ESA Letter in Arkansas, Written the Way Act 268 Requires
Two evaluations with an Arkansas-licensed clinician across 30 days, as state law requires, for $99 flat. Clinically reviewed by Darren Rafel, LCSW.
ESA LETTER ARKANSAS
Emotional Support Animal Registration in Arkansas: Does It Exist?
An emotional support animal letter in Arkansas, or ESA letter, is a signed statement from a licensed clinician. It says you have a disability-related need for an emotional support animal. You hand it to a landlord to request a reasonable accommodation under the federal Fair Housing Act and Ark. Code § 16-123-314(c)(2).
No, registration does not exist. No state registry, ID card, vest or certificate gives your animal any rights. What counts is a signedESA letter based on a real evaluation. Sellers of ESA certificates, tags and vests must even warn buyers in bold print that these items carry no service-animal rights (§ 20-14-1002).
Arkansas also sets a timing rule. Under Act 268 of 2023, a provider must have a client-provider relationship with you for at least 30 days before documenting your need for an emotional support dog. PetESALetter meets it with two evaluations spread across 30 days, for $99 flat. Your letter is issued after the second one.
How to Get an ESA in Arkansas Under the 30-Day Rule
You pay $99 at checkout, then complete two evaluations by phone or video, spread across 30 days:
Take the Free Quiz
Answer a five-minute eligibility quiz about your symptoms and your animal. It screens you, but a quiz alone can't form a clinical relationship (§ 17-80-403(c)).
Your First Evaluation
A clinician licensed in Arkansas, or practicing through a compact such as PSYPACT, evaluates you one-on-one. That starts your client-provider relationship.
Your Second Evaluation
At least 30 days later, the same clinician evaluates you again. That completes the 30-day relationship Arkansas law requires for emotional support dogs.
Get Your Signed Letter
If the clinician finds you qualify at the second evaluation, your letter lists their license type, number, jurisdiction and effective date.
Who Qualifies for an Emotional Support Animal in Arkansas?
You may qualify if a mental or emotional condition substantially limits a major life activity and your animal eases the symptoms. Arkansas reads the word "disability" exactly as federal fair housing law does (§ 16-123-302).
Conditions clinicians often assess:
Arkansas ESA Laws: What Act 268 Requires
Act 268 of 2023 (HB 1420) took effect August 1, 2023, as Ark. Code §§ 20-14-1001 to -1004. Act 819 of 2025 added § 20-14-1005. Neither creates a housing right.
Who Can Write the Letter
Any healthcare provider licensed or authorized in Arkansas, including physicians (§ 20-14-1001(3)). Telehealth clinicians must hold an Arkansas license (§ 17-80-404) or practice through a compact.
The 30-Day Relationship Rule
Section 20-14-1003(a)(3) requires a client-provider relationship of at least 30 days before a provider documents your need for an emotional support dog. People verified as homeless are exempt.
What the Letter Must List
The provider's license effective date, number, jurisdiction and type (§ 20-14-1003(a)(1)). The clinician must also re-evaluate you at least once a year and renew the letter yearly.
Where Housing Rights Come From
Your housing protection comes from the Arkansas accommodation clause, § 16-123-314(c)(2), and the federal Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B). Neither one requires the animal to be trained.
Businesses Can Say No
Since Act 819 of 2025, a store or restaurant may ban an ESA by telling you or posting a sign (§ 20-14-1005).
Can an Arkansas Landlord Refuse Your ESA?
Usually not without a good reason. HUD's May 22, 2026, memo limits HUD's own findings to trained animals, but it changed no statute. The Fair Housing Act, state law and private lawsuits still apply.
No-Pet Rules Can Bend
Landlords generally have to consider a reasonable accommodation, such as waiving a no-pet rule, when you show a disability-related need.
Pet Deposits Have Limits
No Arkansas law bans ESA pet fees, so ask for a waiver. Any pet deposit counts inside the two-month cap (§ 18-16-304).
Act 819 Stops at Housing
The 2025 law letting owners ban ESAs applies only where the Fair Housing Act doesn't prohibit a ban (§ 20-14-1005).
Deadlines to Push Back
File with the Arkansas Fair Housing Commission within one year (§ 16-123-317). You can also sue within two years.
Direct Threat or Damage
The specific animal poses a direct threat or would cause substantial physical damage (§ 16-123-314(f)).
Unverifiable Letter
Your landlord may confirm the clinician's license details. A registry printout with no real clinician gives them nothing.
Small-Landlord Exemption
Owner-occupants of four or fewer units, and some owners of three or fewer houses, are exempt (§ 16-123-306).
TRAVEL & PUBLIC PLACES
Can Your Arkansas ESA Fly, Shop or Dine With You?
