Questionnaire first
A brief online questionnaire about your mood, your animal's role and your California home.
Clinicians Licensed in California
California ESA Housing Letters and PSD Evaluations From Clinicians Licensed in California
A private online screening comes first, followed after checkout by a confidential telehealth evaluation with a California-licensed clinician. Registrations are never for sale here; when the evaluation supports one, you receive a genuine clinical letter that California landlords, HOAs and college housing offices can review.
Zero to apply
Golden State clinicians
Refunded on a no
First step free
Take the Free California ESA Screening First
Your answers on how you are doing, the animal at your side and your living situation reach a California-licensed clinician once you check out for a plan; the screening itself is free. With a dog, AB 468 also requires a client-provider relationship of 30 days or more before a letter, which is why an early start helps.
Evaluation by your clinician
The evaluation AB 468 requires, by a clinician licensed in California, with a video visit when it is appropriate.
Your signed California letter
A supported letter is delivered digitally (for a dog, after the 30-day mark); an unsupported request qualifies for our refund policy.
Begin the California Screening
- California-licensed review
- 30-day rule followed
- Money back if declined
California ESA and Psychiatric Service Dog Letter Pricing
Figures shown come straight from our live checkout. Screening is free of charge; after you buy a plan at checkout, a California-licensed clinician evaluates you, and if you do not qualify, the full payment is refunded under our policy terms. Questions? Read our FAQ page or contact us.
California ESA Letter for One Pet
$149
For California renters with one emotional support animal
- Free online screening
- Evaluation by a California-licensed clinician
- Letter for a housing accommodation request
- Digital delivery after approval
- Follow-up clarification for landlords
Most Popular
California ESA Letter for Multiple Pets
$159
For California households where more than one animal gives emotional support
- One screening for all your animals
- Each approved animal named on one letter
- Written for apartments, rentals and HOAs
- Digital delivery after approval
- Guidance if a landlord asks about deposits or pet rent
California Psychiatric Service Dog Evaluation
$199
For Californians whose psychiatric service dog is trained for disability tasks
- Free initial screening
- Evaluation focused on symptoms and trained tasks
- A letter explaining why your disability calls for the dog
- Clinical documentation, not a generic certificate
- Follow-up clarification for housing providers
Bundle Packages
Letters packaged with a certificate or ID card
BUNDLE
ESA Letter + Certificate Bundle
$199
The ESA letter and certificate, packaged together
- ESA letter from a California-licensed clinician
- ESA certificate with QR code verification
- Digital delivery after approval
- Renewal reminders
BEST VALUE
PSD Letter + Certificate + ID Card
$225
PSD letter, certificate and ID card together
- PSD letter from a California-licensed clinician
- PSD certificate with QR code verification
- PSD ID card with photo and barcode
- Digital delivery after approval
Clinically reviewed
Secure payment
California-licensed clinicians
No hidden fees
American Service Animals does not sell ESA registrations. Every California letter follows a real clinical evaluation.
Why Californians Choose American Service Animals
California ESA Letters With a Real Clinical Relationship
From San Diego to Redding, our California letters, for emotional support animals as well as psychiatric service dogs, come from clinicians licensed in the state.
One standard for every letter
No letter leaves our hands without an evaluation by a clinician licensed in California.
- No registry numbers
- No instant approvals
- No letters without a review
Thirty days for an ESA dog
For an emotional support dog, the letter is issued once the 30-day client relationship California requires is in place.
A visit when it is appropriate
Your clinician studies each answer and sets up a video visit any time the evaluation needs one.
Your money back if the answer is no
The screening is free. You pay for the plan before your evaluation, and if the clinician cannot support a letter, that payment comes back under our refund policy.
California Law Since 2022
Five Things AB 468 Asks of a California Clinician
These conditions apply to documentation for an emotional support dog. Letters for a cat or another animal follow California's general fair housing rules instead.
License facts printed on the letter
The clinician must hold a valid, active license and list its number, effective date, jurisdiction and type in the documentation.
A license where you live
Licensure in the jurisdiction where the documentation is provided; California's boards treat that as the place the client is located.
Thirty days first
At least 30 days of client-provider relationship before any documentation, with no set number of meetings in the law.
Evaluated as an individual
An evaluation of the individual about the need for an emotional support dog, not a form filled in at checkout.
A warning about fraud
A spoken or written notice that knowingly misrepresenting oneself as the owner or trainer of a guide, signal or service dog is a misdemeanor under Penal Code 365.7.
A practitioner who skips any condition can face discipline from their licensing board, as the Board of Psychology and the Board of Behavioral Sciences remind their licensees. Our California ESA law guide covers the rest of the statute.
Renting and Raising a Dog in California
What the state's civil rights agency says about no-pet rules, and the health rule every California dog owner shares.
