Indiana ESA Letter From a Licensed Provider

Yes. Indiana Code 22-9-7, "Emotional Support Animals in Housing," was enacted in 2018. It defines who may verify a tenant's need for an emotional support animal, what the verification must say, what counts as misrepresentation, and how fees, repairs and liability are handled.

A "health service provider" under IC 22-9-7-4: an Indiana-licensed physician or psychiatrist, psychologist, professional counselor or social worker licensed under IC 25-23.6, or advanced practice registered nurse who provides medical services or treatment to you. A licensee whose only service is selling you a verification letter does not qualify.

Under IC 22-9-7-9, when your disability isn't readily apparent, a landlord may require written verification from a health service provider that you have a disability, that you have a disability-related need for the animal, and that the animal helps you manage the disability.

Indiana accepts documentation from an out-of-state provider only in limited circumstances, such as for people who have recently moved to Indiana (IC 22-9-7-10). If you've lived here a while, plan on an evaluation with an Indiana-licensed provider.

Indiana's ESA chapter includes a section prohibiting fees for an emotional support animal kept as a reasonable accommodation (IC 22-9-7-13). Landlords may still enforce the lease and recover the cost of repairs your animal causes (IC 22-9-7-14). Ask your landlord to confirm in writing how pet charges will be handled.

Yes. IC 22-9-7-12 makes it a Class A infraction to misrepresent a disability or ESA need to a landlord, give a provider false information to get documentation, hand a landlord a document falsely presenting an animal as an ESA, or put a harness, collar, vest or sign on an animal that isn't an ESA so that a reasonable person would think it is one. Providers who verify without adequate knowledge, or who charge only for a letter, also commit an infraction.

The request is a reasonable-accommodation request under federal and Indiana fair housing law, and it can be refused if the animal is a direct threat or would cause substantial damage, or if the verification doesn't meet Indiana's rules. Since HUD's May 22, 2026 policy change, untrained ESAs are reviewed case by case federally, but Indiana's ESA chapter still governs.

Indiana's ESA chapter addresses liability for injuries caused by an emotional support animal (IC 22-9-7-15), generally protecting a landlord who allowed the animal as a reasonable accommodation. As the owner, you remain responsible for your animal.

No. Public-access rights belong to service animals under the ADA and Indiana law, not to emotional support animals.

Under 14 CFR Part 382, airlines at IND, Fort Wayne (FWA), South Bend (SBN) and Evansville (EVV) may treat an ESA as a pet. Check fees and carrier rules before booking. A task-trained psychiatric service dog still flies as a service animal.

With the Indiana Civil Rights Commission within one year of the incident, or with HUD within one year. A private Fair Housing Act lawsuit can be filed within two years.

No. The provider evaluates you and decides; there's no automatic approval.