Service dog question

[Account Closed]

First of all, I'm in CA. My lease states no pets and over night guest must be approved and short term. I had a tenant request that her friend stay the night, usually, no problem. Her friend requires a service dog...I say no based on the no pets cause. Can I restrict someone based on that?

[Jared Tillery]

no you cannot. A service dog is covered under the ADA and you cannot enforce restrictions without violating that.  A service animal does not count as a pet because it is higly trained and is required by the person with a disability.  I used to own a service dog and they are wonderful animals.  If you are uncertain if the animal in actually a service animal you can ask for a certification but in some cases not having one doesn't disqualify it from being a service animal in the eyes if the ADA.  Hope that helps.