Lawmakers To Regulate Renters With Emotional Support Animals

An Indiana bill is aiming to put stricter restrictions on Hoosiers that claim their animal is an emotional support animal, or ESA.

Lawmakers this year passed Senate Bill 240, which allows a landlord with a ‘no pets allowed’ policy to require potential renters with an emotional support animal to provide verified proof of the need from a health service provider.

The bill says that if a renter provides false documentation of an ESA, they can be charged with a Class A infraction with a fine of up to $10,000.

Executive Director of the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana Amy Nelson says this deters residents who need EMA’s from seeking proof.

“It puts fear upon them that they may not know their rights or understand their rights, and that they have a legal right to have these animals and then be hesitant to ask,” Nelson says.

Nelson says she worries the bill would add a barrier for medical professionals.

“An individual doctor may not be willing to get even involved in a legal process even when a request might be justified out of fear that that medical professional may have to be dealing with fighting off an infraction,” Nelson says.

But Program Director at Indiana Canine Assistance Network Sally Irvin says she supports the bill. She says that new websites have increased false documentation of EMA’s.

“I’m hoping, as I think the writers of the bill are, that [it discourages] the other people that are abusing the system and essentially claiming that they have a disability … to bring this animal into usually restricted living situations,” Irvin says.

The bill is awaiting Gov. Eric Holcomb (R-Ind.)’s signature for final approval.