Your clinician's license is public
The signature comes from a Wisconsin-licensed clinician whose license appears on the letter, ready for you to confirm in the state's public lookup.
Clinicians Licensed in the Badger State
Emotional Support Animal? Wisconsin-Licensed Clinicians Evaluate You for ESA and PSD Letters
The ESA letter Wisconsin landlords, HOAs and campus housing offices can ask to see should come from a person, not a registry. Talk privately with a licensed clinician by video or phone, and if your need is supported, you get a signed ESA housing letter or psychiatric service dog letter.
Wisconsin clinicians
Free online questions
Live phone or video
Free first look
How to Get an ESA Letter in Wisconsin, From Free Screening to Live Session
How to get an ESA in Wisconsin comes down to three steps: a free screening, a plan settled at checkout, and an evaluation with a clinician who holds a Wisconsin license.
1Say what daily life looks like
Tell us about your symptoms, your home and your animal. These questions show whether a clinical evaluation makes sense for you.
2Settle a plan, then join your live session
A Wisconsin-licensed clinician takes your case once your plan is settled. Every case gets a guaranteed live telehealth session, by phone or on video, and more than one if your clinician wants it. That session is included in every evaluation, to build a proper clinician-client relationship and meet Wisconsin law, which speaks of a clinician and "his or her patient".
3Hear what your clinician decides
A supported need ends in a signed letter, stored in your account as a digital document. An unsupported one means our refund policy applies.
Begin the Free Questions
- No cost for the questions
- A live session, video or phone
- Clinician licensed in Wisconsin
Pricing
Wisconsin ESA and PSD Pricing in Plain Numbers
These amounts come from our live checkout. The screening is free, and a plan is settled at checkout ahead of the evaluation. If a clinician licensed in Wisconsin cannot support a letter, our refund policy applies: a full refund if you do not qualify, requested within 30 days of purchase, and none after a letter is issued and delivered. See the FAQ page or contact us.
ESA Housing Letter For One Pet
For one animal and one Wisconsin housing letter, if your clinician supports it.
$149.00/ one-time
- ESA Documentation
- Licensed Professional Review
- 24-48 Hour Processing
- Valid for 1 Year
- Digital Copy
- Renewal Reminders
- Email Support
- 24-48 Hour
Most Popular
ESA Housing Letter For Multiple Pets
For a Wisconsin household with more than one support animal, each approved animal named on one letter.
$159.00/ one-time
- ESA Letter For Multiple Pets
- All Pets Included in One Letter
- 24-48 Hour Processing
- Valid for 1 Year
- Digital Copy
- Priority Phone & Email Support
- Renewal Reminders
- Save $99!
- 24-48 Hour
PSA Letter
For Wisconsin handlers who need a clinician to document a disability and the need for a trained dog.
$199.00/ one-time
- PSD Documentation
- Licensed Professional Review
- 24-48 Hour Processing
- Valid for 1 Year
- Digital Copy
- Renewal Reminders
- Priority Phone & Email Support
- 24-48 Hour
Bundle Packages
Letters bundled with optional documents.
Bundle
ESA Letter + Certificate Bundle
A Wisconsin ESA letter with an optional certificate that carries no access rights.
$199.00/ one-time
- ESA Documentation
- ESA Certificate
- Licensed Professional Review
- 24-48 Hour Processing
- Digital Copies
- Priority Phone & Email Support
- 24-48 Hour
Letter + Certificate + ID
PSD Letter + Certificate + ID Card
A PSD letter with an optional certificate and ID card. Neither one grants access or trains a dog.
$225.00/ one-time
- PSD Documentation
- PSD Certificate
- PSD ID Card
- Licensed Professional Review
- 24-48 Hour Processing
- Digital Copies Only
- Priority Phone & Email Support
- 24-48 Hour
Clinical review
Secure payment
Digital documents
One-time plan fee
Not sure which plan fits? Start the free Wisconsin screening first, or see all our plans together. A letter always needs a clinician's decision; certificates and ID cards are optional extras, not a substitute for the evaluation.
Why American Service Animals
A Wisconsin ESA Letter Built on a Real Evaluation, Not a Registry
Wisconsin lets a landlord ask for documentation and can penalize a tenant or clinician who misrepresents a need, so a Wisconsin emotional support animal letter worth having is one a person stands behind.
Meant for no-pet leases
Our ESA letters exist for one job: the no-pet lease, the condo board, the campus housing office. Each names the approved animals and shows an expiry date.
