Students may choose to have an animal accompany them during activities they conduct on campus, including attending class, living on campus, and attending different events. Below, information is provided on the different types of animals allowed on campus and in what capacities they are allowed.
Service Animals
UCLA recognizes the importance of “Service Animals as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) and the broader category of “Assistance Animals under the Fair Housing Act (refer to:Animals on University Property, policy 135). UCLA is committed to allowing individuals with disabilities the use of a Service Animal on campus to facilitate their full-participation and equal access to the University’s programs and activities. This section outlines the process for requesting a service animal in University-owned facilities.
What is a Service Animal?
A Service Animal can be a dog or miniature horse that is individually trained to do work or perform a task for an individual with a disability, including physical, sensory, or other disability. The work or tasks performed by the Service Animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability. No other type of animal is considered a Service Animal, as defined by the ADAAA. A Service Dog identification vest or harness is not required. Additionally, there are no breed-restrictions when it comes to Service Dogs, regardless of state or local regulations regarding breeds.
In accordance with the Animals on University Property, policy 135, students with Service Dogs may bring their Service Dogs on all areas of UCLA's campus, unless the presence of the dog would be a fundamental alteration of the program or service, or would result in a health or safety risk to the dog or some aspect of the environment (e.g. presence of dog hair would violate the integrity of a sterile lab).
Does a Service Animal Need Approval?
Title II of ADA that applies to Universities states that a service animal must be permitted to accompany the disabled person in any location that is generally open to the public. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-35/subpart-B/section-35.136. Classrooms, research labs, food preparation areas and dining halls, and housing are not publicly accessible, as only students or employees with access are generally permitted. Thus, if a student wishes to bring their Service Dog into UCLA housing or one of the above locations, they must request an accommodation through the CAE. Students with service animals are encouraged to register with the CAE as soon as possible and before moving into University housing, as this will allow CAE to provide formal documentation to the student, verifying the role of the Service Dog and confirming support for its presence with the student in various settings. Registration with CAE also allows our office to notify appropriate campus partners of the dog’s presence for safety and emergency support for the animal as well as the student.
Requirements for Approval of a Service Animal in Housing
- Housing Accommodation Request Form, and
- Be able to answer two questions (1) Is this a service animal that is required because of a disability? AND (2) What work or tasks has the animal been trained to perform?
Assistance Animal
UCLA is also committed to allowing Assistance Animals necessary to provide individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to use and enjoy University faciltiies. This section explains the specific requirements applicable to an individual’s use of an Assistance Animal in University facilities (refer to: Animals on University Property, policy 135). This section applies solely to “Assistance Animals” which may be necessary in University housing or an academic setting. It does not apply to “service animals” as defined by the ADAAA.
What is an Assistance Animal?
Assistance Animals can be any animal and are not trained to perform specific tasks directly related to an individual’s disability. Instead, assistance animals may provide necessary emotional support to an individual with a disability but are not considered a Service Animal under the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Determination of an Assistance Animal
The question in determining if an Assistance Animal will be allowed in University housing or any public facility (e.g., academic facilities, classrooms, office buildings) is whether or not the Assistance Animal is necessary to afford the individual an equal opportunity to use and enjoy University facilities and its presence is reasonable. Per recent updates to UCLA Policy 135, students may make a request through CAE for their assistance animal to accompany them in a academic setting (e.g., classroom, lab, staff/faculty offices) as a reasonable accommodation.
Please note: with the exception of a service animal, the animal should not be in residence unless/until the request is approved. The approval of a request is animal-specific and is not transferable to a different animal.
Required Documentation
To protect public health and safety, UCLA regulates the types of animals allowed on University property. State and local regulations provide the basis for University policies intended to protect the campus community from potential health and safety hazards posed by animals brought to campus (UCLA Policy 135). In accordance with the University of California Office of the President, the University does not accept letters from numerous online companies who (in exchange for a fee) purport to offer verification or certification of the need for an emotional support animal.
