Emotional Support Animals vs. Service Animals: What’s the Difference?

Introduction

Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) and Service Animals both provide valuable support, but they serve very different roles and have distinct legal rights. Knowing the difference can help you understand what each animal can—and cannot—do for you or others.

What is an Emotional Support Animal (ESA)?

Purpose: ESAs provide comfort and emotional support to people with mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, or PTSD.

Training: No specialized task training is required. Their presence alone helps ease emotional or psychological symptoms.

Legal Protections: ESAs are protected under the Fair Housing Act, which means they can live with their owners even in housing with pet restrictions. However, ESAs do not have public access rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), so they cannot accompany owners into most public spaces like stores or restaurants.

Documentation: A prescription or letter from a licensed mental health professional is typically needed to qualify for an ESA.

What is a Service Animal?

Purpose: Service animals are trained to perform specific tasks that assist a person with a physical, sensory, psychiatric, or other disability—such as guiding a person who is blind, alerting someone who is deaf, or calming a person having a seizure.

Training: They undergo rigorous training to perform these specialized tasks reliably.

Legal Protections: Under the ADA, service animals have broad access rights and are allowed in nearly all public places.

Documentation: Service animals don’t require certification or documentation to access public spaces, though handlers must have a qualifying disability.