ESA Letters for Colorado Renters Facing Pet Rent and Pet Deposits
Bring your landlord real documentation, not a registry certificate: start with a free screening, then an evaluation by a Colorado-licensed clinician. Below: what Colorado caps, what it bars and what it leaves to your accommodation request.
From Screening to an Assistance Animal Letter
The paperwork a Colorado landlord takes seriously starts with a clinician's evaluation, not a form you fill in yourself.
- 1
Share your symptoms and rental
A few online questions cover your symptoms, the animal you have and the Colorado rental you live in.
- 2
Evaluation under Colorado rules
A clinician with a Colorado license takes your case and works under the state's rules for housing findings.
- 3
The decision, in writing
When a letter is supported, it comes digitally with your plan. When it is not, you are told so, and a plan bought beforehand is covered by our refund policy.
- Questions answered online
- A CO licensee decides
- A clear yes or no
Pricing
Transparent, One-Time Pricing for Colorado Letters
Compare the current evaluation fees, read live from our checkout. The screening for Colorado renters costs nothing. You pay at checkout before the clinician's evaluation, and when a Colorado-licensed clinician finds no basis for a letter, our refund policy returns the payment on a request made within 30 days of purchase. Questions? Read our FAQ page or contact us.
ESA Housing Letter For One Pet
Clinical review for one emotional support animal and a Colorado housing letter.
$149.00/ one-time
- Official ESA letter if supported
- Licensed professional review
- Valid for 1 year
- Digital copy
- Email support
ESA Housing Letter For Multiple Pets
One evaluation covering the support provided by each of your animals in a Colorado home.
$159.00/ one-time
- ESA letter for multiple pets
- All approved pets on one letter
- Valid for 1 year
- Digital copy
- Priority phone and email support
- Renewal reminders
PSA Letter
A psychiatric service dog evaluation with a clinician licensed in Colorado.
$199.00/ one-time
- Official PSD letter if supported
- Licensed professional review
- Valid for 1 year
- Digital copy
- Email support
Bundle Packages
Compare the combined letter and document options.
ESA Letter + Certificate Bundle
An ESA letter and certificate together in one document package.
$199.00/ one-time
- Official ESA letter if supported
- ESA certificate
- Licensed professional review
- Valid for 1 year
- Digital copy
- Email support
PSD Letter + Certificate + ID Card
A PSD letter, certificate and ID card in one package.
$225.00/ one-time
- Official PSD letter if supported
- PSD certificate
- PSD ID card
- Licensed professional review
- Valid for 1 year
- Digital copy
- Priority email support
Need help choosing? Take the free screening first or compare every plan. Documentation depends on clinical approval; optional certificates and cards do not establish access rights.
Why Colorado Renters Choose American Service Animals
What we provide is evidence for a housing request: an ESA letter or PSD letter written by someone licensed to evaluate you in Colorado.
Documentation built for the conversation about pet charges
Colorado licensure
Your clinician is licensed in Colorado and the letter names that license, so a property manager can confirm who wrote it.
A real written finding
It records the clinician's finding on disability and need, the document Colorado's licensing laws call for, never a paid listing.
A refund when it is a no
Paid for a plan and no letter could be supported? Send a refund request within 30 days of purchase, and under our refund policy the whole payment comes back.
The Short Answer for Colorado Renters
Three kinds of animal, three different rules.
How Colorado treats each animal
- A pet: the landlord may charge, but only up to the caps in C.R.S. 38-12-106.
- A trained service dog: no extra charge in housing at all, under C.R.S. 24-34-803.
- An emotional support animal: the statutes do not set a fee rule, so the answer comes through your accommodation request.
What does not change
Your rent, your ordinary security deposit and responsibility for real damage stay the same whatever kind of animal you have.
The deposit still follows Colorado's return rules, set out further down this page.
Colorado Pet Deposit Laws, Statute by Statute
Four provisions decide what a Colorado landlord may collect for an animal.
The pet caps
An extra pet deposit of no more than $300, refundable, and pet rent of no more than $35 a month or 1.5 percent of the rent, whichever is greater.
What a pet is
The caps borrow this definition: an animal kept as a household pet. It says nothing about assistance animals either way.
Service dogs pay nothing extra
A person with a disability may keep a trained service animal in housing without paying any extra charge for it, and is liable for damage it causes.
Where ESAs stand now
Since August 12, 2026, emotional support animals are assistance animals under Colorado housing law. The act does not mention pet fees, deposits or rent.
