California Assistance-Animal Accommodation Request and Decision Packet
CALIFORNIA ASSISTANCE-ANIMAL ACCOMMODATION REQUEST AND DECISION PACKET
CALIFORNIA OVERLAY
California treats service animals and support animals as assistance animals, not pets. Current CRD guidance states that a housing provider generally must grant a necessary exception for an emotional-support animal unless a recognized exception applies. If the request is not immediately granted, the provider must engage in a timely, good-faith interactive process. A preferred form may be offered but may not be made mandatory.
CRD's July 20, 2026 legal alert confirms that California protections remain in force despite HUD's narrower May 2026 federal enforcement memorandum. Potential accommodations include exceptions to no-pet rules, pet fees, and breed restrictions; the result remains individualized.
REQUEST
| Item | Information |
|---|---|
| Tenant / applicant | [________________________________] |
| Housing provider and property | [________________________________] |
| Request date | [__/__/____] |
| Animal / species | [________________________________] |
| Requested policy, fee, or restriction exception | [________________________________] |
☐ Trained service animal ☐ Untrained support animal ☐ Classification unresolved
Disability-related limitation, without diagnosis: [________________________________]
Direct and logical connection between the limitation and accommodation: [________________________________]
Reliable information attached, if the disability or need is not apparent: [________________________________]
Please respond promptly and, if the request cannot be granted immediately, begin the interactive process and identify only the information genuinely needed.
Requester signature: ______________________________ Date: [__/__/____]
PROVIDER REVIEW AND DECISION
☐ Request recognized regardless of form or wording
☐ Disability information kept confidential and limited to decision-makers
☐ Necessity and nexus evaluated
☐ Interactive process completed before denial for insufficient information
☐ Undue burden, fundamental alteration, direct threat, or substantial property damage supported by case-specific facts
☐ Pet fee, breed, size, or number rule was not applied automatically to an assistance animal
Decision: ☐ Approved ☐ Alternative accepted ☐ Limited information requested ☐ Denied ☐ Counsel review
Explanation and authority: [____________________________________________________________]
SOURCES AND REFERENCES
About this template
- Last updated
- July 26, 2026
- Citations checked
- July 26, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- California
- Category
- Landlord & Tenant
Legal authority
- Cal. Code Regs., tit. 2, §§ 12005(d), 12176, 12185 (assistance animals and housing accommodations)
- California Civil Rights Department ESA guidance and July 20, 2026 legal alert
- 42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B); 24 C.F.R. § 100.204
Landlord-tenant paperwork governs who can stay in a property, on what terms, and what happens when something goes wrong. Leases, notices to quit, security deposit demands, and habitability complaints all have state and often city-specific requirements for timing, content, and service. Getting the paperwork right is what makes an eviction actually succeed or a security deposit actually come back, because judges regularly dismiss cases over small procedural mistakes.
Not legal advice
This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Checked against the law it cites
A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on July 26, 2026.
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