An emotional support animal (ESA) letter provides legal protections for you and your emotional support animal. While you can still have pets that perform the function of an emotional support animal without this letter, to live with them in properties with ‘no pets policies,’ you’ll need a letter of evidence that a licensed mental health provider has prescribed them.
Any species of animal can be an emotional support animal if it can provide comfort to its owner. However, they must be prescribed by a locally licensed mental healthcare professional to be valid emotional support animals.
What Is an Emotional Support Animal?
An emotional support animal is a type of animal that provides support to people with mental or emotional disabilities. They can help their owners lead healthier and happier lives by providing emotional comfort and reducing feelings of loneliness and isolation.
They can also help people manage symptoms by providing a sense of security. For example, people with anxiety may find that having their emotional support animal with them reduces their anxiety symptoms.
Emotional support animals don’t have to be dogs but can be any animal. Some popular emotional support animals include cats, birds, and even miniature horses in some cases. Unlike service animals, ESAs do not need to be trained to carry out a specific task.
However, like service animals, they do have to be well-behaved. Otherwise, their owners would be troubled by a misbehaving animal rather than finding comfort in it.
Who Can Qualify for an ESA in Nashville?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines an ESA as an animal that provides comfort to a person by being with them. They are suitable for people living with a number of emotional and mental health disorders. Qualifying conditions to be considered for an ESA include but are not limited to:
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Depression
- Generalized anxiety
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Social anxiety
- Social shyness
- Stress disorders
What Are the Benefits of Having an ESA Letter in Nashville?
Because the laws around emotional support animals in Tennessee are so limited, having a valid ESA letter in Nashville means you’ll have peace of mind knowing that you’re protected under the Fair Housing Act. This allows you to live with your emotional support animals in almost any circumstance.
Other benefits of an ESA letter may include:
- Reduced feelings of isolation, which is particularly important in a large city like Nashville, where you may find it difficult to get social support.
- Lessened symptoms. Having another living being relying on you means you’re more likely to take care of yourself in order to care for your emotional support animal properly.
- Reduced stress, as emotional support animals can help to lower a person’s stress levels in high-stress situations.
How to Get an Emotional Support (ESA) Letter in Nashville
The full process of obtaining an ESA letter may seem daunting at first, and you may not know where to start. Luckily, it usually follows the same steps.
- First, you need to find a mental health professional licensed in Tennessee who understands the benefits of having an emotional support animal.
- Then, you need to arrange an appointment where you can discuss your situation with them. You’ll need to be prepared to answer questions about your condition that prevents you from performing certain tasks and discuss why you think an emotional support animal will help you overcome these difficulties.
- If the provider agrees that an emotional support animal will benefit your situation, they’ll write you a letter prescribing you an ESA.
The letter must contain a few key details in order to be legal. It must:
- Be written on letterheaded paper
- Contain the name and license number of the mental health professional who wrote the letter
- Confirm that you have a condition covered under the ADA
- Attest that your emotional support animal will help you manage this condition
- Contain the date of issue
- Include details of your animal, including their name and their breed
Less reputable companies may suggest that they can provide you with an ESA letter from a mental healthcare professional outside of your state or even outside of the US. However, these are not legal emotional support animal letters. In order to be valid, your ESA letter must be written by a mental healthcare provider not only licensed in the United States but specifically licensed in your state. US Service Animals can connect you to someone licensed in Tennessee who can discuss your case and write your letter if appropriate.
How to Get an Emotional Support Letter (ESA) in Nashville With U.S. Service Animals
US Service Animal’s streamlined process makes getting an emotional support animal letter simple and easy.
- First, you can call USSA or use this link to set up a free consultation.
- After submitting your request, you’ll be paired with a licensed mental healthcare provider. That way, you can be sure that you’re speaking with a provider legally practicing in Tennessee.
- Then a phone or video session will be scheduled with this provider.
- During these calls, you’ll discuss your situation and circumstances and explain why you believe an emotional support animal is right for you.
If your mental healthcare provider agrees that an ESA is the right treatment for you, they’ll write you a letter to that effect.
What Are the Laws About ESAs in Nashville?
Tennessee’s laws are very limited around emotional support animals—no specified provisions exist for ESAs. However, they do have to abide by the ADA’s regulations around emotional support animals, so despite the lack of specifics, you are still protected in Nashville.
Can I Fly With an ESA in Nashville?
The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) has recently undergone a major amendment that significantly shifts the way emotional support animals are treated. This change means that emotional support animals are now considered pets, not service animals. This means that airlines are no longer required to permit people to fly with their ESA in the cabin of the aircraft.