What a Colorado Landlord May Charge, Animal by Animal
Read across a row to see how the same charge lands on a pet, a service dog and an emotional support animal.
| Charge | Pet | Service dog | Emotional support animal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly pet rent | Allowed up to $35 or 1.5% of rent, whichever is greater | Not allowed: no extra charge | Not addressed by statute; ask for it to be waived in your accommodation request |
| Extra pet deposit | Allowed up to $300, and it must be refundable | Not allowed: no extra charge | Not addressed by statute; same request |
| Ordinary security deposit | Allowed | Allowed | Allowed |
| Real damage | Deductible beyond normal wear and tear | The handler is liable | Deductible beyond normal wear and tear |
How to Ask a Colorado Landlord to Drop Pet Charges
Because Colorado leaves ESA fees to the accommodation request, the way you ask matters.
- Request the accommodation in writing and attach your letter from a Colorado-licensed clinician.
- Name each pet charge on your lease or ledger, with its amount.
- Ask for it to stop from the date the accommodation is approved.
- Ask about amounts already paid and whether they will be credited or refunded.
- Keep the replies. If the answer is no, you have one year to bring it to the Colorado Civil Rights Division.
Sample wording
"I am requesting a reasonable accommodation to keep my assistance animal in unit [number]. Documentation from my Colorado-licensed clinician is attached."
"Because this animal is an assistance animal rather than a pet, I am asking that the pet rent of [amount] and the pet deposit of [amount] be removed from [date]."
"I remain responsible for my ordinary security deposit and for any damage the animal causes."
Getting a Colorado Security Deposit Back
Whatever animal you live with, C.R.S. 38-12-103 sets the return rules for the deposit.
A month from the end of the lease or from the surrender and acceptance of the unit, whichever happens last; a lease may set a longer period, but never more than sixty days.
Normal wear and tear is never a lawful reason to keep deposit money.
Any amount withheld must come with a written list of the exact reasons, sent along with the balance; a landlord who skips it forfeits the right to withhold anything.
Treble the amount wrongfully kept, plus attorney fees and costs, after the tenant gives seven days' notice before suing.
A lease clause waiving these protections is void.
If a Colorado Landlord Says No
Two state and local routes for a refused assistance animal request.
Every Colorado county
One yearThe Colorado Civil Rights Division handles housing discrimination complaints from every part of the state, filed within one year of the discriminatory act.
Denver addresses
180 daysThe Denver Anti-Discrimination Office covers homes inside the City and County of Denver, with complaints due within 180 days.
Questions About Pet Fees and ESAs in Colorado
Six answers on pet charges and assistance animals in Colorado rentals.
Is pet rent allowed for an emotional support animal in Colorado?
Colorado's statutes do not answer this directly. The pet rent cap in C.R.S. 38-12-106 applies to pet animals, and HB26-1045 made emotional support animals assistance animals under state housing law without mentioning fees, so ask for pet rent to be dropped as part of your accommodation request and get the answer in writing.
What is the most a Colorado landlord can charge for a pet?
For a pet animal, the extra deposit can be at most $300 and has to be refundable, and monthly pet rent can be at most $35 or 1.5 percent of the rent, whichever is greater.
Does a service dog cost extra in a Colorado rental?
No. Under C.R.S. 24-34-803, no extra charge may be made in housing for a trained service animal, though the handler is still responsible for damage the animal does.
Can a landlord still deduct for damage an ESA causes?
Yes. The ordinary security deposit can pay for damage beyond normal wear and tear, whatever caused it. Colorado law still forbids holding back money for normal wear and tear, and anything kept needs a written statement of the reasons.
Should I ask for pet charges I already paid to be refunded?
You can ask. Put the accommodation request in writing first, then ask the landlord to stop pet charges from the approval date and to credit or refund amounts already collected, and keep every reply. No Colorado statute sets a refund rule for this situation.
Where can I complain if a Colorado landlord refuses my assistance animal?
File with the Colorado Civil Rights Division within a year of the discriminatory act. For a home inside Denver, the Denver Anti-Discrimination Office is another option, with a 180-day deadline.
Related Colorado Housing Guides
More on assistance animals in Colorado housing, from landlord checks to HOA rules.
General information for Colorado tenants, current as of October 2026, and not legal advice. Colorado statutes and local rules can change, and leases differ, so confirm details with your landlord or a lawyer. Screening does not guarantee a letter. In a crisis, call or text 988, day or night.
Get Documentation Before the Pet Fee Talk
Take the free screening now. If a clinician licensed in Colorado supports your request, you receive an ESA letter or a PSD letter to bring to that conversation.
