Under the ADA there are only a few real requirements: the handler has a disability, the dog is individually trained to do work or perform tasks directly related to it, and the dog is under control and housebroken in public. No vest, ID, registration, certificate, letter, professional trainer or particular breed is required. Local licensing and vaccination rules still apply, and airlines use one federal form.
The checklist
- The handler has a disability.
- The dog is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for that person.
- The tasks are directly related to the disability.
- The dog behaves in public: under the handler's control and housebroken.
- The dog is leashed, harnessed or tethered, unless that prevents the task or the handler's disability prevents it.
- Ordinary local dog rules are met, such as licensing and rabies vaccination.
Every item comes from 28 CFR 36.104 and 36.302 or DOJ's FAQ. Nothing on the list involves buying anything.
What counts as a disability?
The ADA's definition is functional, not a list of diagnoses: "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual; a record of such an impairment; or being regarded as having such an impairment" (42 U.S.C. 12102). Major life activities include "caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working."
Two practical points. You never have to tell a business your diagnosis. And having a condition is not the same as needing a service dog; the question is whether a trained task helps with the limitation. For mental health conditions, see service dogs for anxiety.
What counts as a task?
A task is a specific trained action the dog takes for the handler. Missouri's statute lists the familiar kinds of service dog: guide, hearing, medical alert or response, mental health or psychiatric service, and mobility dogs. For psychiatric disabilities, DOJ's 2010 rule lists "reminding individuals to take medicine, providing safety checks or room searches for individuals with PTSD, interrupting self-mutilation, and removing disoriented individuals from dangerous situations."
What is not a task: comfort by presence, emotional support, companionship, or making someone feel safer just by being there. The ADA sets no minimum number of tasks; Assistance Dogs International's rule of three or more tasks is its accreditation standard for member programs. Lots of examples in service dog tasks.
Does a service dog need professional training?
No. DOJ: "People with disabilities have the right to train the dog themselves and are not required to use a professional service dog training program." There is no required test. Benchmarks like IAADP's minimum standards (at least 120 hours over six months or more) or the AKC Canine Good Citizen are useful measures, not legal requirements. See can you train your own service dog?
Behavior in public
A business may ask you to remove a dog that is "out of control" when you do not "take effective action to control it", or one that is "not housebroken" (36.302(c)(2)). Those are the only two grounds. In practice that means a service dog should walk calmly, settle out of the way, ignore food and people, and not bark repeatedly or approach strangers. A dog that is not ready for that is not ready for public access, whatever it wears.
Are service dogs required to be on a leash?
Yes, as a rule. The dog must have "a harness, leash, or other tether" unless the handler's disability prevents using one or it would interfere with the dog's work. Then the handler must keep control by voice, signals or other effective means (36.302(c)(4)).
Vaccination and licensing (local law)
DOJ says service animals "are subject to local dog licensing and registration requirements" and handlers "are not exempt from local animal control or public health requirements." A few places waive the license fee for service dogs, including the City of Las Vegas, Michigan and Massachusetts, but the license and rabies vaccine are still required. Clark County, Nevada, notes that service animals are not exempt from its sterilization requirement either.
Requirements for flying
- The DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form, which airlines may ask for up to 48 hours before travel if you booked earlier than that.
- The relief attestation for flights of eight hours or more.
- A limit of two service animals per passenger, if the airline chooses to apply it.
- No dogs in training: the form says "service animals in training are not service animals for purpose of this form."
Airlines also set their own health rules. Delta, for example, says traveling service animals "must be fully vaccinated and at least 4 months old." See the DOT form.
Requirements for hotels and restaurants
The same ADA rules apply: no documentation, no fees or deposits, two questions only. At a restaurant the dog stays on the floor and is not fed at the table. At a hotel you may book any available room, and you may not leave the dog alone in the room while you go out, because it "must be under the handler's control at all times." See service dogs in hotels.
Requirements that do not exist
- Registration: not required, and DOJ says mandatory registration is not permitted. See service dog registration.
- Certification or a certificate: not required, and online certificates convey no rights.
- A vest, patch or ID card: not required. See are service dog vests required?
- A doctor's letter for public places: not required, and staff may not ask for one.
- A specific breed, size or age, or a professional trainer.
Common questions
Do I need to have a disability to have a service dog?
Yes. Under the ADA a service dog works for a person with a disability. Without one, the dog is a pet, however well trained.
Do service dogs need training?
Yes. Individual training to perform disability-related tasks is what makes a dog a service dog. You may do the training yourself.
Does a service dog have to wear a vest?
No. DOJ says the ADA does not require a vest, ID tag or specific harness. Many handlers use one to reduce interruptions.
Are service dogs required to be on a leash?
Generally yes, unless a leash would interfere with the task or the handler's disability prevents it.
How many tasks does a service dog need to know?
The ADA sets no minimum. One trained task directly related to the disability meets the definition.
Is there a minimum age for a service dog?
The ADA sets none, but the dog must already be trained. Airlines set their own rules, such as Delta's four months.
Sources
- 28 CFR 36.104, definition of service animal
- 28 CFR 36.302, service animals
- 42 U.S.C. 12102, definition of disability
- DOJ, ADA Requirements: Service Animals FAQ
- 14 CFR 382.75, documentation airlines may require
- IAADP Minimum Training Standards for Public Access
- Missouri RSMo 209.200, service dog definitions
General information, not legal advice. Policies and laws change; follow the sources. Last checked September 25, 2026.