An evaluation that can end in no
A plan buys an honest evaluation, not a result. When a need is not supported, your clinician says so and our refund policy takes over.
PSD letters and their limits
A psychiatric service dog letter covers two points: your disability, and the reason a trained dog helps. The training stays your job; no letter replaces it or certifies the dog.
You will not find a letter with no live session behind it here. Read more about American Service Animals.
Wisconsin's own wording
Emotional Support Animal: Wisconsin Wrote the Term Into Its Housing Law
Searching ESA Wisconsin rules usually ends at Wis. Stat. 106.50, the state's open housing law. ESA housing: Wisconsin tenants who know these three tests can read any request or refusal for themselves.
Test one: the animal
One that "provides emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship" and is not trained to perform tasks. The City of Madison's civil rights office reads that as any type of animal, so it need not be a dog.
Test two: the need
A landlord or condo association may request "reliable documentation" of two things: that you have a disability, and your disability-related need for the animal. Madison's office adds that owners are not entitled to know the type of disability or how the animal helps.
Test three: the signature
The need is documented by a "licensed health professional": a physician, psychologist, social worker or other health professional "licensed or certified in this state" and acting within that license.
| Who signed the document | Licensed or certified in Wisconsin | Acting within that license | Fits the definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin-licensed psychologist, clinical social worker or counselor who evaluated you | Yes | Yes | Fits |
| Your Wisconsin doctor or nurse practitioner, as part of your care | Yes | Yes | Fits |
| Therapist licensed only in Minnesota, Illinois or another state | No | Not here | Does not fit |
| Wisconsin license holder writing outside that license's scope | Yes | No | Does not fit |
| Registry site or online certificate with no clinician behind it | No | No | Does not fit |
Why the evaluation has to be real
Wisconsin puts money behind this. Under 106.50(2r)(br), a person who intentionally misrepresents a disability, or misrepresents the need for the animal, to obtain housing forfeits not less than $500. A licensed health professional who misrepresents a patient's disability or need forfeits not less than $500 too. An emotional support animal letter Wisconsin tenants hand over is only as strong as the evaluation behind it. That is why a real evaluation by a Wisconsin-licensed clinician matters: your clinician can say no, and a live telehealth session is included in every evaluation. The table above answers who may sign, not how a dispute ends.
Wis. Stat. 106.50(2r)(br)
Wisconsin Emotional Support Animal Laws in Six Plain Clauses
Wisconsin ESA laws on housing fit in one short run of the statutes. These are the emotional support animal laws Wisconsin renters and buyers live under, in the text published July 1, 2026.
- (br)1
No refusal, eviction or harassment
With a disability and a need tied to it, you are protected: refusing to rent or sell to you, causing your eviction, demanding "extra compensation" as a condition of staying, or harassing you over the animal all count as discrimination.
- (br)2
Documents a landlord can request
An owner, lessor, agent or condominium association representative may ask for reliable documentation of your disability and of your need from a licensed health professional.
- (br)3
Your side of the bargain
You accept liability for sanitation and for damage the animal causes to the premises.
- (br)4
Four listed grounds to refuse
No disability, need or paperwork; undue burden; a direct threat from the specific animal; or substantial physical damage. The next section takes them one at a time.
- (br)5
A $500 floor for renters and buyers
The forfeiture for intentionally misrepresenting a disability, or misrepresenting the need, to obtain housing.
- (br)6
A $500 floor for clinicians
The same floor for a licensed health professional who misrepresents a patient's disability or need.
Refusals
When a Wisconsin Landlord Can Say No, and Your Best Next Move
Can a landlord deny an ESA in Wisconsin? Yes, on the four grounds in (br)4. Each has a practical answer, and the last two look at "the specific animal in question", so evidence about your own animal matters.
The landlord's moveYour move
1.
You are not disabled, have no disability-related need, or did not provide the documentation requested.
Send what was asked for. Madison's civil rights office says owners are not entitled to know the type of disability.
2.
Allowing the animal would mean an undue burden, financial and administrative, or a fundamental change to the landlord's services.
Ask for the reason in writing, with specifics. A no-pet rule on its own is the policy you are asking to change.
3.
This particular animal endangers someone's health or safety, and no other reasonable accommodation can reduce or eliminate the risk.
Show this animal's record, such as vet notes and its behavior at past homes, and offer a fix the landlord can weigh.
4.
