Meet privately by video with an Ohio-licensed mental health clinician. If the evaluation supports it, you get a signed ESA letter or psychiatric service dog letter for your lease, whether home is a Short North apartment in Columbus or a rental in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo or Akron.
Neil Armstrong was born and raised near Wapakoneta. Your first step is a smaller one: a free online screening that a clinician licensed in Ohio reviews.
A few minutes of questions on your mental health, the animal at your side and the Ohio home you rent or want to rent.
A clinician licensed in Ohio reviews your answers and, when it is clinically appropriate, meets you by private video.
If the clinician supports a letter, the signed letter arrives digitally once your plan is in place.
These prices are pulled live from our checkout. Screening for Ohio residents is free. You can pick a plan here before the evaluation or after a clinician licensed in Ohio supports a letter; if you pay first and do not qualify, our refund policy gives you a full refund. Questions? Read our FAQ page or contact us.
For Ohio tenants with one emotional support animal
For Ohio households with more than one emotional support animal
For Ohio handlers whose dog is trained to do tasks for a psychiatric disability
Letters with a matching certificate or ID card
ESA letter plus a certificate in one package
PSD letter, certificate and ID card together
Three promises behind every emotional support animal letter and psychiatric service dog letter we provide in Ohio.
Each evaluation is done by a mental health professional who holds an Ohio license, and the letter carries that clinician's signature.
Ohio's civil rights rule lets a person with a disability keep an animal assistant without an extra charge; a letter documents the disability-related need behind your request.
A clinician weighs how your symptoms affect daily life and why the animal helps before any letter is written. If you buy a plan first and do not qualify after the evaluation, our refund policy gives you a full refund.
The Ohio Civil Rights Commission's housing rule, Ohio Adm.Code 4112-5-07, carries out the ban on disability discrimination in housing in R.C. 4112.02. Its animal paragraph, in focus:
Paragraph (C), animal assistants
A person with a disability who has or obtains an animal assistant is entitled to keep it in housing they buy, lease, rent or sublease, and "shall not be required to pay any extra charge for such animal assistant but shall be liable for damage done by the animal assistant to the premises."
Ohio Adm.Code 4112-5-07(C), in effect since April 11, 2023.
Ohio Adm.Code 4112-5-02(C) defines it as any animal which aids persons with a disability, and gives three examples:
The rule does not say whether an emotional support animal is an animal assistant.
When a person with a disability needs a change to a rule, policy, practice or service to have an equal chance to use and enjoy a home, the rule calls for that reasonable accommodation.
If housing is refused because of disability, the owner, landlord, proprietor or agent has the burden of establishing the basis for the refusal.
A provider may defend a refusal by showing a direct threat to other people's health or safety or substantial physical damage to their property, but the rule says such defenses are closely scrutinized and speculative evidence of hazards will not suffice.
Two Ohio rules meet here: the animal assistant rule above and the security deposit statute, R.C. 5321.16, which sets no maximum deposit.
Worked example: rent of $1,000 a month, a $1,500 deposit, and a tenant who stays at least six months.
In its May 22, 2026 enforcement memorandum, HUD told its investigators to find reasonable cause only where the animal is individually trained for disability-related work or tasks. Ohio's animal assistant rule and R.C. 5321.16 are state law the memo leaves in place, and we found no Ohio Civil Rights Commission statement about it.
The Ohio Civil Rights Commission takes housing charges free of charge, as its housing page and filing guide explain.
Mediation first. The parties are generally offered mediation; if it fails or a party declines, an investigator takes the case.
Other routes. HUD also takes charges within one year (800-669-9777). A lawsuit is due within one year in a county court of common pleas under R.C. 4112.055, or within two years in federal court under 42 U.S.C. 3613; no charge is needed first.
Contact. Rhodes State Office Tower, 30 East Broad Street, 5th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215; (614) 466-2785 or toll-free 888-278-7101.
Telehealth makes our Ohio service statewide: all 88 counties, from the Three C's to the small towns between them. Each city below is listed with its county.
What we provide across Ohio: from Lake Erie to the Ohio River, each county gets one process: an online screening, then a video evaluation by an Ohio-licensed clinician.
Read the Ohio guide
"At American Service Animals, providing compassionate support at scale is essential. With our licensed professionals, we assist individuals across multiple states, delivering timely evaluations and trusted guidance, reducing uncertainty and simplifying the certification process, so our team can focus on meaningful, high-quality care for every client."
We work exclusively with licensed mental health professionals authorized to practice in Ohio and most states
Generic online registries or certificates, without a clinical evaluation, do not replace a legitimate ESA letter from a nationally licensed provider.
Serving clients in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, Dayton, Parma, Canton, Youngstown, Lorain, and all cities across Ohio.
Start Your Free EvaluationA one-pet Ohio ESA housing letter costs $149. The Ohio screening itself is free. If you buy a plan first and the clinician does not support a letter after your evaluation, our refund policy gives you a full refund when you ask within 30 days of purchase.
Under HUD's May 22, 2026 memo, HUD itself acts only where the animal is individually trained for disability-related work or tasks. Ohio's animal assistant rule is state law that the memo does not rewrite, and we found no Ohio Civil Rights Commission statement responding to it.
Ohio Adm.Code 4112-5-07(C) says a person with a disability who has an animal assistant shall not be required to pay any extra charge for it, but is liable for damage it does to the premises. The rule defines an animal assistant as any animal which aids persons with a disability; it does not say whether an emotional support animal qualifies.
Under Ohio Adm.Code 4112-5-07, a landlord who refuses housing because of disability has the burden of establishing the basis for the refusal. A provider may point to a direct threat to other people's health or safety or substantial physical damage to their property, but such defenses are closely scrutinized and speculative evidence of hazards will not suffice.
Ohio guidance looks at the disability-related need: when the need for an animal is not obvious, a housing provider may ask for information about it, as the Ohio Housing Finance Agency's accommodation guide explains. Every letter we provide comes from an Ohio-licensed mental health clinician, after a clinical evaluation.
You sign the charge form before a notary, and the Commission starts its investigation once the notarized form with your original signature arrives. Mediation is generally offered first; if it does not resolve the charge, or a party declines it, an investigator takes the case.
File with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission or with HUD within one year of the discriminatory act. A lawsuit is due within one year in an Ohio court of common pleas under R.C. 4112.055, or within two years in federal court, and you do not need to file a charge first.
No. No Ohio agency registers emotional support animals, and online ESA registries are private companies, not government records. Ohio's dog law still requires dogs three months or older to be registered with the county auditor, the same as any other dog.
This page explains Ohio rules, current as of October 2026, as general information and not legal advice. Rules and agency practice change, and each housing case depends on its facts. A free screening does not promise a letter. Learn more about your ESA rights, look up ESA laws in other states, or meet the team behind this page. If you feel unsafe or overwhelmed, call or text 988 day or night.
Begin with a free screening; an Ohio-licensed clinician then helps you decide between an ESA letter, a letter for your psychiatric service dog, or no letter at all.
