Emotional Support Dog Virginia Laws

West virginia enforces the laws established in the federal fair housing act that protect those in need of an emotional support animal from discrimination from landlords.

Emotional support dog virginia laws.

West virginia laws on service dogs and emotional support animals by lisa guerin j d. When virginia laws allow you to bring a service dog or emotional support animal to public places or housing. However this is not something that you can simply ask for and receive. In this article we ll cover all you need to know about getting an esa in virginia.

This is because under both virginia and federal law there s little to no difference between an emotional support animal and a wheelchair ramp that helps you enter your building. While this may seem counter intuitive there s very little point in thinking of any type of support animal as an animal when it comes to housing laws. In order to get an emotional support animal in virginia you ll be required to consult a licensed mental health professional. For example the virginia code defines a service dog as a dog that was specifically trained to perform tasks that benefit a person with a disability.

By lisa guerin j d. Generally speaking the two main differences between service dogs and emotional support animals center on 1 the animal s level of training and 2 the severity of the owner s needs.