This particular animal would do substantial physical damage to property, and no other reasonable accommodation can reduce or eliminate it.
Propose a practical safeguard, and point out that you already carry liability for damage under (br)3.
Ask in writing and keep the trail
- Write to your landlord, manager or condo association and attach your documentation. Madison's housing guide gives the same advice for modification requests: write them down "so that you have a record of what you asked for and when".
- Adapt the city's sample accommodation request letter, offered in English and Spanish, if you want a model.
- Note every date. The filing deadlines further down this page start running when the refusal happens.
Emotional support animal: Wisconsin rental laws
Who Pays for What When Your ESA Moves In
The statute bars requiring "extra compensation" as a condition of staying when you have a disability-related need. It never uses the words pet rent or pet deposit, so here is how the money lines up.
What the rule targets
- Extra compensation as a condition of continued residence, once a disability and need are shown.
- The City of Madison lists charging "a higher rate or deposit because of a support animal" as discrimination under state law.
- Its housing guide adds that you should not have to pay additional fees for housing accommodations.
What stays on you
- Liability for sanitation and for damage the animal causes to the premises.
- Deductions for unpaid rent or for damage caused by you or your guests.
- The ordinary deposit rules that apply to Wisconsin tenants generally, listed below.
- 7 days
- from the start of the tenancy to inspect the unit and return the check-in sheet, if a security deposit is required.
- 21 days
- after a move-out at lease end for the landlord to return your deposit, less lawful deductions.
- In writing
- any deduction comes with a statement itemizing the amounts withheld.
- Twice the loss
- can be recovered in court when a landlord breaks the deposit rules, says the DATCP tenant guide.
Trained animals
Wisconsin Service Dog Laws and the ADA, Side by Side
Wisconsin service animal laws define the term in Wis. Stat. 106.52, and that definition is not the one in the ADA. A service dog Wisconsin law protects in public can still be in training, and the animal need not be a dog. Both laws can apply at the same door.
| Wis. Stat. 106.52 | The question | Federal ADA |
|---|---|---|
| Not limited to dogs: the statute adds "or other animal" with individual training for work or tasks. | Which animals count? | Dogs individually trained for a task. Miniature horses have a separate provision. |
| Covered: the definition reaches an animal that "is being trained". With a trainer it wears a harness or a leash and special cape. | Dog not fully trained yet? | Not covered: the dog "must already be trained" before going into public places. |
| Is this a service animal needed for a disability, or one being trained? | Allowed door questions | Is the dog needed for a disability? What work has it learned to do? |
| None from a person with a disability. A trainer can be asked for a training school's credential. | Any paperwork at the door? | None can be required for entry, and online certificates "do not convey any rights". |
| No higher price than the regular rate, "including a deposit or surcharge". | Deposits or surcharges? | No fees that patrons without animals are not charged. |
| If it would fundamentally alter what is offered or jeopardize safe operation. | When can it be kept out? | When it is not housebroken or the handler does not control it, or when admitting it would fundamentally alter the service. |
The City of Madison tells property owners not to ask about the type of disability or the work the animal performs, a tighter line than the ADA's second question. See the ADA service animal FAQ for the federal side.
Service dog jobs the statute names
What are the different types of service dogs? Wisconsin sorts them by the work they do: guide dogs, signal dogs that alert to sound, and animals that pull a wheelchair, fetch dropped items, or do minimal protection or rescue work. That list follows the word "including", so it is not closed, and the ADA counts a dog taught to sense an anxiety attack and respond.
Getting a dog ready for psychiatric tasks
In public, for a psychiatric service dog, Wisconsin asks for training, not paperwork. First comes a clinical judgment about whether trained tasks would help your disability. The dog then learns that work, and under the ADA you may train it yourself.
Why a PSD letter helps at home
Paper matters at home. Under 106.50(2r)(bg) a landlord may ask for documentation of your disability and need for an "individually trained" animal, unless they are readily apparent or known. That clause does not say "being trained", so finish training before you rely on it. A PSD letter records the disability and need; the dog's training is a separate job.
Students
Campus Housing: What UW-Madison Asks of an ESA Owner
A letter alone does not move an animal into a residence hall. UW-Madison publishes its process in policy UW-148 and its university housing rules, so use them as a checklist, then ask your own campus disability office for its form.
Ahead of the move-in date
- Approval comes first, and documentation is required.
- Students apply through the McBurney Disability Resource Center.
