Service animals are working animals, not pets. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.

This publication provides guidance on the term “service animal” and the service animal provisions in the Department’s regulations. These requirements, or rules, contain updated requirements, including the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design (2010 Standards).

The Department of Justice published revised final regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for title II (State and local government services) and title III (public accommodations and commercial facilities) on September 15, 2010, in the Federal Register.