Louisiana laws for service and emotional support animals. What about fake service animals?

• Service animals are legally defined as dogs trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities, while emotional support animals are not.
• Louisiana law allows service dogs in public places, but ESAs have limited access, primarily in housing.
• Misrepresenting a pet as a service animal is illegal in Louisiana and can result in penalties.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, service animals are dogs that are trained to work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.

However, emotional support animals are not considered service animals under the ADA, as they are not trained to perform specific tasks that assist with disabilities.

In relation to this, ESAs do not have the same legal protections as service animals, and they are not allowed in all public places.

Louisiana service animal laws

Under Louisiana law, a service animal is defined as a dog trained to perform tasks or do work for a person with a disability. Service animals include guide dogs, hearing dogs, seizure alert dogs, medical crisis assistance dogs and those assisting individuals with PTSD or other mental disabilities.

In Louisiana, service dogs and psychiatric service animals are allowed in all public places under state and federal law, including public accommodations such as restaurants, stores, educational institutions and businesses.

Unlike emotional support animals, psychiatric service dogs are specifically trained to assist individuals with mental health conditions by performing tasks that help alleviate symptoms and improve overall well-being.

While ESAs have some legal protections, particularly within housing, they do not have the same protections as service dogs in public places.

Additionally, handlers are responsible for the behavior of their service dogs, and the dogs have to be properly trained and controlled, says Disability Rights Louisiana.

Emotional Support Animals in Louisiana

Emotional support animals provide emotional support and comfort to individuals with mental health conditions, however, they are not trained to perform specific tasks, says ADA National Network.

Regarding legal protections, ESAs are protected from discrimination in housing under the Fair Housing Act and Louisiana law. This means that landlords have to allow ESAs in no-pet housing with documentation from a licensed mental health professional, according to CertaPet.

In relation to this, airlines are no longer required to accommodate ESAs under federal law unless there is a valid ESA letter and the airline’s policy permits it.

Is it illegal to have a fake service animal in Louisiana?

Misrepresenting an animal as a service dog, or service dog-in-training, is prohibited in Louisiana and can result in fines and other penalties.

Also, fake service animals, in turn, hurt the credibility of real service animals and impact the lives of individuals who need service animals.

Additionally, the Louisiana Support and Service Animal Integrity Act is aimed at restoring integrity within the process of determining whether an individual has a disability that requires the use of a support animal.

Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com

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