- UW says requests made fewer than 60 days before move-in may not be met in the first semester.
Inside the building
- The animal stays in your assigned room or apartment and the shared areas of that building.
- Outside your unit it is leashed, crated or caged.
- Without separate approval it stays out of other rooms, dining halls, classrooms and libraries.
Each year on campus
- An annual clean bill of health from a licensed veterinarian.
- A back-up caregiver ready for emergencies.
- Questions go to University Housing, (608) 262-2522.
Other Wisconsin campuses set their own forms and dates, so ask the disability office before you sign a housing contract.
Registries
Emotional Support Animal Wisconsin Registration: Why No Official List Exists
If you came here asking how to register an emotional support animal in Wisconsin, the honest answer is that you cannot. There is no ESA registration Wisconsin recognizes, the statute never mentions one, and paying a website does not change what a landlord may request. The real path is simpler: the animal can be one you already live with, and what counts is a licensed clinician's evaluation of your need.
- A registry listing or animal ID
- No role in the statute, whoever sells it.
- An online certificate on its own
- The ADA FAQ says these documents convey no rights under the ADA.
- Our certificates and ID cards, if you add them
- Extras with no access rights and no substitute for the evaluation.
- A licensed health professional's documentation
- What a Wisconsin landlord may actually request.
Owners of dogs
Wisconsin Dog Laws That Still Apply to Your ESA
An emotional support dog? Wisconsin licenses it like any other dog. A letter shapes your housing request, not the rules every owner follows, and the paperwork most dogs need is a local license and a rabies certificate.
Yearly dog license tax
Owners of a dog over 5 months old pay the dog license tax each year. The state minimum is $3 for a spayed or neutered dog and $8 otherwise, local governments can charge more, and a $5 late fee applies if you have no license before April 1.
Rabies shots by the calendar
Wis. Stat. 95.21 requires a rabies shot by 5 months of age and another within a year. A dog brought into Wisconsin after that age has 30 days unless it has a current certificate, and the license needs proof of vaccination.
No license tax on service animals
Wis. Stat. 174.055 exempts a service animal, as 106.52 defines it, from the tax, and the owner gets a free license each year on application. That exemption does not name ESAs.
Tag, control and damage
Off your premises a dog must be under control, and outdoors it wears its tag unless securely fenced in (174.042). An owner is liable for the full amount of damage the dog causes (174.02).
Deadlines differ
Filing Offices and Deadlines After a Wisconsin Refusal
A Wisconsin housing refusal gives you one year to file, and a public place that refused a service animal gives you 300 days. Pick the box that matches what happened, and write down the date of the refusal first.
A home anywhere in Wisconsin
File with the DWD Equal Rights Division within one year, on form ERD-10240. It can investigate, hold hearings and offer mediation, and by statute it must help you complete a complaint if you ask. Madison 608-266-6860, Milwaukee 414-227-4384.
Madison rentals and condos
The city's Department of Civil Rights takes housing complaints within 365 days when the act happened in the city. Complaints about UW entities, Dane County agencies or the state are transferred to the Equal Rights Division. Phone 608-266-4910.
A shop or cafe refused a service animal
This is a public-place complaint under 106.52: file with the Equal Rights Division no more than 300 days after the act. A willful first violation carries a forfeiture of $100 to $1,000.
Circuit court instead
A housing suit under 106.50(6m) also has one year, and the time pauses while an agency proceeding on the same complaint is pending. The federal Fair Housing Act has a separate two-year window for private suits.
Lawyers and advocates who may help
- Legal Action of Wisconsin: free legal help for those who qualify, (855) 947-2529. It merged with Judicare Legal Aid in January 2026, so northern Wisconsin applies here too.
- Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee: free civil legal services in Milwaukee County, including its Eviction Free MKE program.
- Disability Rights Wisconsin: protection and advocacy statewide, 800-928-8778.
- Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council: statewide complaint intake line, 1-877-647-3247.
- State Bar of Wisconsin Lawyer Referral and Information Service, (800) 362-9082, as listed in the DATCP guide.
Every county, by telehealth
Our Services in Wisconsin Cities and Counties
All 72 Wisconsin counties are served by telehealth, so a home in Door County or Iron County gets the same live session as an apartment in Milwaukee. For regional detail, read our Wisconsin service area guide.