People wanting to fly with their emotional support animal may be subject to fees and have to adhere to the airline’s specific regulations for pets. These vary depending on the airline, so it’s important to check with the airline before you travel. If you definitely need to fly with your ESA, you may wish to consider training them to become a psychiatric service animal, as these are protected under the ACAA.
Can I Live With an ESA in Nashville?
The Fair Housing Act (FHA) protects the rights of individuals diagnosed with an emotional support animal to live with their animals in housing with “no pets” policies.
Unlike standard pets, emotional support animals are not subject to the following:
- Breed restrictions, including landlord restrictions, city restrictions, and state restrictions
- Weight limits
- Size limits
- Pet rent
- Pet security deposits
- Pet fees
This means landlords usually have to accept tenants with emotional support animals even if they don’t accept pets.
Can I Bring My ESA to Work With Me in Nashville?
Again, the laws in Nashville don’t offer any protections over those under the ADA and Fair Housing Act. Emotional support animals don’t have public access rights. This means you’re not entitled to bring your emotional support animal to work with you. However, many workplaces are recognizing the importance of emotional support animals. So you may be able to arrange a meeting with your HR department where you can ask them to make accommodations for your ESA. Having a valid emotional support animal letter may strengthen your case.
What Exceptions Are There to ESA Laws in Nashville?
Landlords can deny your rights under certain circumstances, for example, if the animal:
- Poses a threat to others
- Is aggressive
- Is destructive
Additionally, although landlords are not allowed to charge pet rent or fees, you will still be liable for repairs if your emotional support animal damages the property.
Finally, an ESA letter does not give your animal the right to public access, meaning you cannot take them to places where pets are otherwise not allowed.
Where Can You Take Your ESA in Nashville?
Nashville is a great city for those with an emotional support animal. The city offers many pet-friendly locations, activities, and attractions that are perfect for you and your ESA. From parks and beaches to restaurants and shopping centers, you’ll find plenty of places to explore with your ESA in Nashville.
- You and your dog can take a guided photo walk tour of Nashville’s most glamorous neighborhood, The Gulch. Have photos taken at iconic spots, colorful murals, popular landmarks like “The Nashville Wings,” and more. Contact the host before booking to notify them you will bring a furry friend and receive your pro-edited shots within five days after the tour.
- Fans of the popular television show, The Dukes of Hazard, won’t want to miss Cooter’s Run by Ben Jones, the actor who played Cooter on the show, this attraction features props, costumes, and other memorabilia from the show. Leashed dogs are welcome to join you to tour the property.
- BarkPark is a private dog park that offers day, month, or annual passes. As well as being a great place for your pups to socialize and get some exercise, BarkPark also offers some classes for your dog. The park has lots of fenced-in space for running around without a leash and also features paddling pools and splash pads.
- White’s Mercantile is a store that sells unique gifts, accessories, and home decor items and has a section of high-quality pet items. The store will welcome you and your dog into the store, and their employees give out dog treats to their four-legged shoppers.
- One pet of any size can join you at the Hotel Indigo Nashville with an additional fee of $75 per stay. A grass area for pet relief is across the street from the hotel. Both dogs and cats are allowed, and well-behaved ESAs can be left unattended in rooms; just make sure a Do Not Disturb sign is put on the door.
Important Facts About ESAs in Nashville
Everyone should know a few important facts about ESAs in Nashville.
- Emotional support animals are not guaranteed the right to visit public spaces.
- They are not guaranteed the right to be in airplane cabins with you or on any other public transport.
- They are not guaranteed the right to be allowed to stay with you in a hotel.
- An ESA can be any species of animal and are not limited to dogs.
- Although they can be helpful in certain circumstances, certificates and registrations are not legally binding—only your ESA letter is.
- Emotional support animals don’t require training to perform specific tasks. Only service dogs do. However, they must be non-aggressive, non-destructive, and generally well-behaved.
- In order to get a legal ESA letter, you must be diagnosed by a mental health professional licensed in Tennessee.
Get an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Letter in Nashville Today
Emotional support animals can be a great help to anyone living with emotional or mental difficulties. They can enhance your life in many ways, from being a constant source of affection to making you amend the way you live your life so that you can properly care for them.
It’s essential that anyone wanting an emotional support animal make sure that they get an ESA letter to support their rights and keep them and their animal protected by the law. If you think that an emotional support animal is right for you, schedule your risk-free consultation with USSA today to begin your emotional support animal journey now.