For many with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD, an emotional support animal can make daily life easier to get through by providing companionship and comfort. Residents in the state of Maryland who require assistance from an emotional support animal do have specific rights regarding their ability to live with their animal.
To benefit from the privileges offered to individuals with an emotional support animal, it is essential to obtain an ESA letter in Maryland. You will sit down for a consultation with a licensed mental health professional (LMHP) and get accurately diagnosed with a mental or emotional condition that qualifies you for an ESA.
If you are not aware of emotional support animal laws, you will not be able to benefit from the protections afforded to those who require an ESA. While some states have their own laws for emotional support animals, all states must follow the federal protections listed for ESAs. This article will primarily focus on emotional support animal laws in Maryland.
Maryland ESA Laws: Summary of Legal Protections
Maryland emotional support animal laws are not exhaustive, and most people can familiarize themselves with them in a matter of minutes. To make the process simple, we have outlined the individual parts of everyday life that may apply to you and your ESA.
Keep in mind that even the laws don’t protect an ESA in all situations, it doesn’t mean you can’t find pet-friendly employment or accommodations.
Emotional Support Animal Maryland Regulations: ESA Laws in Maryland
The following few sections will go over what options you have available once you obtain an ESA letter in Maryland, from housing to air travel.
Maryland ESA Housing Laws
The Fair Housing Act will protect your rights to an ESA when you look into renting in the Maryland area. The act states that landlords are obligated by law to provide a “reasonable accommodation” to anyone with an ESA and the proper documentation. This accommodation must also come with no added fees or deposits for pets.
There are niche exemptions that allow landlords to reject an emotional support animal.If the emotional support animal causes unnecessary financial damage, property damage, or poses a threat to other residents, it can be denied. Similarly, a landlord with four or fewer residences can be exempt from having to comply with the Fair Housing Act.
Maryland ESA Employment Laws
There are no specific laws that allow ESAs into the workplace, like there are with service animals. However, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces the employment section of the Americans with Disabilities Act, does not have any regulations that prevent an ESA from being brought into the workplace.
Many employers canl be accommodating, but it’s important to remember they are not forced to by law. Discuss your needs with your employer and present them with your ESA letter paperwork to begin the process of getting your companion animal allowed at work.
Maryland ESA Travel Laws
If you are looking for grounded travel options that accommodate emotional support animals, you will need to look through individual businesses to find those that approve of travel companions. There are no laws that allow emotional support animals access to buses, trains, or car services, and it will ultimately come down to the policy of the company you do business with.
Maryland ESA Travel and Flying Laws
The Air Carrier Access Act used to state that ESAs can accompany their owners on flights for no additional fee. However, they are no longer considered service animals under the Air Carrier Access Act, so they aren’t guaranteed access any longer. Some airlines may still allow your ESA, if requested, but you’ll likely have to keep them in a carrier and pay a fee.
How to Get an ESA Letter in Maryland: ESA Letter Maryland Requirements
If you want to get an emotional support animal, you absolutely should. They can vastly improve your quality of life and have proven to be effective in minimizing the symptoms of multiple mental afflictions. If you want to legally declare an animal as an ESA, you must get a Maryland ESA letter.
There are many ways to obtain an emotional support animal letter; Maryland has several empathetic physicians willing to prescribe them. You will need to schedule a consultation with a licensed mental health professional, which can be done in-person or online. The physician will determine if you have an eligible mental ailment that can benefit from an ESA.
The following is a list of common mental ailments that make you eligible for an ESA:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- PTSD
- Several Phobias
- Bipolar Disorder (BPD)
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
These are not nearly all of the disabilities that allow someone to have an ESA, and those who feel they can benefit from an ESA should still reach out to licensed professionals. If the LMHP sees a benefit, they will prescribe an ESA letter, which can be used for housing accommodations.
Do You Need an ESA Letter in Maryland?
Regardless of the state you are in, you will need an emotional support animal letter to benefit from laws like the Fair Housing Act. Maryland is no exception, and those looking for an emotional support animal will need to find an LMHP licensed in Maryland to prescribe them a letter based on their mental ailment.
Emotional Support Animal Letter Maryland Process: Getting a Legally Valid ESA Letter
If you aren’t sure where to start, US Service Animals can set you up with a consultation with a licensed mental health provider. A LMHP will meet with you to determine what your diagnosis you may have, how they affect you, and how an ESA could help. Then the LMHP determines whether or not an ESA can benefit you. If they find that an ESA would help alleviate your symptoms, they will write an ESA letter that you can present to your landlord.
Who Can Write an ESA Letter in Maryland?
Unlike some other states, you do not need a prior relationship with your physician prior to receiving an ESA letter. You will need someone who is licensed to practice mental health in the state of Maryland to compose the letter for you. This will require a consultation and their approval that an ESA can improve your daily life.
ESA Maryland Registration: ESA Certification in Maryland
ESA certifications are a great tool to have once you get a Maryland ESA letter. There is no legal requirement to have an ESA certification, and it does not replace an ESA letter, but it can help show your credentials without carrying documents everywhere. It will also allow you to present your ESA information with an easy-to-access ID card.
While an ESA certificate does not require any specific information on it, we ensure that ours show the animal’s registration number, the name of the emotional support animal you rely on, and the date that the certificate was given out.
