- Price
- $129 for up to 2 pets; $199 for 3 or more
- Delivery
- Signed letter emailed within 24 hours after approval
- State law
- Tenn. Code Ann. 66-7-111 rejects web certificates
- Where to complain
- Tennessee AG Civil Rights Enforcement Division
How Tennessee ESA Letter works
Book a telehealth evaluation and describe how your condition affects daily life and how your animal helps. A licensed clinician decides whether you qualify. If you do, a signed letter on letterhead is emailed within 24 hours after approval. Your Tennessee landlord can verify it, but they don't get your medical records. If you don't qualify, no letter is issued.
Who it’s for, and who it isn’t
May be a fit
- Tennessee tenants who want a landlord to set aside a pet ban, a cap on animals or a pet fee
- Tenants whose disability or need is not obvious to the landlord
- People who previously bought an online certificate and need proper documentation instead
- Households with more than one support animal
Usually not a fit
- Public places such as shops and restaurants; ESAs have no access rights there
- Air travel; airlines may treat ESAs as pets
- Anyone looking for a certificate or ID card, which Tennessee law specifically discounts
- Anyone under 18
What’s included
- Telehealth evaluation with a licensed clinician
- Signed letter on letterhead showing the clinician's license type, number and state
- No certificate, ID card or registry listing, because Tennessee doesn't treat those as reliable
- $129 covers 1 or 2 pets and $199 covers 3 or more
- Emailed within 24 hours after approval
Possible side effects
- No medical side effects; the main risk is using the letter outside housing
- Knowingly giving a landlord false animal paperwork is a Class B misdemeanor in Tennessee and a lease default
- HUD's May 2026 guidance reviews untrained ESAs case by case, so a landlord may still decline in some cases
This isn’t a complete list. Your clinician reviews risks, interactions and warnings with you before prescribing. In an emergency, call 911.
What the evidence says
Federal law, through the Fair Housing Act and 24 CFR 100.204, requires landlords to consider reasonable accommodations, and HUD's May 2026 guidance treats untrained ESAs case by case. Tennessee's 66-7-111 works inside that framework: it lets you seek exceptions to pet rules and fees, allows reliable documentation requests, and screens out website certificates.
Tennessee law on support animals in rentals
- You may ask for an exception to a no-pet rule, a limit on animals or an animal fee.
- A landlord may request reliable documentation when your disability or your need isn't apparent.
- Paperwork from a site mainly in the business of selling animal certificates or IDs does not count.
- A landlord may check that your letter is genuine but can't obtain confidential or protected medical records.
- Under 66-7-111(g), a landlord who allows the animal as an accommodation isn't liable for injuries it causes.
What a Tennessee landlord can and can't ask
They can ask whether a licensed clinician supports your need and can contact the clinician to confirm the letter is real. They can't ask for your diagnosis in detail or your treatment records.
If your request is denied in Tennessee
The state body for Tennessee Human Rights Act housing complaints is the Attorney General's Civil Rights Enforcement Division. You can also file a federal complaint with HUD. Save your request, letter and any written reply.
Penalties for false claims
Tenn. Code Ann. 39-16-304 makes it a Class B misdemeanor to knowingly mislead a landlord about a disability or hand over fake animal paperwork, and doing so also puts you in default of your lease.
Prescription treatments are available only to eligible patients after a clinical evaluation by an independently licensed clinician.
Tennessee ESA Letter: common questions
Will a Tennessee landlord accept an online ESA certificate?
Usually not. Tennessee law says documents from sites mainly selling animal certificates or IDs are not reliable documentation.
Can my Tennessee landlord call my clinician?
They may verify that the letter is genuine, but the statute does not let them get your protected medical records.
Can a Tennessee landlord charge a pet fee for my ESA?
You can ask for the fee to be waived as part of your accommodation request. Under HUD's May 2026 guidance untrained ESAs are reviewed case by case, so fees may sometimes be allowed.
Who handles fair housing complaints in Tennessee?
The Attorney General's Civil Rights Enforcement Division, or HUD at the federal level.
What does the letter cost?
$129 covers 1 or 2 pets and $199 covers 3 or more.
Sources
We cite government agencies, professional societies and peer-reviewed research. See our editorial policy.
- Tenn. Code Ann. 66-7-111Justia
- Civil Rights Enforcement DivisionTennessee Attorney General's Office
- Enforcement guidance on requests to use an animal as a reasonable accommodation (May 2026)U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development