole process so that you’re fully prepared to get your ESA letter in Hawaii.
What Is a Risk-Free Consultation?
Our process is risk-free because you won’t pay for anything if you find out that you don’t qualify. This is what separates US Service Animals from other ESA providers, which are the same across the country, not just in Hawaii. Simply schedule a consultation call with a mental health professional licensed in your state and discover if you qualify for an emotional support animal.
How Soon Can I Get My ESA Letter in Hawaii?
If you qualify, you can get your ESA letter in as little as 24 hours with US Service Animals. When completing our consultation form, state your need to get your ESA letter urgently (which has an extra $29.99 charge), and we will connect you with a licensed mental health professional right away to evaluate your symptoms and write your ESA letter if an ESA is a good option for your treatment.
ESA Hawaii Registration: ESA Certification in Hawaii
ESA registration confuses many in Hawaii. Contrary to what some might think about the process, ESA registration is completely optional. It isn’t a legal requirement for those with a valid ESA letter; it doesn’t grant any additional protections to emotional support animals and doesn’t replace an ESA letter.
Even though it isn’t a requirement, many Hawaii residents choose to register their emotional support animals to get the added benefits of registration.
When you register an emotional support animal with US Service Animals, for example, you will have the benefit of receiving an ESA certification for your animal, which will include their details and their unique registration number. This certification can serve as additional proof, and anyone can enter their registration number to verify your animal’s status as an emotional support animal with a valid ESA letter. Owners will also have access to our in-house legal support team whenever they need help with ESA claims.
Visit our ESA registration form to learn more about registering your emotional support animal and get the registration process started.
Get an ESA Letter in Cities Across Hawaii
When you set out on getting an ESA letter in Hawaii, your experience will vary depending on your exact location. For example, those in Honolulu will have access to the state’s largest network of mental health professionals, which makes it easy to get an ESA letter, whereas those in places like Hilo will have trouble connecting with a qualified practitioner. Therefore, your location will have a direct impact on your experience, including after getting your letter.
Below, we overview ESA laws in the most popular cities in Hawaii; 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.
Honolulu
As the most populated part of Hawaii, Honolulu boasts a high number of mental health professionals, many of whom are familiar with the ESA documentation process. Those in the Honolulu area will find it easier to connect with a provider to assess their symptoms and determine if an ESA letter is an ideal treatment option.
East Honolulu
East Honolulu is a more suburban area located east of urban Honolulu, but it is located right next to Honolulu’s provider base, so it has a high licensed mental health professional availability. If you live in East Honolulu, you likely won’t face challenges finding a local provider to evaluate your symptoms and write an ESA letter.
Hilo
The largest town on the east side of the Big Island, Hilo has a smaller provider pool, but it is still reasonably good for those living here to connect with a qualified professional to receive a diagnosis and an ESA letter. Hilo also has a high number of pet-friendly rentals, which means providers are less skeptical of those who want an ESA letter.
Kahului
As you can expect, a densely populated residential community like Kahului has a satisfying number of mental health providers serving the town. But many rentals have no-pet policies, coupled with one in five people with a diagnosed mental health condition, which proves that local providers are often unable to meet the demand. This makes many choose telehealth services not just to obtain an ESA letter but to access mental health services.
Pearl City
Those living in Pearl City will have more options for picking a mental health provider, as it is situated in close proximity to Honolulu’s provider network. The high number of no-pet rentals here also makes many interested in obtaining an ESA letter, which increases the demand, resulting in many turning to telehealth services.
ESAs vs Psychiatric Service Dogs in Hawaii
Psychiatric service dogs (PSDs) in Hawaii are dogs that have been trained to help with a psychiatric disability. These dogs are essential for those with psychiatric conditions, and they complete tasks such as interrupting harmful behaviors and reminding the handler it is time to take medication. Which tasks your PSD is trained for tend to remain specific to the type of assistance you require from your psychiatric service dog.
Hawaii service dog laws follow closely what the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) states about these working dogs. In Hawaii, psychiatric service dogs are recognized along with other types of service dogs, such as mobility and medical alert service dogs. As mentioned above, individuals with psychiatric service dogs in Hawaii are able to access public or private spaces with their companion animals as needed.
The biggest difference besides how they are protected is the training requirements. PSDs must be trained to assist their handlers with a mental disability, whereas emotional support animals simply exist and provide comfort through companionship. Another primary difference is the documentation requirements; emotional support animals require an ESA letter from a mental health professional, while psychiatric service dogs don’t require any.
How to Get a Psychiatric Service Dog in Hawaii
Given their legal protections, many in Hawaii consider getting a psychiatric service dog to have assistance in public. If this sounds like you, note that you will have three main options:
- Buying a fully trained psychiatric service dog
- Hiring a professional to train your dog for PSD work
- Training your own dog for PSD work
The first two are the most convenient but also the most costly. A fully trained psychiatric service dog in Hawaii can cost $15,000 to $35,000, whereas private PSD training sessions with a trainer are typically between $150 and $300.
The third option, training your own dog for PSD work, is the most affordable, but requires significant involvement on your end as a dog owner. You will need to consistently train your dog and spare a good amount of time each and every day.
If this is something that you can handle, complete our PSD training course consultation form. Just like helping you get an ESA letter, we can help you train your dog by providing step-by-step video lessons on psychiatric service dog training.
FAQs About Hawaii Emotional Support Animal Laws
Below is our FAQs section for ESA Hawaii laws.
Does Hawaii Recognize Emotional Support Animals?
Hawaii recognizes emotional support animals through the Fair Housing Act. Besides this, emotional support animals don’t have added protections in Hawaii, as the state doesn’t have state-specific laws that grant them rights beyond federal law.
Who Can Write an ESA Letter in Hawaii?
In Hawaii, the same as in other states, only mental health professionals can issue ESA letters. As mentioned above, you must get your ESA letter from a practitioner licensed in your state, so for Hawaii residents, only an LMHP licensed in Hawaii can write an ESA letter.
Are Online Consultations for ESA Letters Legal In Hawaii?
Yes, those living in Hawaii can get their ESA letters online from telehealth services like us. The housing providers in the state cannot deny an ESA letter just because it was issued online, which would be a clear violation of the Fair Housing Act, with Hawaii allowing online consultations.
Can a Landlord Deny an ESA Letter in Hawaii?
Landlords in Hawaii cannot deny an ESA letter just because they don’t want the emotional support animal. However, a landlord can legally deny an ESA if the animal is aggressive, causes a health or safety hazard, or accommodating the animal would cause undue hardship or administrative burden. Discover what all these mean in our guide: when can a landlord deny an ESA?.
Can A Landlord Charge a Pet Deposit for an Emotional Support Animal In Hawaii?
Landlords in Hawaii cannot charge a pet deposit or other extra charges like pet rents or pet fees for an emotional support animal. The Hawaii Civil Rights Commission also published this guidebook on assistance animals as reasonable accommodations in housing, clearly stating that it is unlawful to charge ESAs a higher deposit, rent, or fees. It also mentions that it is unlawful for landlords to require tenants to purchase liability insurance for an ESA.
Are Emotional Support Animals Allowed in Hotels and Airbnbs in Hawaii?
The short answer is no. The Fair Housing Act doesn’t cover hotels or Airbnbs. Although there are many pet-friendly hotels and Airbnbs that will happily accept your emotional support animal, it tends to be more difficult to find pet-friendly accommodation in Hawaii than in many other states. If you plan on traveling to Hawaii with an ESA, note that Hawaii has very strict pet entry requirements that all ESAs and service animals must follow.