K9 NIGHT WATCH Report a refusal 988 press 1

Your rights

This is the single most common and most costly misunderstanding in this field. The rule that protects you in a restaurant is not the rule that protects you in an apartment, and neither is the rule that applies on an aircraft. Each panel below quotes the controlling text and cites it. Expand what you need; it all prints.

What a business may ask

  1. Is the dog required because of a disability?
  2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

That is the complete list. And where it is readily apparent that the dog is trained to do work or perform tasks, generally even these may not be asked. 28 CFR 36.302(c)(6); 28 CFR 35.136(f)

What a business may not do

  • Ask about the nature or extent of your disability
  • Require documentation, certification, licensing or proof of training
  • Require the dog to demonstrate its task
  • Impose a surcharge, even where pet owners pay fees
  • Exclude you from areas where the public may go
  • Refuse based on breed, size or weight
  • Insist the dog be separated from you or take charge of its care

Drawn from 28 CFR 36.302(c)(2)–(8) and the parallel provisions at 28 CFR 35.136(b)–(h).

Canada →  ·  México →  ·  Travelling? Air, rail, bus, transit, taxis, hotels, cruises and crossing borders are on the travel page →

Public places, businesses and government Americans with Disabilities Act · 28 CFR 36.104, 36.302(c) · 28 CFR 35.104, 35.136

The ADA definition is where every access argument begins, and it is deliberately broad about disability and deliberately narrow about species and about comfort.

“Service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes of this definition. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability.”

“Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to, … helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors.”

“The crime deterrent effects of an animal’s presence and the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition.”

28 CFR 36.104 (Title III); identical definition at 28 CFR 35.104 (Title II)

Read it carefully and two things follow. A psychiatric disability is squarely inside the definition — the regulation names it twice. And the thing that makes the dog a service animal is the trained task, which is why a handler should be able to state the task in one plain sentence. “She wakes me when I have a nightmare” is a complete and sufficient answer.

Control, and the only two grounds for removal

“A public accommodation may ask an individual with a disability to remove a service animal from the premises if: (i) The animal is out of control and the animal’s handler does not take effective action to control it; or (ii) The animal is not housebroken.”

“A service animal shall have a harness, leash, or other tether, unless either the handler is unable because of a disability to use a harness, leash, or other tether, or the use of a harness, leash, or other tether would interfere with the service animal’s safe, effective performance of work or tasks, in which case the service animal must be otherwise under the handler’s control (e.g., voice control, signals, or other effective means).”

28 CFR 36.302(c)(2) and (c)(4)
  • Properly excluded is not abandoned. If the dog is lawfully removed, the business must still give you the opportunity to obtain its goods and services without the dog present. 36.302(c)(3)
  • Care is yours, not theirs. A public accommodation is not responsible for the care or supervision of a service animal. 36.302(c)(5)
  • All public areas. You must be permitted to be accompanied by the dog anywhere members of the public, clients, customers, patrons or invitees are allowed to go. 36.302(c)(7)
  • No surcharge. Even where people with pets pay fees. You can be charged for damage the dog actually causes, if the business charges everyone for damage. 36.302(c)(8)
Practical note

There is no federal service dog registry, and no ID card, certificate or online registration has any legal effect under the ADA. Businesses cannot demand one, which means you do not need to buy one. Sites selling “service dog registration” are selling a document the regulation already forbids anyone from requiring.

Housing — and the guidance that was withdrawn last year Fair Housing Act · 42 USC 3604(f)(3)(B) · 24 CFR 100.204 · 91 FR 17291

Housing does not run on the ADA. It runs on the Fair Housing Act, and the operative concept is not “service animal” but reasonable accommodation. The statutory duty is to permit a reasonable accommodation in rules, policies, practices or services when necessary to afford a person with a disability equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.

“It shall be unlawful … to refuse to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services, when such accommodations may be necessary to afford such person equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.”

42 USC 3604(f)(3)(B); implemented at 24 CFR 100.204

Because the standard is accommodation rather than the ADA’s task-trained definition, the housing analysis has historically reached animals that would not qualify as service animals in a restaurant, and has treated breed, weight and size restrictions and pet fees as things that must yield where the accommodation is necessary and reasonable.