Housing-Based Requests
The resident is to submit a Housing Accommodation Request Form for an Assistance Animal. The resident must submit reliable disability-related information which: (1) verifies that the person meets the Act's definition of disability (i.e., has a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activities), (2) describes how the needed accommodation mitigates one or more functional limitations, and (3) justifies the relationship between the residents disability and the need for the requested Assistance Animal as a necessary accommodation for the equal use and enjoyment of the University housing assignment.
The Housing Accommodations Board will base the reasonableness of the therapeutic relationship as described in the UCLA Housing Accommodation Handbook and this Housing Accommodation website.
If the applicant is providing third-verification as support for an assistance animal (non-service animal), please ensure they respond to the following questions; failing to do so may delay the process:
- Required: Explicitly verifies that the person requesting the Assistance Animal meets the Act's definition of disability (i.e., has a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activities).
- Required: Describes how the animal works, provides assistance, performs tasks or services for the benefit of this individual with a disability, or provide emotional support that alleviates one or more of their identified symptoms or effects of the applicant’s existing disability (e.g., what are the limitations the assistance animal mitigates, how is what the animal performs related to the disabling condition, and what is the difference in limitations, with and without, the animal being present).
- Required: Describe how your therapeutic or medical relationship with the applicant has informed the basis for the conclusion and recommendation for the necessity of an assistance animal within University Housing. Documentation must establish a client-provider relationship with the individual for at least 30 days prior to providing the documentation requested regarding the individual’s need for an emotional support dog.
- Optional: Describe any expertise and training you have with regard to therapeutic human/animal interaction.
- Optional: Describe how much of an opportunity you have had in observing the interactions between the person and the animal in question as well as any observations of the animal's behavior around other commonly present animals or persons.
If providing a letter in lieu of the Housing Accommodation Verification form, we encourage to review the Fact Sheet: Rights to Assistance Animals in Housing. Refer to the "sample verification letter" at the end of the site. The template provided by Disability Rights California is also used by the CAE. You may also refer to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (January, 2020): Assessing a Person’s Request to Have an Animal as a Reasonable Accommodation Under the Fair Housing Act and California Assembly Bill 468 (September 2021): https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=2….
Academic-Based Requests
Per recent updates to UCLA Policy 135, students may make a request through CAE for their assistance animal to accompany them in a academic setting (e.g., classroom, lab, staff/faculty offices) as a reasonable accommodation. Students requesting the presence of an assistance animal in an academic setting must submit reliable disability-related information which: (1) verifies that the person meets the Act's definition of disability (i.e., has a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major life activities), (2) describes how the needed accommodation mitigates one or more functional limitations, and (3) justifies the relationship between the indvidiual's disability and the need for the requested Assistance Animal as a necessary accommodation for the equal use and enjoyment of the University academic facilities.
If a student has already submitted verification of their assistance animal for a housing accommmodation request, they are welcome to request the review of that documentation in lieu of providing additional documentation. CAE reserves the right to request additional documentation if we believe that the existing information presented to the disability specialist does not meet the nexus for approval of the presence of an assistance animal in an academic setting. Approval of an assistance animal in University housing does not serve as an automatic approval for the presence of an assistance animal in academic settings as a reasonable accommmodation. CAE also reserves the right to consider any and all reasonable academic modifications, which may or may not include a direct approval for the presence of an assistance animal in an academic setting.
Additional Information on Documentation
Sample Housing Verification Letter
[Date]
To [UCLA Housing Accommodation Board]:
I am the physician/psychiatrist/psychologist/therapist/social worker/occupational therapist for [Your name], and am familiar with [Name] condition. [Name] has a disability that causes certain functional limitations. These limitations include [list functional limitations that require the requested accommodation].
[Describe how your therapeutic or medical relationship with the applicant has informed the basis for the conclusion and recommendation for the necessity of an assistance animal within University Housing].
An assistance animal is necessary for [Name] to [apply for/have equal access to the services and benefits of] UCLA owned Housing. Specifically, [describe how the animal will assist or support the individual].
Thank you for assessing the requested accommodation for [Name].
