Emotional support animal letters for Texas

Texas has no ESA statute of its own

Here's something many Texans don't expect: no Texas statute mentions emotional support animals by name. The Texas Fair Housing Act, found in Property Code Chapter 301, uses general language instead: under §301.025(c)(2), saying no to a reasonable adjustment of house rules or practices is treated as disability discrimination if a resident with a disability may need that adjustment to enjoy the home as fully as anyone else.

That means an ESA request in Texas is simply a reasonable-accommodation request, weighed under that state provision alongside the federal FHA. At the state level, complaints go to the civil rights arm of the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).

Federal enforcement changed in 2026

A May 22, 2026 HUD memo told its fair housing staff to stop presuming that a pet-policy waiver for an untrained ESA is reasonable; each one now gets looked at on its own facts. The memo also cast doubt on the old federal view that ESA owners were always exempt from pet fees. Separately, HUD's 2020 animal notice (FHEO-2020-01) has been pulled back as well.

The underlying statutes did not change, and Texas's own accommodation duty is still on the books. What changed is how much weight a request carries on its own, which makes a clear, checkable letter from a licensed clinician more useful, not less.

Don't pass off an ESA as a service dog

Section 121.006 of the Human Resources Code, updated by H.B. 4164 starting September 1, 2023, says it's a misdemeanor to knowingly present an untrained animal as one trained to assist a person with a disability. A conviction can bring a fine as high as $1,000 and a 30-hour community service order.

An honest ESA letter doesn't run into that law, because it never claims your animal is a trained service dog. Keep it that way: no service vests, no public-access claims.

Who stands behind each letter

Our clinicians include Andrew Patel, M.D., the physician who medically reviews this site's content, and social worker Gabriel Warner, LCSW. Each letter names the kind of license its signer holds, the number, and which state granted it, so a landlord can look it up, and the booking page confirms which clinicians are available to Texas residents.