The eight elements
A licensed clinician
Psychiatrist or other licensed physician, psychologist, LCSW, LPC, LMFT, or psychiatric NP, operating within the scope of their license.
Licensed in your state
Statutory in several states, checked by savvy landlords everywhere, and the single most common defect in mill letters.
A genuine evaluation behind it
The element you can't see on the page but everyone downstream tests. Florida demands the clinician's “personal knowledge”; universities send verification forms; attorneys call the license number.
Professional letterhead
The document should look like what it is: clinical correspondence.
Full license identification
Type, number, jurisdiction and effective date. California requires these in the letter by statute; everywhere else they're what makes verification possible.
The two determinations
A disability within the meaning of fair housing law, and a disability-related need for the animal — notably without naming your diagnosis.
Signature and date
Wet or verifiable electronic signature.
Recency
Under a year old is the working standard. Older letters aren't void, but they're challengeable; renew annually.
Five states change the checklist
What this means for “instant letter” services: in the states above, same-day-from-first-contact letters are non-compliant by definition. Elsewhere they're merely the first thing a challenge tears through. Your state's full picture →
Audit the letter you already have
The 60-second self-check:
Can the license be verified?
Look up the license number on your state licensing board's public site. No number, or no match: fails.
Was there an evaluation?
If your “evaluation” was a checkout form, the letter documents a purchase, not a determination.
Licensed in your state?
Check the jurisdiction on the letter against where you live.
Under a year old?
And does it avoid naming your diagnosis while stating the disability-related need?
Four for four: your letter is solid. Put it to work properly: the written request →
Any misses: fix it before your next request; a challenged letter is worse than a late one.
Things no valid letter needs
✕ Registration with any website
No registry exists.
✕ An ID card, patch, vest or certificate
Costume props.
✕ Your animal's breed or photo
The letter is about you.
✕ Your diagnosis in writing
Privacy is the design.
✕ Notarization
Never required.
✕ A government form
No government issues ESA letters.
Common questions
Current as of August 24, 2026.
Can my family doctor write my ESA letter?
In many states, yes: licensed physicians can provide ESA documentation, and several state statutes speak of licensed health-care practitioners broadly. What matters everywhere is a genuine evaluation by someone licensed in your state, operating within the scope of their license. HeallyESA's own evaluations are led by our psychiatry team.
Does my ESA letter expire?
No statute stamps an expiry date, but under-a-year-old is what housing providers and universities treat as current. Annual renewal is the practical rule.
Does the letter have to mention my specific animal?
No; the determinations are about you. Clinicians may note the species; the letter shouldn't purport to “certify” the animal, because that's not a thing.
Is a telehealth ESA letter valid?
Yes, when the evaluation is real and the clinician holds the right state license. Florida's statute recognizes telehealth providers explicitly. Telehealth is a delivery method; the evaluation is the requirement.
What happens if I use a letter that doesn't meet my state's rules?
Best case, it's rejected and you start over mid-dispute. Worst case (Florida) knowingly fraudulent documentation is a criminal offense. Either way the fix is the same evaluation you were avoiding, minus the goodwill.
Every box, checked once, properly
A compliant evaluation takes one appointment; your letter arrives by email the same day the clinician's review completes, state waiting rules permitting.