Asking a California Landlord
- An exception to no pets
- The Civil Rights Department lists an exception to a no-pets policy as a reasonable accommodation for a disability.
- No special wording
- A request does not have to be in writing or use the words "reasonable accommodation", and it must be considered promptly.
- One year to complain
- Outside employment, the department's complaint process runs one year from the date you were last harmed.
Keeping a Dog in California
- Rabies after three months
- The Department of Public Health explains that every dog over three months must be vaccinated against rabies with an approved vaccine.
- A local license
- Your city or county issues the dog license, so keep the rabies certificate handy for both the license and a landlord.
- Stores and restaurants
- The ADA leaves emotional support animals out of its service animal definition, so public places can treat yours like any pet.
Our Services in California Cities and Counties
Our ESA letters and psychiatric service dog evaluations are available by telehealth in all 58 California counties. Ten cities also have a local guide.
| City | County | Region | Local guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | San Francisco County | Bay Area | ESA and PSD letters in San Francisco |
| Oakland | Alameda County | Bay Area | ESA and PSD letters in Oakland |
| San Jose | Santa Clara County | Bay Area | ESA and PSD letters in San Jose |
| Sacramento | Sacramento County | Sacramento Valley | ESA and PSD letters in Sacramento |
| Fresno | Fresno County | San Joaquin Valley | ESA and PSD letters in Fresno |
| Bakersfield | Kern County | San Joaquin Valley | ESA and PSD letters in Bakersfield |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles County | Southern California | ESA and PSD letters in Los Angeles |
| Long Beach | Los Angeles County | Southern California | ESA and PSD letters in Long Beach |
| Anaheim | Orange County | Southern California | ESA and PSD letters in Anaheim |
| San Diego | San Diego County | Southern California | ESA and PSD letters in San Diego |
What We Provide Across California
- ESA letters for housing
- For a reasonable accommodation request to a landlord.
- Psychiatric service dog evaluations
- Dogs task-trained for a psychiatric disability.
- Telehealth visits with California-licensed clinicians
- By video, whenever the clinician needs to talk with you.
- Optional certificates and ID cards
- Add-ons to a supported letter, never a substitute for one.
Every one of the 58 counties gets the same service: the screening happens online, and a California-licensed clinician meets you by telehealth when appropriate.
Free help in California
Free Disability and Fair Housing Help in California
If a California landlord pushes back on your animal, these nonprofits answer questions at no cost, while the Civil Rights Department takes formal complaints.
Statewide
Disability Rights California
A nonprofit founded in 1978 that defends the rights of people with disabilities. Its intake form lists housing and animals among the topics it takes questions on. It cannot represent everyone who contacts it, and it does not take on evictions directly.
- 1-800-776-5746
- TTY 1-800-719-5798
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Wednesdays
Regional fair housing groups
Los Angeles and Ventura counties
Housing Rights Center
Free housing counseling and investigation of housing discrimination, with outreach and education.
1-800-477-5977
Marin, Solano, Sonoma and Napa counties
Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California
Fair housing counseling and investigations, from its office in San Rafael.
415-457-5025
California ESA Letter Questions, Answered Plainly
How much does an ESA letter cost in California?
At today's checkout, ESA housing documentation for one pet is $149. There is no fee for the screening; the plan is bought before your evaluation, and when a California-licensed clinician finds no basis for a letter, the full payment comes back to you under the refund policy.
How long does an emotional support dog letter take in California?
At least 30 days. Under AB 468, documentation of a need for an emotional support dog can only follow a client-provider relationship lasting 30 days or longer; the law does not require a set number of sessions.
What must a California emotional support dog letter show?
It must carry the practitioner's license number, the license's effective date, its jurisdiction and its type, and it must come from a practitioner who has clinically evaluated your need for the dog.
Must my clinician hold a California license?
For an emotional support dog, the practitioner must be licensed where the documentation is provided, and California's licensing boards explain that as the client's location, so a client in California needs a California-licensed practitioner.
Does my request to a California landlord have to be in writing?
No. The Civil Rights Department says a reasonable accommodation request does not need to be in writing or use special words, as long as you explain that you need an exception because of a disability.
What is the deadline for a California housing complaint?
Outside employment cases, the Civil Rights Department asks for a complaint within one year of the date you were last harmed.
Written for Californians, this general guidance (current as of October 2026) is no substitute for legal advice. Statutes, agency guidance and local licensing rules may change. Screening does not guarantee a letter. Help is available around the clock: call or text 988. Further reading: ESA rights in brief, how other states handle ESAs, and our story.
Start Your California ESA Evaluation Today
Find out from a California-licensed clinician which letter, if any, fits your animal's role (ESA or psychiatric service dog) and when a dog letter can be written.
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