Current as of this page — read this before relying on older advice

On September 17, 2025, HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity withdrew the two guidance documents that nearly every tenant, landlord and advocacy site still cites: FHEO Notice 2020-01 (“Assessing a Person’s Request to Have an Animal as a Reasonable Accommodation Under the Fair Housing Act,” January 28, 2020) and FHEO Notice 2013-01 (“Service Animals and Assistance Animals for People with Disabilities in Housing and HUD-funded Programs,” April 25, 2013). The withdrawal was announced at 91 FR 17291, Docket No. FR-6571-N-01, published April 6, 2026. HUD stated the withdrawn documents “have been removed from active use and should not be relied upon as authoritative.”

What that does and does not mean matters enormously, so here is the distinction. Guidance is not law. The statute and the regulation were not touched, and HUD said as much in the same notice:

“Any actions that do not comply with the text of the Fair Housing Act continue to be subject to enforcement by the Department. … Notwithstanding an enforcement determination by HUD, the Fair Housing Act provides that complainants may file a civil action in an appropriate Federal district court or state court within two years after the occurrence or termination of the alleged discriminatory housing practice. Nothing in this memo affects the rights of parties to seek redress in the proper court.”

91 FR 17291, 17292 (Apr. 6, 2026)
  • Your statutory right to a reasonable accommodation is intact. What is gone is the agency document explaining how HUD thought the analysis should run.
  • HUD said it will reissue what it finds necessary. The notice states that FHEO “is continuing to review its need for existing guidance” and that guidance determined to be necessary will be reissued.
  • The two-year clock is statutory. A private civil action under the FHA must be filed within two years of the discriminatory act or its termination.
  • Expect landlords to be behind. Many will still quote the 2020 notice; some will wrongly claim the withdrawal removed your rights. Neither is correct, and the statute is the thing to cite.
At work — a different test entirely ADA Title I · 42 USC 12112(b)(5)(A)

This is where handlers most often assume a right they do not have in the form they expect. Employment is governed by ADA Title I, and bringing a service dog to work is a request for reasonable accommodation — not an access right that operates automatically the way it does in a shop.

Discrimination includes “not making reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant or employee, unless such covered entity can demonstrate that the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the business.”

42 USC 12112(b)(5)(A)
  • Your employer may ask for more than a restaurant may. The interactive accommodation process permits reasonable medical documentation of the disability and the need — the two-questions rule does not apply here.
  • The answer is individualized. An employer must grant the accommodation unless it can demonstrate undue hardship, which is a fact-specific showing about that workplace.
  • Ask in writing, and keep the thread. A documented request starts the employer’s obligation and creates the record you would need later.
VA benefits — where the statute and the regulation diverge 38 USC 1714(e)–(f) · 38 CFR 17.148 · Pub. L. 117-37

If you have a PTSD service dog and VA has told you that you do not qualify for the veterinary benefit, the following is worth reading closely, because the governing statute and the governing regulation currently do not match.

What Congress enacted in 2021

The PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act added two subsections to 38 USC 1714:

“(e) The Secretary may provide a service dog to a veteran under subsection (c)(3) regardless of whether the veteran has a mobility impairment.”

“(f)(1) The Secretary shall provide to any veteran described in paragraph (2) a commercially available veterinary insurance policy for each dog provided to such veteran under subsection (b) or (c). (2) A veteran described in this paragraph is a veteran who — (A) is diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder or a visual, hearing, or substantial mobility impairment; (B) has received a dog under subsection (b) or (c) in connection with such disorder or impairment; and (C) meets such other requirements as the Secretary may prescribe.”

Pub. L. 117-37, § 3, 135 Stat. 331–332 (Aug. 25, 2021), adding 38 USC 1714(e)–(f)

What the regulation still says

“VA will provide benefits under this section to a veteran with a service dog only if: (1) The veteran is diagnosed as having a visual, hearing, or substantial mobility impairment; and (2) The VA clinical team that is treating the veteran for such impairment determines based upon medical judgment that it is optimal for the veteran to manage the impairment and live independently through the assistance of a trained service dog.”

38 CFR 17.148(b) — source note 77 FR 54381 (Sept. 5, 2012)

The words “post-traumatic stress disorder” appear nowhere in 38 CFR 17.148, and the section still carries only its original 2012 source note. It has not been amended since the PAWS Act took effect. That is a documented gap between a statutory mandate and an unamended implementing regulation, and it is the thing to raise — in writing, citing 38 USC 1714(f) — if you are refused.

