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Assistance Animals in Housing

The Fair Housing Act and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) defines a support animal as an animal that works, provides assistance, or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or that provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified effects of a person’s disability. A support animal is not a pet. Individuals with a disability may request to keep a support animal as a reasonable accommodation to a housing provider’s pet restrictions, including on campus housing. The Fair Housing Act requires a housing provider to allow a reasonable accommodation involving a support animal in situations that meet all the following conditions:

  • A request was made to the housing provider by or for a person with a disability.

  • The request was supported by reliable disability-related information, if the disability and the disability-related need for the animal were not apparent and the housing provider requested such information, and

  • The housing provider has not demonstrated that:

    • Granting the request would impose an undue financial and administrative burden on the housing provider

    • The request would fundamentally alter the essential nature of the housing provider’s operations

    •  The specific assistance animal in question would pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others despite any other reasonable accommodations that could eliminate or reduce the threat

    • The request would not result in significant physical damage to the property of others despite any other reasonable accommodations that could eliminate or reduce the physical damage

If you require a support animal, please contact the Disability Services Coordinator at 307-855-2011. Students with approved animals must then meet with the Director of Residence and Student Life and enter into a contract regarding standards of care for the animal and the place of residence. The allowance of a Support Animal in CWC Housing does not pertain to allowance on main campus. Different rules apply to the main campus and any request there should be directed to the Disability Services Coordinator for review. Please request the current Emotional Support guidance document from Disability Services for more information.