Sincerely,
[Name and Title]
Therapeutic Relationship and Documentation from the Internet
The Housing Accommodation Board will base the reasonableness of the therapeutic relationship as described by The American Counseling Associations Code of Ethics C.2.a Boundaries of Competence and the Human-Animal Interactions in Counseling (herein referred to as HAIC) statement regarding Assistance Animals (valid through March 2024). Specifically, HAIC states that:
“…counselors abstain from writing letters for persons seeking counseling or assessment for the sole purpose of obtaining an ESA recommendation letter unless the counselor has specialized training and experience in working with the human-animal bond in counseling such as would be outlined in the ACA AAT-C Competencies, due to the potential risks involved for clients, the public, the counselor, and the animal."
Generally, mental health care professionals who have had no contact with a patient except for limited encounters specifically intended to produce an ESA letter are not considered reliable; to confirm the professional-client relationship as such limited encounters lack diagnostic rigor and the level of familiarity with the functional limitations arising from the diagnosis to support robust recommendations.
The Board also adheres to the guidelines provided by the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, Assessing a Person’s Request to Have an Animal as a Reasonable Accommodation Under the Fair Housing Act. Notice: FHEO-2020-01 Issued: January 28, 2020.
Documentation from the Internet
Some websites sell certificates, registrations, and licensing documents for assistance animals to anyone who answers certain questions or participates in a short interview and pays a fee. Under the Fair Housing Act, a housing provider may request reliable documentation when an individual requesting a reasonable accommodation has a disability and disability-related need for an accommodation that are not obvious or otherwise known. In HUD’s experience, such documentation from the internet is not, by itself, sufficient to reliably establish that an individual has a non-observable disability or disability-related need for an assistance animal.
Guidance for Assistance Animals in Academic Settings
Per recent updates to UCLA Policy 135, students may make a request through CAE for their assistance animal to accompany them in a academic setting (e.g., classroom, lab, staff/faculty offices) as a reasonable accommodation. CAE has created the following guidance to support faculty who many encounter the presence of an assistance animal in their classroom or other academic settings:
- The student's assistance animal must be under control of the student at all times. Unruly or disruptive behavior can lead to the accommodation to have the animal in class being revoked. Animal-on-animal, animal-on-human, or human-on-animal conflict that arises in the class should be reported directly to CAE and the Dean of Students office.
- The student's assistance animal must be leashed using a leash, harness, or tether that is six (6) feet in length or less, or securely confined in a crate or carrier.
- The student must have submitted up-to-date records confirming license (dogs only) and veterinarian recommended vaccinations to maintain the animal’s health and prevent contagious diseases including the following:
- Dogs: canine parvovirus, canine distemper, canine hepatitis, rabies, and Bordetella.
- Cats: feline distemper, feline calicivirus, rhinotracheitis, and rabies.
- The University reserves the right to request verification of these records at any time during the animal’s presence on campus. The student's approved accommodation letter for your class serves as evidence that the university has officially approved the presence of this animal and that the student has submitted all of the proper documentation for the presence of that animal. The letter will specifically state the student's animal that is approved and the locations that the animal is approved to be present in.
- The student must have a tag identifying the point of contact information in the event of an emergency. For animals that may not tolerate a tag, microchip identification is sufficient. An exception may be made for animals that are primarily caged. If a resident is unable to care for their animal, UCLA will release the animal to the individual’s provided emergency contact. If the emergency contact is not able to pick up the animal, Los Angeles County Animal Services may be called to pick up the animal.
- If having an animal in the class is unsafe due to toxic chemicals, heavy machinery, etc. or would fundamentally alter the course (ex. if the class tracks the behavior of lab animals), please reach out to CAE so we can act accordingly.
- We also acknowledge that students, staff, and faculty may have a severe allergy or severe phobia of animals. If this is a problem in your class, please contact our office and we will create a plan together for how to move forward in your class. Additionally, if you find the emotional support animal is behaving in a way that breaks the above rules, please reach out to our office so we can assess the situation.