South Dakota Assistance-Animal Housing Accommodation Request
SOUTH DAKOTA ASSISTANCE-ANIMAL HOUSING ACCOMMODATION REQUEST
Date: [__/__/____]
To landlord or housing manager: [NAME AND MAILING OR EMAIL ADDRESS]
From tenant: [FULL NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION]
Dwelling: [STREET ADDRESS, UNIT, CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA ZIP]
Request
I request permission to keep the animal identified below at my dwelling as an accommodation related to my disability. The animal helps me use and enjoy the dwelling. Please review this request individually and respond in writing to the address below.
Animal: [NAME, SPECIES, AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION]
The housing rule or charge for which I request an accommodation: [NO-ANIMAL RULE, PET CHARGE, ANIMAL SIZE RULE, OR OTHER SPECIFIC RULE]
Accommodation requested: [DESCRIBE THE RULE CHANGE OR PERMISSION SOUGHT]
How the animal assists me in using and enjoying the dwelling, without disclosing a diagnosis or treatment history here: [BRIEF FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION]
Where federal fair-housing law applies, 42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B) addresses reasonable changes to housing rules, policies, practices, or services that may be necessary for equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. South Dakota's housing provisions use “service animal” broadly for this purpose; S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-33 includes an emotional support animal, therapy animal, or other assistance animal serving a person with a disability.
Supporting information
Select the applicable statement:
☐ My disability or disability-related need for this animal is readily apparent or already known to the landlord. Under S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-34, supporting documentation may not be required on that basis.
☐ My disability or disability-related need for the animal is not readily apparent or already known. I attach reliable supporting documentation from a licensed health care provider. The documentation confirms my disability and the connection between it and the requested animal accommodation, as addressed by §§ 43-32-34 and -35. Attachment: [DESCRIPTION AND DATE]
☐ I ask the landlord to identify the reliable supporting documentation needed under §§ 43-32-34 and -35 and a private method to provide it. Preferred contact method: [EMAIL OR MAIL]
Section 43-32-35 provides that the supporting documentation originates with a licensed health care provider who does not operate in South Dakota solely to certify service or assistance animals. Please keep any supporting information private and use it to evaluate this request.
I will care for the animal and address any actual damage or disturbance it causes. I am willing to discuss a workable accommodation if the landlord identifies a specific concern.
Please send the written response to: [EMAIL OR MAILING ADDRESS]
Tenant signature: ______________________________ Date: [__/__/____]
Delivery record
Delivered to: [NAME OR OFFICE]
Date and method: [__/__/____] by [HAND DELIVERY / MAIL / EMAIL / HOUSING PORTAL]
Confirmation retained: [DETAILS]
Official sources
About this template
- Last updated
- November 2, 2026
- Citations checked
- November 2, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- South Dakota
- Category
- Landlord & Tenant
Legal authority
- S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-33
- S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-34
- S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-35
- 42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)
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 November 2, 2026.
S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-33 (checked November 2, 2026): "For the purposes of §§ 43-32-34 to 43-32-36 , inclusive, the term, service animal, refers to any animal that serves a role for an individual with a disability as an emotional support animal, any therapy animal, or any assistance animal, and the term, disability, is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of a person."
S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-34 (checked November 2, 2026): "A landlord may require reliable supporting documentation be provided by a tenant of a rental dwelling unit, if the tenant asserts a disability requiring under any provision of law that a service animal or assistance animal be allowed as an accommodation on the rented premises. A landlord may not require supporting documentation from a tenant if the tenant's disability or disability-related need for a service animal or assistance animal is readily apparent or already known to the landlord."
S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32-35 (checked November 2, 2026): "The supporting documentation shall confirm the tenant's disability and the relationship between the tenant's disability and the need for the requested accommodation. The documentation shall originate from a licensed health care provider who does not operate in this state solely to provide certification for service or assistance animals."
42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B) (checked November 2, 2026): "(B) a refusal 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;"
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