Not by right. Under the Department of Transportation's Air Carrier Access Act rule, effective January 11, 2021, airlines may treat an emotional support animal like any pet. That can mean pet fees, carrier size limits and caps on animals per cabin, so read your airline's policy before you book.
On the ground, Arkansas's service dog law, § 20-14-308, opens restaurants, hotels and public transport to trained guide, signal and service dogs. It leaves ESAs out. Since Act 819 of 2025, a business may also ban an ESA outright. Health Department rules applying that law to hospitals were proposed to start October 1, 2026.
If your dog is individually trained to perform tasks for a psychiatric disability, ask about our PSD letter instead. An ESA letter remains a housing document.
ESA vs. Service Dog Under Arkansas Service Dog Laws
Arkansas keeps emotional support animals and service animals apart and fines people who blur the line. Call your pet an emotional support animal, never a service dog. The key rule isArk. Code § 20-14-1004.
Three risks every ESA owner in the state should know:
WHY US
Why Arkansas Renters Choose PetESALetter
Arkansas-Licensed Clinicians
Your evaluation is done by a clinician licensed in Arkansas or authorized through a compact such as PSYPACT.
Act 268 Letter Details
Each letter lists the clinician's license type, number, jurisdiction and effective date, as § 20-14-1003 requires.
An Honest Timeline
Two evaluations across 30 days meet the relationship rule. We never promise overnight letters.
One Flat $99 Price
$99 flat for your housing letter, paid at checkout, with no subscription, auto-renewal or upsells.
Full Refund If You Don't Qualify
The eligibility quiz is free. If the clinician finds you don't qualify, you get a full refund.
Real One-on-One Consultations
You talk with your clinician directly, not just through an online form or a chatbot.
Landlord Verification Help
Our support team answers landlord verification questions at support@petesaletter.com or (470) 887-9106.
HIPAA-Conscious Privacy
We handle your health information with HIPAA-conscious care and never sell your data.
TRUSTPILOT REVIEWS
What Clients Say on Trustpilot
FAQs
Questions Arkansas Renters Ask About ESA Letters
Yes. Arkansas lets any healthcare provider licensed or authorized in the state write one, physicians included (§ 20-14-1001(3)). For an emotional support dog, that provider must have known you as a client for at least 30 days and must list their license details.
Start with a real clinical relationship. At PetESALetter, you take a free quiz, pay $99 at checkout, then have two one-on-one evaluations with an Arkansas-licensed clinician, spread across 30 days. If the clinician finds you qualify, your letter is issued after the second evaluation.
Get it from a licensed clinician who actually evaluates you. Skip sites that sell registrations, ID cards or letters without a conversation. Every PetESALetter letter follows a one-on-one consultation, and our support team answers landlord verification questions.
Sometimes. Landlords generally have to consider a reasonable accommodation under § 16-123-314(c)(2) and the Fair Housing Act. They can refuse an animal that poses a direct threat or would cause substantial physical damage, and some small landlords are exempt (§ 16-123-306).
Many do. A letter for an emotional support dog must state the clinician's license effective date, number, jurisdiction and type, so a landlord can confirm them. No Arkansas statute spells out what else a landlord may request.
A mental or emotional condition that substantially limits a major life activity, plus a real need for the animal's support. A licensed clinician decides after evaluating you, and not everyone qualifies.
By its text, no. Ark. Code § 20-14-1003 covers documentation of your need for an emotional support dog, and the yearly evaluation and renewal rules are written the same way. Ask your clinician how they handle letters for other animals.
PetESALetter charges $99 flat, paid at checkout. If the clinician finds you don't qualify, you can request a full refund within 7 days; if your landlord rejects the letter, contact support within 30 days with the written denial for a refund.
At least 30 days. Act 268 requires a 30-day client-provider relationship, so your two evaluations are spread across that period and the letter follows the second. People verified as homeless are exempt. If you are moving, start a month ahead.
No Arkansas statute bans it, so ask for a waiver in your accommodation request. A refundable pet deposit counts toward the two-month deposit cap (§ 18-16-304) and must be returned within 60 days (§ 18-16-305). Self-managing owners of five or fewer units are exempt.
HUD changed its enforcement, not the law. HUD's 2013 and 2020 guidance notices were withdrawn as of September 17, 2025. A May 22, 2026, memo says HUD will find cause only for trained animals, but the Fair Housing Act and private lawsuits are unchanged.
File with the Arkansas Fair Housing Commission within one year, in writing and under oath; no notary is needed (§ 16-123-317). You can also sue within two years (§ 16-123-336). The Commission's number is 501-682-3247.
