Rules, but no pet fees
You follow the rules that apply to every resident, but you may not be charged a pet fee, pet deposit or extra rent; you pay for physical damage when pet owners would.
Virginia-Licensed Telehealth Clinicians
Virginia ESA Letters for Your Rental and PSD Evaluations by a Licensed Clinician
A private telehealth evaluation puts you in touch with a Virginia-licensed clinician. We skip registries and shortcuts entirely; if your evaluation supports it, a real ESA or PSD letter follows for Virginia apartments, rental houses, HOAs and dormitories.
Screening at no fee
Old Dominion clinicians
Refund on denial
Start with a clinician
Hear From a Virginia Clinician First
Virginia lets a landlord ask for documentation from someone with whom you have or had a therapeutic relationship, and a mental health service provider is the first example the law gives. The screening is free; after checkout, a Virginia-licensed clinician takes up your answers, and if that clinician supports no letter, the payment is returned under our refund policy.
Begin the Virginia Screening
- Virginia-licensed reading
- A true therapeutic relationship
- Section 36-96.3:1 aware
Answers on your schedule
Online questions covering your symptoms, your animal and your Virginia home, finished whenever you have time.
A licensed reading
Once you check out, a Virginia-licensed clinician reads your answers closely and arranges video time when appropriate.
Letter by download
A supported letter comes to you digitally; if none is supported, the plan you bought is refunded under our refund policy.
Virginia ESA and Psychiatric Service Dog Letter Pricing
Pulled from checkout in real time, each figure here is current. Screening costs nothing. Your chosen plan is purchased first, the evaluation second, and if a Virginia-licensed clinician finds you do not qualify, the full payment comes back to you as our refund rules provide. Questions? Read our FAQ page or contact us.
Virginia ESA Letter for One Pet
$149
For Virginia renters with one emotional support animal
- Free online screening
- Evaluation by a Virginia-licensed clinician
- Letter for a housing accommodation request
- Digital delivery after approval
- Follow-up clarification for landlords
Most Popular
Virginia ESA Letter for Multiple Pets
$159
For Old Dominion households relying on more than one emotional support animal at home
- One screening for all your animals
- Each approved animal named on one letter
- Written for apartments, rentals and HOAs
- Digital delivery after approval
- Advice when a landlord brings up deposits or pet rent
Virginia Psychiatric Service Dog Evaluation
$199
For Virginians partnered with a dog trained in psychiatric tasks
- Free initial screening
- Evaluation focused on symptoms and trained tasks
- Written explanation of why your disability calls for this dog
- Clinical documentation, not a generic certificate
- Follow-up clarification for housing providers
Bundle Packages
Letters that come with a certificate or ID card
BUNDLE
ESA Letter + Certificate Bundle
$199
ESA letter with a matching certificate
- ESA letter from a Virginia-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 Virginia-licensed clinician
- PSD certificate with QR code verification
- PSD ID card with photo and barcode
- Digital delivery after approval
Clinically reviewed
Secure payment
Virginia-licensed clinicians
No hidden fees
American Service Animals does not sell ESA registrations. Every Virginia letter follows a real clinical evaluation.
Why Virginians Choose American Service Animals
Virginia ESA Letters Measured Against Four Standards
From Arlington to Abingdon, four standards every Virginia letter from us meets.
- Standard 1
Signed by a clinician licensed in Virginia, whose credential appears in the state lookup described below.
Met - Standard 2
Based on an evaluation: your clinician weighs every answer and adds a video session when appropriate.
Met - Standard 3
Free of registry listings and instant approvals; the letter is the clinician's documentation, nothing else.
Met - Standard 4
Refunded when it is a no: you buy the plan before the evaluation, and a no means our refund policy repays it in full.
Met
Va. Code Title 36, Chapter 5.1
Six Parts of Section 36-96.3:1
Virginia added Section 36-96.3:1 to its Fair Housing Law in 2017 and amended it in 2023. Our Virginia ESA law guide goes further.
What Virginia calls an assistance animal
Section 36-96.1:1 defines it as an animal that works, assists or performs tasks for a person with a disability, or provides emotional support that eases one or more identified symptoms or effects of the disability.
It does not have to be individually trained or certified, it can be an animal other than a dog, and the law says plainly that it is not a pet.
The Virginia Fair Housing Office adds a warning: owning an assistance animal, even one registered or certified, does not by itself make anyone disabled under fair housing law. The request rests on the disability.
When proof is off limits
Where your disability is obvious or already known, or the need is plain, verification of the disability cannot be demanded; where only the need is unclear, only the need can be verified.
Papers a landlord may request
Inside those limits, a landlord can request reliable documentation of both the disability and the need, which may come from anyone you have or had a therapeutic relationship with.
A duty to evaluate
The person who receives the request must evaluate it, along with any reliable supporting documentation you provide.
Who has that relationship
A mental health service provider, a licensed or certified provider serving people with disabilities, or, with actual knowledge of your disability, a free peer support group member, a caregiver, a reliable third party or a government entity.