Get an ESA Letter in Cities Across Maryland
While this article works as a detailed guide to emotional support animal laws in Maryland, it will not cover the more in-depth details surrounding counties, cities, and local areas within the state. If you are interested in learning more about some of the larger cities in Maryland and how to get ESA letters in them, consider reading our articles focused on cities like Baltimore and Columbus.
Below, we provide an overview of ESA laws in the most popular cities in Maryland; 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 Baltimore
Baltimore is a huge city with hundreds of places that allow not just dogs, but most pets. This does not mean that all will be accepting of your emotional support animal, and Baltimore offers no legal privileges to ESAs regarding their ability to accompany you in businesses. But when it comes to housing, you are still able to waive pet fees and no pet policies in accordance with the Fair Housing Act.
ESA Laws in Frederick
If you are going to get an emotional support animal in Frederick, Maryland, you will have no additional protections or restrictions outside of the Fair Housing Act. You will, however, have dozens of restaurants, hotels, and public parks, trails, and shops to choose from. While it isn’t universally pet-friendly, ESA owners can find multiple places to bring their animal in Frederick.
ESA Laws in Rockville
While Rockville offers no additional legal protections, it does offer a city full of accommodating businesses, restaurants, and parks. You can find over a dozen different places to pick up lunch or dinner while your ESA enjoys the comforts that Rockville has to offer, and numerous dog parks and trails.
ESA Laws in Waldorf
A city holding over 82,000 people within its limits, Waldorf is a Maryland hub that lies just south of the nation’s capital. While it does not offer any new protections for ESAs outside of the Fair Housing Act (allowing ESAs into apartments regardless of pet policy), it does have considerable amenities for ESAs.
ESA Laws in Silver Spring
Located on the border of Washington D.C, Silver Spring is a less-congested city outside the more populous capital. As far as protections, like other cities listed, ESAs are granted no additional protections outside of federal-level laws. That does not mean it is without accommodations, and there are dozens of pet-friendly businesses within Silver Spring.
ESAs vs Psychiatric Service Dogs in Maryland
Emotional support animals do not require training and are primarily for the purpose of companionship. They do not have to be a certain breed of animal, or even a certain type of animal. ESAs can and have been dogs, cats, alligators, birds, miniature horses, and many other forms of domesticated pets.
Psychiatric service dogs are a type of service dog that has been trained to help with psychiatric conditions such as PTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, or OCD. They complete disability alleviating tasks that are necessary to assist with mental health or psychiatric conditions.
A psychiatric service dog may retrieve medication and water, wake up their owner at certain times of the day, guide their owner to safe spaces, provide a calming presence, or interrupt negative behaviors.
How to Get a Psychiatric Service Dog in Maryland
Psychiatric service dogs are service dogs that have been trained to help with the mental health conditions.
Psychiatric service dogs help individuals manage their condition by providing support. That could mean interrupting nightmares or harmful behaviors, guiding their owners to safe spaces, and providing deep pressure therapy as a calming method.
They can also be trained to check around corners and inside of rooms for their owner, create a barrier between their owner and others in public, and guard their owners’ backs.
Psychiatric service dogs are able to accompany their owners anywhere in the state of Maryland, according to both state and federal public accommodations regulations. To train your dog for psychiatric service, look into an in-person or online PSD training course.
FAQs About Maryland Emotional Support Animal Laws
To help answer some of the more common questions surrounding Maryland’s emotional support animal laws, we have made a quick FAQ. These questions range from online consultations to whether or not a landlord can reject your ESA, and are primarily focused on Maryland residents.
Does Maryland Recognize Emotional Support Animals?
Yes, Maryland recognizes emotional support animals. While they are not given the same legal protection as a psychiatric service dog or service dog, they do still benefit from laws like the Fair Housing Act.
Are Online Consultations for ESA Letters Legal In Maryland?
Yes, you are able to do online consultations with a licensed mental health professional to see if an emotional support animal can benefit your daily life. The LMHP will need to be licensed to practice within Maryland, however, and those using digital services should always check the LMHP’s credentials prior to any payment.
Can a Landlord Deny an ESA Letter in Maryland?
Not unless they meet very specific criteria that make them exempt. If the ESA causes property damage, threatens the safety or other tenants, or causes undue financial hardship, the landlord is allowed to reject the animal. They can also reject the animal if they have four or fewer units that they oversee. Otherwise, Maryland landlords must accommodate an ESA.
Can A Landlord Charge a Pet Deposit for an Emotional Support Animal In Maryland?
No, an emotional support animal is not classified as a pet under the Fair Housing Act. Because of this, those with ESAs in Maryland will not need to pay a pet deposit or a monthly fee for the animal. This is also true of places with no pet policies, which must make reasonable accommodations for those with emotional support animals.
Can I Bring My ESA to Work in Maryland?
While there is no law requiring Maryland employers to accommodate their employees’ emotional support animals, that doesn’t mean they won’t. The choice will ultimately come down to your individual employer. Many businesses will work with employers, and some may even offer remote work if possible.
Are Emotional Support Animals Allowed in Hotels in Maryland?
Many Maryland hotels do allow for animals to come into your room, though they are not legally required to accept emotional support animals. For those with service dogs, hotels must accommodate your canine.