What we offer in every county
- ESA housing letters, single or multiple pets
- PSD evaluations for trained dogs
- Telehealth sessions by video or phone
- Optional certificates and ID cards
ESA and PSD letters in these cities
- Milwaukee, Milwaukee County
- Madison, Dane County
- Green Bay, Brown County
- Kenosha, Kenosha County
- Racine, Racine County
- Appleton, Outagamie County
- Waukesha, Waukesha County
- Eau Claire, Eau Claire County
- Oshkosh, Winnebago County
- Janesville, Rock County
- West Allis, Milwaukee County
- La Crosse, La Crosse County
- Sheboygan, Sheboygan County
- Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County
Check it yourself
Look Up a Wisconsin Clinician Before You Rely on a Letter
The statute turns on a license "in this state", so check the name on any letter, ours included. The Department of Safety and Professional Services tells the public to choose "License Lookup" on the top blue bar of its site.
- Licensed Professional CounselorMarriage and Family Therapy, Professional Counseling, and Social Work Examining Board
- Marriage and Family TherapistThe same examining board, its Marriage and Family Therapist section
- Licensed Clinical Social WorkerThe same examining board, its Social Worker section
- PsychologistPsychology Examining Board
- Physician, MD or DOMedical Examining Board
- Advanced Practice Registered NurseBoard of Nursing
Credential names and boards come from the DSPS professions list. Look for your clinician's exact name and a current credential.
Asked in Wisconsin
Questions We Hear From Wisconsin Renters and Handlers
How much does an ESA letter cost in Wisconsin?
The screening is free. Today's checkout price is $149 for a Wisconsin letter covering one animal, with separate plans for several animals and for PSD letters. The plan is paid before the evaluation. Under our refund policy, a full refund applies if you do not qualify and request it within 30 days of purchase, and none applies after a letter is issued and delivered.
What makes a Wisconsin resident eligible for an ESA letter?
Two things, and your clinician weighs both. You need a disability: in the statute's words, an impairment that "substantially limits" major life activities, whether physical or mental. Your need for the animal then has to relate to it. A diagnosis alone does not settle either point.
Is a free ESA letter in Wisconsin ever legitimate?
Can you get an ESA letter for free from your own clinician? Sometimes. If you already see a Wisconsin-licensed therapist or doctor, ask them directly, since documentation can come from them when it is within their scope. Our screening is free, but our letters are not, because the plan pays for an evaluation. Treat a free letter from a website with no clinician as a warning sign.
Can an out-of-state clinician write the ESA letter Wisconsin landlords ask for?
Not under the statute's wording. Its definition reaches a professional licensed or certified in this state and acting within that license, so a therapist licensed only elsewhere falls outside it. That is why a Wisconsin client of ours sees a clinician who holds a Wisconsin license.
Does an emotional support animal Wisconsin law protects need training?
No. The statute describes an animal that gives support or companionship and is not trained to perform tasks. A landlord can still turn down an individual animal that endangers people or would badly damage property when no reasonable accommodation solves it.
Does Wisconsin make you wait 30 days or see someone in person for an ESA letter?
No. Wis. Stat. 106.50 has no 30-day or in-person rule, and the 2025 bill that would have added a 30-day relationship was vetoed. A live video or phone session is still included in every evaluation, because your clinician has to know you before writing anything.
Do Wisconsin laws on emotional support animals reach stores and restaurants?
No. They are housing laws, and an ESA has no right to enter a public place. Entry rights belong to trained service animals under 106.52. The City of Madison says an ESA goes into a public place only if the business has agreed to an accommodation, so ask first and expect that the answer may be no.
Can my ESA fly with me from Milwaukee or Madison?
Plan on it traveling as a pet. Federal air rules say ESAs are not service animals, and we write our letters for housing, so check with your airline before you book. A trained service dog is different: airlines may ask for the DOT service animal form.
Does a second animal need its own Wisconsin letter?
Not always. One letter can list several approved animals if your clinician supports each one. Wisconsin's tests still apply animal by animal: your need for each, and a landlord may look at each specific animal for direct threat or damage.
Does a Wisconsin ESA letter ever run out?
The statute sets no expiry period. Our letters carry an expiry date, and a housing provider may look at that date when deciding whether documentation is reliable, so plan a fresh evaluation before it passes or before a new lease.
Talk With a Wisconsin Clinician, Starting With a Free Screening
One clinician with a Wisconsin license, a live session and an honest answer: that is the whole process, whether you rent in Superior, own a condo in Madison or study in La Crosse.
A person decides
Private sessions
Live telehealth visit