The limit on this argument, stated honestly

Subsection (f) attaches the insurance benefit to a dog “provided to such veteran under subsection (b) or (c)” — that is, a dog provided through VA. It is not, on its face, a benefit for any privately obtained service dog. If your dog came directly from a nonprofit without VA involvement, the statutory argument is materially weaker, and you should get advice from an accredited veterans service organisation rather than rely on this page.

What VA covers, and what it does not

  • Accreditation is mandatory for recognition. The dog and veteran must have completed a program from an organisation accredited by Assistance Dogs International or the International Guide Dog Federation, and the veteran must give VA the completion certificate. 38 CFR 17.148(c)(1)
  • Covered: a commercially available veterinary insurance policy with VA billed for premiums, copayments and deductibles; prescribed medications; medically necessary treatment; and clinically required hardware. 17.148(d)(1)–(2)
  • Not covered: “license tags, nonprescription food, grooming, insurance for personal injury, non-sedated dental cleanings, nail trimming, boarding, pet-sitting or dog-walking services, over-the-counter medications.” 17.148(d)(4)
  • The dog is yours. “The dog is not the property of VA; VA will never assume responsibility for, or take possession of, any service dog.” 17.148(d)(4)
  • Benefits can end. If VA determines the dog can no longer function as a service dog, or that you no longer require one, it must give at least 30 days’ notice before benefits stop. 17.148(e)

The PAWS pilot program

Separately from the benefit above, the Act directed a five-year pilot providing canine training to veterans diagnosed with PTSD as an element of a complementary and integrative health program, at no fewer than five VA medical centers in geographically diverse areas. Partner organisations must certify that they are accredited, must not use shock or prong collars, and must use positive reinforcement. A participating veteran may adopt the dog they helped train if the veteran and their provider agree it is in the veteran’s best interest, and the organisation must then provide follow-up training support for the life of the dog. Participation cannot preclude any other VA care or treatment for PTSD.¹¹

State law — criminal protection, training access, and fraud 50-state survey · Michigan State University College of Law

Federal law sets a floor. State law adds the parts federal law leaves out — in particular criminal penalties for hurting or interfering with a working dog, and public access for dogs still in training. The figures below come from the Animal Legal & Historical Center’s survey of all fifty states.¹²

  • Dogs in training are covered almost everywhere. The ADA does not reach service dogs in training, but state public accommodation law does in forty-nine states. Hawaii is the sole exception.
  • Harming a service dog is a crime in forty-six states. Only Alaska, Iowa, Montana and West Virginia appear to lack an interference, theft or assault provision. Penalties run from a simple misdemeanor for willful interference in New Hampshire to one year of imprisonment and a $10,000 fine in California for intentionally injuring a service animal. Where such laws exist, restitution for injury to the animal is required.
  • Mental state matters. Some statutes reach merely reckless interference, including letting your own dog interfere with a service animal. The more serious offences generally require intentional injury.
  • Faking a service dog is a crime in more than half the states — including by unauthorised use of a vest, harness or orange leash. Usually a misdemeanor. Alabama imposes a Class C misdemeanor plus 100 hours of community service for an organisation serving people with disabilities, rising to a Class B misdemeanor on a second offence; Arizona imposes a civil penalty of up to $250 per violation.
  • Licensing fees are waived in about half the states, sometimes on proof of status. In California a false affidavit of service dog status can carry six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
  • White Cane laws in most states require drivers approaching a pedestrian using a guide or service dog to take reasonable precautions, with fines and restitution for failure.
Why fraud laws are your ally, not your enemy

Handlers sometimes read misrepresentation statutes as a threat. They are closer to the opposite. Every untrained dog passed off as a service animal that then barks, lunges or relieves itself in a shop is the reason the next handler gets challenged at the door. Enforcement of those statutes protects legitimate teams, and the laws are drafted to reach the person making the false claim — not the person who answers the two questions honestly.

If you are denied

Access disputes are usually won at the door by a handler who can name the task and cite the rule, and lost later by one who has no record of what happened. The sequence below is built around that fact.

