Service Animals and the ADA
The Great Lakes ADA Center serves Indiana as part of their region. Have a question about the service animals and the ADA? Call Great Lakes ADA Center at (800) 949-4232.
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If you have a question about your rights or obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, call the Great Lakes ADA Center: (800) 949-4232.
Service Animals under the ADA
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) defines "service animals" under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as "dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities."
When it is not apparent as to why the person needs the animal, the DOJ allows two questions:
1. Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
ADA National Network Resources
- New! Service Animals in Public Spaces Toolkit: https://serviceanimalquestions.org
- ADA National Network's Service Animal "Hub": https://adata.org/service-animal-resource-hub
- ADA National Network's Fact Sheet on Service Animals and the ADA
- Legal Brief: Service Animals and Individuals With Disabilities Under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
Department of Justice Resources
- Revised ADA Requirements: Service Animals
- Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA
- DOJ's Title II Regulations (State and Local Governments) and Title III Regulations (Places of Public Accommodations) on Service Animals
Other Resources
The ADA National Network has provided several webinar trainings on various aspects of service animals and the ADA. Below are the links to the archived recordings and the support materials:
- Great Lakes ADA Center's Ask an ADA Professional Questions about Service Animals (01/12/2022 Webinar Archive)
- Great Lakes ADA Center's Service and Emotional Assistance Animals (06/02/2020 Webinar Archive)
- Great Lakes ADA Center's Service Animals and the ADA: Exploring Common Issues and Scenarios (11/21/2017 Webinar Archive)
- Rocky Mountain ADA Center's Service Animals and the ADA (free self-paced online course)
Interested in Service Animals and Title I (Employment)?
- Job Accommodation Network's webpage: Service Animals in the Workplace
- ADA National Network's "Taking a Service Animal to Work"
- Northwest ADA Center's "Service Animals as an Employment Accommodation"
- Rocky Mountain ADA Center's "Service Animals in the Workplace" (free self-paced online course)
Want to understand Assistance Animals under the Fair Housing Act and how it relates to the ADA?
- See HUD's recent Memoranda: "Service Animals and Assistance Animals for People with Disabilities in Housing and HUD-Funded Programs" (opens as PDF Document)
- ADA National Network's Assistance Animals Under the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Air Carriers Access Act
Interested in Service Animals and Transportation and Travel?
- Read the Fact Sheet from the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center.
- Listen/Watch the webinar: The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) and Travelers with Disabilities: Travel by Air with Service Animals (12/10/2019)
- Listen/Watch the webinar: New Rules: Service Animals and the Air Carriers Access Act (ACAA) (2/9/2021)
Are you confused about service animals and emotional support animals? The ADA National Network has an online publication, Service Animal or Emotional Support Animal: What's the Difference?, that might help.
Indiana has a state law on "service animals" and "service animal trainers" - I.C. 16-32-3-1.5 Service animals and I.C. 16-32-3-2 Public accommodations; service animals (To look up the Indiana code, go to http://iga.in.gov/legislative/laws/current/ic/)
Indiana has a state law on "emotional support animals" in housing - IC 22-9-7 Chapter 7. Emotional Support Animals in Housing (To look up the Indiana code, go to http://iga.in.gov/legislative/laws/current/ic/)