Pets and Animals

Scroll down for HHA's policies and forms regarding pet and assistance animal ownership.

Can I have a pet?

Yes, you are more than welcome to have a pet in HHA’s housing. There are some guidelines you and your pet must follow, however.

If you are living with a pet that is not registered, you could receive a notice of lease termination. Make sure you register your pet!

Can I have an assistance animal?

HHA provides accessible, equal opportunity housing for individuals with a disability. If your disability requires you to need the assistance of a support animal or companion animal, it is your right to own an assistance animal in HHA’s housing. By law, it is illegal for HHA to discriminate against you for requiring an assistance animal.

Pet guidelines

In order to keep you and your pet in good standings with the housing authority, your pet must comply with the Pet Policy at all times. The full policy can be accessed under the “Required Forms” section below. This section will provide you with basic pet guidelines.

Types of Pets

Pets allowed:

1 domestic cat
1 domestic dog
fish
small birds

Pets NOT allowed:

spiders, snakes, reptiles
exotic animals
dangerous or aggressive pets

Sizes

Your pet must weigh less than 25 pounds
Your pet must be no taller than 20 inches from paw to shoulder

Registration and Deposit

You MUST register your pet. Failure to register a pet could result in a notice of lease termination.
Once your pet has been registered and approved by HHA, you will be given a tag for your pet. Your pet MUST wear this tag at all times. This tag shows HHA that your pet has been properly registered.
You are required to pay a deposit for your pet, the pet deposit is $150.

Assistance animal guidelines

Assistance animals are not pets. Therefore, they are not required to be in compliance with the Pet Policy. However, they are required to be in compliance with the Assistive Animal Policy and the Reasonable Accommodation Policy. You can access these policies under the “Required Forms” section below.

You must register your assistance animal with HHA as a reasonable accommodation. This way we know that your animal is not a pet.

There is no deposit or monthly fee required for assistance animals.

Pet Application Process

The forms you will need during your pet application process can all be accessed below under “Required Forms”, or you can pick them up at HHA’s office on W. Baltimore St.

1. Carefully read the Pet Policy.

2. Fill out the Pet Application.

3. Return the application along with the following items:

Full body color photograph of your pet
Documentation of valid K9 license (for dogs only)
Completed Veterinarian certification
Completed Pet Disclaimer
Proof of spaying or neutering (if your pet is too young, you must supply an appointment date and time)
Pet deposit fee (see above guidelines for deposit amounts).

4. Once your application has been processed and you receive a tag for your pet, make sure your pet is wearing the tag at ALL times.

Assistance Animal Registration Process

The forms you will need during your assistance animal registration process can all be accessed below under “Required Forms”, or you can pick them up at HHA’s office on W. Baltimore St.

1. Carefully read the Assistive Animal Policy.

2. Complete a request for Reasonable Accommodation. This is necessary to validate that your animal is an assistance animal rather than a pet, and to validate that you require the use of an assistance animal because of a disability.

3. Make sure your assistance animal has the proper identification so that it is not confused with a pet, or an unregistered animal.

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Animal Disclaimer

You must fill out the animal disclaimer form in order to affirm that you have read and understand the Pet Policy, and to authorize another party to care for your pet in your absense.

Required Forms

Click the icons to access the described forms.

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