  1. Answer the two questions, plainly and once

    State that the dog is required because of a disability, and name the task in one sentence. You are not obliged to disclose your diagnosis, and you should not. If the task is nightmare interruption, that is a trained task and saying so is a complete answer.

  2. Ask for the manager, and ask for the refusal in those terms

    Request that the decision-maker state the basis for exclusion. The lawful grounds are narrow: the dog is out of control and you are not controlling it, or the dog is not housebroken. Anything else — no certification, no vest, allergies, company policy, health code — is not a ground the regulation provides.

    28 CFR 36.302(c)(2)

  3. Create the record while you are standing there

    Note the date, time, location, the name and title of the person who refused you, the words they used, and the names of any witnesses. Keep receipts, boarding passes, or the booking confirmation. A contemporaneous note is worth more later than a careful reconstruction.

  4. File with the agency that actually has jurisdiction

    This is where complaints are most often wasted. Businesses, restaurants, hotels, shops and state or local government go to the Department of Justice, which takes civil rights complaints online at civilrights.justice.gov and runs an ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301. Housing goes to HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, 800-669-9777, and you also hold an independent private right of action in federal or state court within two years. Air travel goes to the Department of Transportation’s aviation consumer protection process, and every carrier must make a Complaints Resolution Official available to you — ask for the CRO by name at the airport, before you leave. Public transit goes to the Federal Transit Administration.

  5. Consider state remedies in parallel, not instead

    State public accommodation statutes frequently provide remedies federal law does not, and in forty-six states, injuring or interfering with a service dog is a crime reportable to local law enforcement with restitution attached. State attorneys general and state civil rights agencies take these complaints as well.

One sentence worth memorising

“Under 28 CFR 36.302(c)(6) you may ask whether the dog is required because of a disability and what task it is trained to perform. You may not require documentation.” Said calmly, with the citation, it ends most disputes on the spot — which is the entire reason this page quotes the regulation rather than paraphrasing it.

FAQ

Short answers with the citation attached, so you can check the source rather than take our word for it.

Does a service dog have to be certified, registered or professionally trained?

No. A public accommodation or public entity “shall not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal.” There is no federal registry, and no certificate, vest, ID card or paid online registration carries legal weight under the ADA. The ADA also does not require that the training be done by a professional program.

28 CFR 36.302(c)(6); 28 CFR 35.136(f)
What exactly is a business allowed to ask me?

Two questions: whether the dog is required because of a disability, and what work or task it has been trained to perform. Asking about the nature or extent of your disability is prohibited. And where it is readily apparent that the dog is trained to do work or perform tasks, generally even those two questions may not be asked.

28 CFR 36.302(c)(6)
Can a business make my dog demonstrate its task?

No. The regulation permits asking what task the dog has been trained to perform. It does not authorise requiring a demonstration, and it expressly forbids requiring documentation.

28 CFR 36.302(c)(6)
Can I be charged a pet fee, cleaning fee or deposit?

Not in a place of public accommodation: no surcharge may be required “even if people accompanied by pets are required to pay fees.” You can be charged for damage your dog actually causes, where the business charges all customers for damage they cause. In housing the analysis runs through the Fair Housing Act instead — see the housing panel above.

28 CFR 36.302(c)(8); 28 CFR 35.136(h)
Can a landlord refuse my dog, charge a deposit, or apply a breed or weight limit?

Housing runs on the Fair Housing Act’s reasonable accommodation duty, not the ADA. Note the change: HUD withdrew both FHEO Notice 2020-01 and FHEO Notice 2013-01 effective September 17, 2025, announced at 91 FR 17291. The statute and regulation are untouched, and HUD confirmed that conduct not complying with the text of the Act remains enforceable — but the agency guidance everyone used to cite is no longer authoritative, and you should expect confusion on both sides of the table.

42 USC 3604(f)(3)(B); 24 CFR 100.204; 91 FR 17291
Can an airline require paperwork?

Yes, but only two specific forms: the U.S. DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form, and — on segments scheduled for eight hours or more — the Service Animal Relief Attestation Form. Beyond those the carrier “is not permitted to require documentation.” Complete them after buying your ticket; a form completed earlier is not “current.” Carriers also cannot refuse your dog because of its breed or type.

