State of Arkansas - 94th General Assembly House Bill 1420 - AN ACT REGARDING EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS - Written notice and healthcare provider requirements

Sep 4, 2026

A bill enacted by the Arkansas General Assembly amends Arkansas Code Title 20 by adding a new subchapter governing emotional support animals. It defines emotional support animals and emotional support dogs, and clarifies the meaning of healthcare provider and service animal. The bill requires written notice to buyers or recipients when providing emotional support dogs and related items, specifies notice formatting and placement, and sets criteria for healthcare providers before issuing documentation. It also establishes civil penalties for misrepresentations and addresses provider violations and discipline.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Definitions

Emotional support animal and emotional support dog

Service animal and healthcare provider

Written notice to buyer or recipient

Notice content for emotional support dogs

Notice content for certificates and related items

Formatting and where notice must appear

Healthcare provider criteria for documentation

Licensing and client-provider relationship timing

Exceptions for verified homelessness

Annual clinical evaluation and renewal

Violations and civil penalty

1 State of Arkansas 2 94th General Assembly A Bill 3 Regular Session, 2023 HOUSE BILL 1420 4 5 By: Representatives M. Brown, Achor, Bentley, Duffield, Ennett, Gramlich, Hudson, J. Mayberry, 6 McCullough, McGrew, J. Moore, Pearce, Pilkington, Rye, Unger 7 By: Senator Irvin 8 9 For An Act To Be Entitled 10 AN ACT REGARDING EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS; TO 11 REQUIRE WRITTEN NOTICE TO THE BUYER OR RECIPIENT OF 12 AN EMOTIONAL SUPPORT DOG; TO PLACE REQUIREMENTS ON A 13 HEALTHCARE PROVIDER RELATED TO EMOTIONAL SUPPORT 14 ANIMALS; TO PROVIDE VIOLATIONS FOR MISREPRESENTATIONS 15 RELATED TO EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS; AND FOR OTHER 16 PURPOSES . 17 18 19 Subtitle 20 REGARDING EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS . 21 22 23 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 24 25 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 20, Chapter 14, is amended to add an 26 additional subchapter to read as follows: 27 Subchapter 10 — Emotional Support Animals 28 29 20-14-1001. Definitions. 30 As used in this subchapter: 31 (1) “Emotional support animal” means an animal that: 32 (A) Provides emotional, cognitive, or other similar support 33 to an individual with a disability; and 34 (B) Does not need to be trained or certified; 35 (2) “Emotional support dog” means a dog that: 36 (A) Provides emotional, cognitive, or other similar 1 support to an individual with a disability; and 2 (B) Does not need to be trained or certified; 3 (3) "Healthcare provider" means a person who is licensed, 4 certified, or otherwise authorized by the laws of this state to administer 5 health care in the ordinary course of the practice of his or her profession; 6 and 7 (4) “Service animal” means an animal as defined in 28 C .F.R . 8 36. 104, as it existed on January 1, 2023. 9 10 20-14-1002. Written notice to buyer or recipient . 11 (a) A person or business that sells or provides a dog for use as an 12 emotional support dog shall provide a written notice to the buyer or 13 recipient of the dog that states the following: 14 (1) The dog does not have the special training required to 15 qualify as a service animal; 16 (2) The dog is not entitled to the rights and privileges 17 accorded by law to a service animal; and 18 (3) Misrepresenting an animal as a service animal may subject an 19 individual to a civil penalty under § 20-14-310. 20 (b) A person or business that sells or provides a certificate, 21 identification, tag, vest, leash, or harness for an emotional support animal 22 shall provide a written notice to the buyer or recipient that states the 23 following: 24 (1) The item does not entitle an emotional support animal to the 25 rights and privileges accorded by law to a service dog; and 26 (2) Misrepresenting an animal as a service animal may subject an 27 individual to a civil penalty under § 20-14-310. 28 (c) The written notices described in subsections (a) and (b) of this 29 section shall be: 30 (1) Made in bold and at least 12-point type; and 31 (2) Provided on: 32 (A) The receipt for the emotional support dog; 33 (B) The product described in subsection (b) of this 34 section; or 35 (C) A separate piece of paper . 36 1 20-14-1003. Criteria required from healthcare provider for provision 2 of documentation for emotional support dog . 3 (a) A healthcare provider shall not provide documentation relating to 4 an individual’s need for an emotional support dog unless the healthcare 5 provider: 6 (1) Possesses a valid, active license and includes the effective 7 date, license number, jurisdiction, and type of professional license he or 8 she possesses in the documentation required under this subsection; 9 (2) Is licensed to provide professional services within the 10 scope of his or her license in the jurisdiction in which the documentation 11 required under this subsection is provi

FAQs

What written notice must be provided for an emotional support dog?

A seller or provider must give written notice stating the dog does not have special training required to qualify as a service animal and is not entitled to service-animal rights. It also warns that misrepresenting an animal as a service animal may trigger a civil penalty under § 20-14-310.

What criteria must a healthcare provider meet before issuing documentation?

The provider must hold a valid active license with required details, be licensed to provide professional services within the relevant scope, establish a client-provider relationship at least 30 days before documentation (with a homelessness exception), complete at least one annual clinical evaluation, and provide notice about potential civil penalties for misrepresentation.

How does the bill address violations and penalties?

Violations involving knowingly and fraudulently representing or offering an emotional support dog as entitled to service-animal rights are subject to a civil penalty, and the bill also provides for discipline by the healthcare provider’s licensing board for violations of the section.

Sep 4, 2026

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