No fake paperwork
None of those people may provide fraudulent supporting documentation; a violation is a prohibited practice under Section 59.1-200 of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
At Home and in Public in Virginia
The housing law and the public places law ask different things of you and your animal.
| Question | In your Virginia home | In restaurants, hotels and transit |
|---|---|---|
| Which animals | Any assistance animal, dog or not, under the Fair Housing Law. | Dogs trained as guide, hearing or service dogs, under Section 51.5-44. |
| Emotional support only | Covered, because the definition includes emotional support that eases a symptom of the disability. | Not covered: the section names trained dogs, and the ADA does not count emotional support animals as service animals. |
| Extra charges | No pet fee, pet deposit or additional rent. | No extra charge for the dog. |
| Damage | You pay for physical damage when residents with pets would. | You are liable for any damage the dog does to the premises or facilities. |
| Gear | The housing law asks for none. | Guide dogs in harness, hearing dogs on a blaze orange leash, service dogs in a harness, backpack or vest that identifies them. |
| If you are refused | File in writing within one year under Section 36-96.9; the Virginia Fair Housing Office has the complaint form. | Under Section 51.5-46 you may sue in circuit court within one year, but only if you sue or mail a written claim by registered mail within 180 days. |
Our Services in Virginia Cities and Counties
Virginia's 95 counties and 38 independent cities all have telehealth access to us for ESA letters and PSD evaluations; seven cities also have a local guide.
Hampton Roads
- Virginia BeachIndependent city, part of no countyESA and PSD letters in Virginia Beach
- ChesapeakeIndependent city, part of no countyESA and PSD letters in Chesapeake
- NorfolkIndependent city, part of no countyESA and PSD letters in Norfolk
- Newport NewsIndependent city, part of no countyESA and PSD letters in Newport News
Northern Virginia
- AlexandriaIndependent city, part of no countyESA and PSD letters in Alexandria
- ArlingtonArlington CountyESA and PSD letters in Arlington
Central Virginia
- RichmondIndependent city, part of no countyESA and PSD letters in Richmond
What We Provide Across Virginia
Six of the seven are independent cities that sit outside any county. Counties and independent cities alike follow one path: screening online, then telehealth with a Virginia-licensed clinician when appropriate.
- Emotional support animal letters for housing
- Evaluations for a psychiatric service dog
- Video care from Virginia-licensed clinicians
- Certificates and ID cards, optional
Virginia license lookup
Look Up a Virginia Clinician in the DHP License Lookup
The Virginia Department of Health Professions publishes the credentials its boards issue in a free License Lookup.
Occupations to search for
- Counseling
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist; Licensed Professional Counselor
- Social Work
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychologist
- Medicine
- Medicine; Osteopathic Medicine
- Nursing
- Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
“This serves as primary source verification of the credential issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
Search by license number, or by occupation, name, state, ZIP code and status. Licenses that expired since January 1, 2000 are listed too, so read the status.
Open License LookupTrainees appear under their own occupations, such as Resident in Counseling or Resident in Psychology, so check the exact one listed.
Virginia ESA Letter Questions From Renters
What does a Virginia ESA letter cost today?
At today's checkout in Virginia, one pet's ESA housing letter sells for $149. Screening costs nothing; the plan is paid before your evaluation and repaid in full under our refund policy if the Virginia-licensed clinician who evaluates you supports no letter.
Can a Virginia landlord charge a pet fee for an emotional support animal?
No. Section 36-96.3:1 says a person keeping an assistance animal may not be required to pay a pet fee or deposit or any additional rent, though the tenant pays for physical damage when pet owners would.
Does a Virginia assistance animal need training?
No. Virginia's definition says an assistance animal is not required to be individually trained or certified, may be an animal other than a dog, and is not a pet.
Who can write documentation for a Virginia assistance animal request?
Someone with whom you have or had a therapeutic relationship: a mental health service provider, a licensed or certified provider serving people with disabilities, or, with actual knowledge of your disability, a free peer support group member, a caregiver, a reliable third party or a government entity.
What happens if someone supplies fake documentation in Virginia?
Anyone in those groups who provides fraudulent supporting documentation commits a prohibited practice under Section 59.1-200 and is subject to the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
What is Virginia's deadline for a fair housing complaint?
Under Section 36-96.9, a complaint must be filed in writing within one year after the alleged discriminatory housing practice occurred or ended. The Virginia Fair Housing Office has the form.
Virginians: the facts here are general information (current as of October 2026), never legal advice. The Code of Virginia and agency procedures are revised from time to time. Screening does not guarantee a letter. If things feel overwhelming, call or text 988 at any moment. For more, see your ESA rights, ESA laws across the states, or the story of American Service Animals.
Start Your Virginia ESA Evaluation Today
Let a Virginia-licensed clinician decide which, if any, letter fits the support your animal gives: ESA or PSD.
First step free of charge
Hills to shore
Honest verdict