14 CFR 382.75; 14 CFR 382.72
Is an emotional support animal a service dog?

Not under the ADA, and not in air travel. “The provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship” does not constitute work or tasks, and the air rule expressly excludes emotional support, comfort and companionship animals as well as dogs in training. What makes a psychiatric service dog a service animal is the individually trained task — interrupting a nightmare, interrupting dissociation, deep pressure on cue, retrieving medication.

28 CFR 36.104; 14 CFR 382.3
On what grounds can my dog actually be removed?

Two: the dog is out of control and you do not take effective action to control it, or the dog is not housebroken. If the dog is properly excluded, the business must still offer you its goods and services without the dog present.

28 CFR 36.302(c)(2)–(3); 28 CFR 35.136(b)–(c)
Does VA pay for my PTSD service dog’s veterinary care?

Raise it with your VA team, in writing, citing the statute. 38 USC 1714(f) says the Secretary “shall” provide veterinary insurance to a veteran diagnosed with PTSD who received a dog under 1714(b) or (c). But 38 CFR 17.148 — the implementing regulation — still limits eligibility to a “visual, hearing, or substantial mobility impairment,” never mentions PTSD, and carries only its original 2012 source note. Be aware the statutory benefit is tied to a dog provided through VA, which is narrower than a privately obtained dog.

38 USC 1714(f); 38 CFR 17.148(b)
Can my service dog come to work with me?

Probably, but by a different route. At work this is a reasonable accommodation request under ADA Title I, which the employer must grant unless it can demonstrate undue hardship. The two-questions rule does not apply, so your employer may lawfully seek more information than a shop may. Make the request in writing.

42 USC 12112(b)(5)(A)
Are service dogs in training protected?

Not by the ADA, which covers dogs already trained. State law covers them in forty-nine states; Hawaii is the only state whose public accommodation law does not, which means trainers there are not guaranteed public access.

Wisch, Table of State Assistance Animal Laws (MSU College of Law, 2025)
Is nightmare interruption a real trained task?

Yes. The dog is trained to recognise sleep distress and wake the handler, then maintain contact until they are oriented. It is squarely within the ADA’s own example of “helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors,” and the published sleep trial found roughly halved odds of nightmares among partnered veterans. What the same trial did not find was any objective change in sleep duration or efficiency on actigraphy.

28 CFR 36.104; Bristol et al. 2024
Is it a crime to pass off a pet as a service dog?

In more than half the states, yes — usually a misdemeanor, and often reaching the unauthorised use of a vest, harness or orange leash. Alabama adds 100 hours of community service for an organisation serving people with disabilities; Arizona imposes a civil penalty of up to $250 per violation.

Wisch, Table of State Assistance Animal Laws (MSU College of Law, 2025)

Sources

Peer-reviewed research 14

01Pigeon WR, Campbell CE, Possemato K, Ouimette P. Longitudinal relationships of insomnia, nightmares, and PTSD severity in recent combat veterans. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 2013;75:546–50. PMID 24290044.

02Don Richardson J, King L, St Cyr K, Shnaider P, Roth ML, Ketcheson F, Balderson K, Elhai JD. Depression and the relationship between sleep disturbances, nightmares, and suicidal ideation in treatment-seeking Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans. BMC Psychiatry 2018;18:204. PMID 29921268.

03Pruiksma KE, Slavish DC, Taylor DJ, Dietch JR, Tyler H, Dolan M, Bryan AO, Bryan CJ. Nightmares and insomnia in the US National Guard: mental and physical health correlates. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine 2021;28:238–249. PMID 32495239.

04Leighton SC, Rodriguez KE, Jensen CL, MacLean EL, Davis LW, Ashbeck EL, Bedrick EJ, O’Haire ME. Service dogs for veterans and military members with posttraumatic stress disorder: a nonrandomized controlled trial. JAMA Network Open 2024;7:e2414686. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.14686. PMID 38833250.

05Margolies SO, Rybarczyk B, Vrana SR, Leszczyszyn DJ, Lynch J. Efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral treatment for insomnia and nightmares in Afghanistan and Iraq veterans with PTSD. Journal of Clinical Psychology 2013;69:1026–42. PMID 23629959.

