Emotional Support Animals

CSB Pet Policy

The only pets allowed in campus residence halls/apartments/houses are fish within a tank no larger than 10 gallons. However, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has established the need for housing providers to consider “Emotional Support Animals” (or ESAs), as an appropriate accommodation within one’s place of residence under the Fair Housing Act (FHA).

What is an ESA?

An ESA is not a pet. An emotional support animal is a companion animal that provides therapeutic benefit to an individual with a documented mental or psychiatric disability. The individual seeking to bring an ESA onto campus must have a verifiable disability, not simply a desire for companionship. The animal can serve as a “reasonable accommodation” for a person who meets the definition of a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The animal is determined to be needed in order to address specific functional limitations and allow the person to live independently. As this is an accommodation, students must participate in an interactive process to have an animal approved.

Student Accessibility Approval Process

CSB has a formal process, by which we work with students to determine ESA eligibility. We are available to help students work through the process of requesting an ESA. Be advised that an ESA may not reside on campus prior to completing the registration process or approval process. Students who have a documented mental or psychiatric disability, who wish to request an ESA, must take the following steps:       

  1. Online Form: Complete the Housing Accommodation Request Form. 
  2. Documentation - ESA Verification Form: We have designed a form that may be completed by our practitioner, the ESA Verification Form.

***Requests for ESAs will not be reviewed until both of the abovementioned steps are complete.

Residential Life ESA Agreement

Students who are approved for an ESA must submit an ESA Agreement via Forms Manager sent to the student by Residential Life. For a copy of the agreement, please view here.