Guidelines for Service Animals

Service animals are animals that are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities. Service animals are working animals, not pets.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), businesses and organizations that serve the public must allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals into all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go. This federal law applies to all businesses open to the public.

The Department of Justice published revised final regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for Title II (State and local government services) and Title III (public accommodations and commercial facilities) on September 15, 2010, in the Federal Register.

These requirements, or rules, clarify and refine issues that have arisen over the past 20 years and contain new, and updated, requirements, including the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design (2010 Standards).

Department of Justice 2010 Revised Guidelines for Service Animals