06Rodriguez KE, LaFollette MR, Hediger K, Ogata N, O’Haire ME. Defining the PTSD service dog intervention: perceived importance, usage, and symptom specificity of psychiatric service dogs for military veterans. Frontiers in Psychology 2020;11. PMID 32849004.

07Jensen CL, Rodriguez KE, MacLean EL, Abdul Wahab AH, Sabbaghi A, O’Haire ME. Characterizing veteran and PTSD service dog teams: exploring potential mechanisms of symptom change and canine predictors of efficacy. PLoS ONE 2022;17. PMID 35895599.

08Bristol S, Leighton SC, Schwichtenberg AJ, Campbell RL, Ashbeck EL, Taylor DJ, Bedrick EJ, O’Haire ME. The influence of service dog partnerships on perceived and objective sleep quality for military veterans with PTSD. Frontiers in Sleep 2024. doi:10.3389/frsle.2024.1432919.

15U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. How Common is PTSD in Veterans? Lifetime PTSD 29% among OIF/OEF veterans; 7% among all veterans; 6% general population.

16Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Disaster Technical Assistance Center. First Responders: Behavioral Health Concerns, Emergency Response, and Trauma. Supplemental Research Bulletin, May 2018. An estimated 30% of first responders develop behavioral health conditions including depression and PTSD, versus 20% in the general population.

17Carleton RN, Afifi TO, Turner S, Taillieu T, et al. Mental disorder symptoms among public safety personnel in Canada. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 2018. PMID 28845686. n = 5,813; 15.1% screened positive for one disorder and 26.7% for more than one.

18Zamorski MA, Bennett RE, Rusu C, Weeks M. Prevalence of past-year mental disorders in the Canadian Armed Forces, 2002–2013. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 2016. PMID 27270739. Past-year PTSD 5.3% in 2013; adjusted odds ratio 2.1 versus 2002.

19Medina-Mora ME, Genis-Mendoza AD, Villatoro Velázquez JA, Bustos-Gamiño M, et al. The prevalence of symptomatology and risk factors in mental health in Mexico: the 2016–17 ENCODAT cohort. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2023. PMID 36833803. n = 56,877; post-traumatic stress symptoms 5.7%.

20Meza Peña C, Bravo-Garza AP, Loredo-Villa MA. Después del enfrentamiento: estrés en policías de zona rural del noreste de México. URVIO, Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios de Seguridad 2025. doi:10.17141/urvio.43.2025.6460. n = 112 police and civil-protection personnel, rural Nuevo León; stress, anxiety, depression and burnout measured with the DASS.

United States — law and penalties 8

09Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations and in Commercial Facilities, 28 CFR §§ 36.104, 36.302(c); Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services, 28 CFR §§ 35.104, 35.136. Text as rendered by the electronic CFR, issue date September 30, 2026.

10Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel, 14 CFR §§ 382.3, 382.72, 382.74–382.80 (Doc. No. DOT-OST-2018-0068, 85 FR 79774, Dec. 10, 2020); Transportation Services for Individuals with Disabilities, 49 CFR § 37.167; Fair Housing Act regulations, 24 CFR §§ 100.202, 100.204; VA service dog benefits, 38 CFR § 17.148 (77 FR 54381, Sept. 5, 2012).

11Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act, Pub. L. No. 117-37, 135 Stat. 329 (Aug. 25, 2021), §§ 2–3, adding 38 U.S.C. § 1714(e)–(f).

13U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. Notification of Withdrawal of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Guidance Documents, Docket No. FR-6571-N-01, 91 Fed. Reg. 17291 (Apr. 6, 2026) (effective date of withdrawal September 17, 2025).

14Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq., including § 12112(b)(5)(A); Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B).

3128 CFR 85.5, Civil Monetary Penalties Inflation Adjustment table (DOJ), current amounts for 42 USC 12188(b)(2)(C) (ADA Title III: $118,225 first violation; $236,451 subsequent) and 42 USC 3614(d)(1)(C) (Fair Housing Act: $131,308; $262,614). 28 CFR 36.504(a)(3).

3224 CFR 180.671, assessing civil penalties for Fair Housing Act cases before a HUD administrative law judge: $26,262; $65,653; $131,308. 42 USC 3613 (civil actions; damages and attorney’s fees).

