New York Assistance-Animal Accommodation Request and Decision Packet
NEW YORK ASSISTANCE-ANIMAL ACCOMMODATION REQUEST AND DECISION PACKET
NEW YORK OVERLAY
New York's 2020 chapter 137 amended Executive Law § 296 to state expressly that a reasonable housing accommodation may include use of an animal to alleviate symptoms or effects of a disability. Current Homes and Community Renewal guidance identifies waiver of a no-pets policy for a person who requires an animal because of disability as a common accommodation.
This state route is not limited to animals individually trained to perform work or tasks. HUD's May 2026 enforcement memorandum narrows federal FHEO enforcement but does not amend New York law. A 2026 bill proposing additional service-animal and emotional-support-animal rules is not treated as enacted law in this packet.
REQUEST
| Item | Information |
|---|---|
| Tenant / applicant | [________________________________] |
| Housing provider / property | [________________________________] |
| Request date | [__/__/____] |
| Animal / species | [________________________________] |
| Requested policy, fee, or condition change | [________________________________] |
Animal role: ☐ Trained work or tasks ☐ Alleviates disability symptoms or effects ☐ Unclear
Disability-related limitation, without diagnosis: [________________________________]
How the animal alleviates symptoms or effects relevant to housing: [________________________________]
Healthcare-provider or other reliable support, if reasonably needed: [________________________________]
Requester signature: ______________________________ Date: [__/__/____]
PROVIDER REVIEW AND DECISION
☐ New York animal-accommodation route reviewed independently of HUD enforcement policy
☐ Disability-related benefit and requested policy change evaluated
☐ Local, rent-regulatory, subsidy, and program rules checked
☐ Only information genuinely needed for the decision requested
☐ Alternatives and any individualized limitation considered
Decision: ☐ Approve ☐ Alternative ☐ Request limited information ☐ Deny ☐ Counsel review
Reasons and authority: [____________________________________________________________]
SOURCES AND REFERENCES
About this template
- Last updated
- July 26, 2026
- Citations checked
- July 26, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- New York
- Category
- Landlord & Tenant
Legal authority
- N.Y. Executive Law § 296(2-a)(d)(2), (18)(2) (animal as housing accommodation)
- 2020 N.Y. Laws ch. 137 (A.7331; animal-accommodation amendment)
- 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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