Emotional Support Animals in Housing

An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) is an animal that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person's disability. While an animal is not required to have special training to be considered an ESA, its handler must have a disability and the ESA must mitigate the impact of the disability. For example, if the animal's presence provides comfort to its handler that lessens the impact of the disorder, the animal would be an ESA. On a case-by-case basis, students may be approved for an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) as a reasonable accommodation for a documented disability.

To request to bring a new ESA to campus, returning students must have completed their Student Accessibility Services (SAS) application and submitted relevant documentation no fewer than six weeks prior to the start of the move-period. They should also note on their housing application (which is in April for fall quarter) if they plan to work through SAS to request an ESA. Incoming students need to complete their applications earlier, by the mid-June deadline.

This notice allows sufficient time for SAS to review all necessary documentation and Residential Life to take into account all residents' needs when making placements. If SAS requires additional documentation to consider a student's request, the approval process will likely take longer than six weeks. Students are therefore encouraged to plan ahead and submit their request well in advance of the start of a term in residence.

The College cannot guarantee that accommodation requests made after the designated deadline can be considered for the term in question. Generally, requests for an ESA in a given term cannot be approved once that term has commenced.

1. Indicate on your housing application that you are applying through SAS for an ESA.
2. Complete SAS' Application (if not already registered with SAS). If registered, please contact your SAS advisor with your request.
3. Ask your current mental health provider to complete the ESA Verification Form (which is provided, if appropriate, after student and SAS advisor are in communication regarding ESA request). Your provider will need input from you to complete the form.
4. Meet with an SAS advisor regarding your ESA (and any other accommodation) requests, and to discuss expectations surrounding ESAs.

To have an ESA in residence requires both approval from SAS and confirmation from the Office of Residential Life.

If, after reviewing a student's application, ESA verification form, and other student-provided information, SAS is in a position to provide its approval, it will email the student and Residential Life that the student has been approved for part one of the process.

Then, Residential Life will email the student with instructions to complete the Approved Animal Form in the DartHub StarPortal. Submitting the Approved Animal Form will initiate part two of the request process. A student is not approved to bring an ESA to campus until they have completed the Approved Animal Form in StarPortal and received approval confirmation from Residential Life.

Annual Renewal Is Required

Subsequent approval to have an ESA in College housing is reviewed annually. Students wishing to maintain an ESA accommodation are required to resubmit the ESA Verification Form to SAS by August 1 for the upcoming academic year. The fall renewal timeframe is independent of the initial approval date. (In other words, if an ESA is initially approved for spring, renewal will take place in fall as long as the student is in residence for fall.)

Prior to bringing an approved ESA to campus, students should carefully review Dartmouth's Assistance Animal Policy and any Residential Life contracts to ensure they understand and can comply with their terms.

Quarterly Responsibilities

Each quarter after an ESA is approved, students are required to:

1. notify Residential Life if their animal will or will not be in their residence
2. update local emergency contact information for their ESA quarterly in DartHub's StarPortal
3. notify Residential Life and SAS if they are requesting to bring a different animal

Providing the above information at least three weeks prior to move-in is the sole responsibility of the student. Failure to provide this information prior to the start of each term and/or to comply with aspects of any policies or contracts could result in losing ESA privileges.

Because the type of animal that can serve as an emotional support or assistance animal is not restricted to dogs, the campus authority will consider the following relative to the request:

1. whether the animal is housebroken or otherwise can be kept clean in a campus dwelling;
2. whether the animal is under the owner's control;
3. whether the facility can accommodate the animal's type, size, and weight;
4. whether the animal poses an unreasonable disruption to others living in the dwelling; and
5. whether the animal's presence will compromise legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operation of the facility.

The type/size of animal alone may result in denial as a reasonable accommodation. For instance, many exotic, wild, and agricultural animals (including but not limited to ducks, chickens, pigs and potbellied pigs, miniature goats, etc.) are likely inappropriate as an ESA. Venomous animals are strictly prohibited.

Summit on Juniper

If assigned to Building 2 or 3, the only animals allowed in housing are service animals and (after approval via the process described herein), emotional support animals. In contrast, if students lease directly with Summit on Juniper, the Summit policies apply.