3314 CFR 383.2 (89 FR 106292, Dec. 30, 2024), civil penalty amounts under 49 USC 46301: general $75,000 per violation; $17,062 for small businesses and individuals under 49 USC 41705.

Canada 6

21Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations, SOR/2019-244, ss. 1, 51 (Canada). Text from the Justice Laws Website.

22Guide Dog and Service Dog Act, S.B.C. 2015, c. 17, ss. 1–6.1 (British Columbia). Text from BC Laws.

23Integrated Accessibility Standards, O. Reg. 191/11, ss. 80.45(4), 80.47 (Ontario), under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. Text from Ontario e-Laws, currency date September 30, 2026.

34Canadian Human Rights Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. H-6, s. 53(2)(e) and (3); Canada Transportation Act, S.C. 1996, c. 10, s. 177(1)(b); Guide Dog and Service Dog Act, S.B.C. 2015, c. 17, s. 8.

37Service Dogs Act, S.A. 2007, c. S-7.5, s. 6 (Alberta): fine not exceeding $3,000 for a discriminatory practice under s. 3; $300 for falsely claiming the Act’s benefit.

38Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19, s. 45.2; Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, S.O. 2005, c. 11, s. 37; Charte des droits et libertés de la personne, RLRQ c. C-12, s. 49. Cited by section; figures to be quoted from the statutes.

41Canadian Human Rights Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. H-6, ss. 3(1), 5, 6. Service Dogs Act, S.A. 2007, c. S-7.5, ss. 1, 3, 4, 6 (Alberta King’s Printer). Charte des droits et libertés de la personne, RLRQ c. C-12; The Service Animals Protection Act, C.C.S.M. c. S90; Service Dog Act, S.N.S. 2016, c. 4; Service Animal Act, S.N.L. 2012, c. S-13.2 — cited.

42Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19, ss. 10(1) (“disability”), 45.2(1); Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, S.O. 2005, c. 11, s. 37(3); Blind Persons’ Rights Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. B.7, ss. 1, 2(1), 6(1). Text from Ontario e-Laws, read 2026-10-04.

México 5

24Ley General para la Inclusión de las Personas con Discapacidad, arts. 2 fr. XXVI, 16 fr. III, 17 fr. II, última reforma DOF 14-06-2024 (México).

25Ley Federal para Prevenir y Eliminar la Discriminación, art. 9 fr. XXII Quáter, adicionada DOF 04-12-2023 (México).

26Ley de Aviación Civil, arts. 47 Bis fr. I, 47 Bis 1 (México).

35Ley Federal para Prevenir y Eliminar la Discriminación, arts. 83, 83 Bis, 83 Ter (medidas administrativas y de reparación), última reforma DOF 14-11-2025.

36Código Penal Federal (México), art. 149 Ter, última reforma DOF 13-03-2026. Prison of one to three years or 150–300 days of community service, and up to 200 días multa, for denying a service on discriminatory grounds; penalty increased by one half for public servants, with removal and disqualification.

39Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, art. 1°, últimas reformas DOF 02-06-2026. Ley Federal de Protección al Consumidor, arts. 58, 128 (multas actualizadas DOF 23-12-2025), 128 Bis. Ley Federal del Trabajo, arts. 3° (DOF 15-01-2026), 133 fr. I.

40Ley para la Protección de los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad del Estado de Nuevo León, arts. 2 fr. XXVI, 44 bis–44 bis 7 (adicionados P.O. 24-12-2008). Text from the H. Congreso de Nuevo León.

Agencies, surveys and import rules 5

12Wisch RF. Table of State Assistance Animal Laws. Animal Legal & Historical Center, Michigan State University College of Law, 2025.

27Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Import Reference Document (as referenced in the Health of Animals Regulations), dogs — personal imports; assistance-dog clause; no post-import quarantine.

28SENASICA (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad, Inocuidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria). Requirements and Procedures for Traveling to Mexico with Your Pet. gob.mx, last updated 4 August 2026. New World screwworm inspection document for dogs from the United States; inspection only from Canada.

29U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Entry Requirements for Dogs from Dog-Rabies Free or Low-Risk Countries (reviewed 22 July 2024) and High-Risk Countries for Dog Rabies. Canada and Mexico not listed as high-risk.

30Reglamento de Autotransporte Federal y Servicios Auxiliares (México), terminal accessibility provisions; no service-animal clause.