New York Service Animal Access Lanyard + Card

Know your rights with confidence.

New York law prohibits denying a person with a disability admission to—or equal use and enjoyment of—a public facility because the person is accompanied by a guide dog, hearing dog or service dog. Covered facilities include transportation, temporary and permanent housing, public buildings, educational institutions, places selling food, theaters and other businesses or facilities normally open to the public. (NYSenate.gov)

A public or private entity may not impose a direct or indirect additional charge for admitting the dog. New York also grants public-access rights to a person actively training a dog to guide or otherwise assist people with disabilities, provided the dog remains under appropriate control. (NYSenate.gov)

⚖️ Violating New York Civil Rights Law Article 4-B is classified as a violation. A person or entity that violates the principal access or no-extra-charge provisions two or more times within a two-year period may be fined $1,000. (NYSenate.gov)

New York separately criminalizes intentional interference, harassment or intimidation that makes it impractical, dangerous or impossible for a service animal to perform its responsibilities. Intentional physical injury or death is a Class A misdemeanor, and a repeat harming offense within five years is a Class E felony. (NYSenate.gov)

The New York Service Animal Access Card places these protections, the two ADA questions, trainer access, control and removal rules, housing distinctions and enforcement information into a concise 4" × 6" reference.

Featuring New York-inspired artwork, the Manhattan skyline, Statue of Liberty and Adirondack Mountain scenery, the New York state outline, rose and sugar-maple accents, a friendly illustrated Standard Poodle and ServiceAnimalAlert.com’s signature glossy red balloon, this Empire State edition combines recognizable regional imagery with a practical legal reference.

The card is designed to educate—not certify—and promote informed, respectful interactions wherever service animals accompany their handlers.

Front Features

• New York-themed artwork with state outline

• Manhattan skyline and Statue of Liberty

• Adirondack Mountain and lake scenery

• Hudson River and Brooklyn Bridge accents

• Rose and sugar-maple details

• Friendly illustrated Standard Poodle mascot

• ServiceAnimalAlert.com’s signature glossy red balloon

• Distinct navy, cream, liberty-green and warm-red palette

• Bold, high-contrast Service Animal Access identification

• Clear New York public-access message

• Prominent “Service Animals Welcome” banner

• Civil Rights Law §§ 47, 47-B and 47-C references

• Executive Law § 296 disability-discrimination reference

• Penal Law §§ 242.05–242.15 protection references

• Agriculture and Markets Law § 123-B reference

• Notice that private certification is not required

• Notice that completed service dogs may be owner-trained

• Notice that extra service-dog charges are prohibited

• Notice that New York protects qualifying dogs in training

• Immediate-custody and control reminder

• Repeat access-violation $1,000 fine notice

• Criminal interference and injury warning

• Reminder that decisions must concern actual behavior—not breed or appearance

• Standard 4" × 6" vertical format

• New York and federal legal citations

• Closing tagline: “Know the Law. Respect Access. Guard Rights.”

Back Features

• The two questions permitted under the ADA

• Enlarged permissible-questions section

• Notice that certification, registration and purchased identification are not required

• New York public-facility protections

• Coverage of transportation, housing, schools, restaurants and public businesses

• Protection from direct or indirect additional charges

• Access protection for people actively training service dogs

• Recognition of completed owner-trained service dogs

• Explanation of professional-trainer language under the Human Rights Law

• Immediate-custody and federal control standards

• Leash, tether and alternative-control rules

• Housebreaking requirement

• Lawful removal standards

• Continued availability of goods and services following lawful removal

• Civil Rights Law violation classification

• $1,000 repeat access-violation penalty

• Human Rights Law reasonable-modification protection

• Human Rights Division complaint and remedy information

• Three-year state complaint deadline for incidents on or after February 15, 2024

• Class B misdemeanor protection against interference, harassment and intimidation

• Class A misdemeanor protection against intentional injury or death

• Class E felony protection for a qualifying repeat harming offense

• Civil penalties when another controlled animal interferes with a service animal

• Civil recovery for veterinary care, replacement, lost wages and transportation expenses

• Blind-pedestrian guide-dog right-of-way protection

• Municipal service-dog licensing-fee exemption information

• Housing service-animal and assistance-animal distinctions

• Federal protection against breed-based assumptions and stereotypes

• Direct statutory and regulatory citations

• Clean legal-reference panels for practical use

New York’s Principal Service-Animal Laws

The principal New York provisions include:

• Civil Rights Law § 47—Use of Public Facilities

• Civil Rights Law § 47-A—Employment

• Civil Rights Law § 47-B—Custody, Charges, Trainers and Definitions

• Civil Rights Law § 47-C—Penalties

• Executive Law § 296—New York Human Rights Law

• Executive Law § 297—Complaints and Remedies

• Penal Law Article 242—Offenses Against Service Animals and Handlers

• Penal Law § 242.05—Interference, Harassment or Intimidation

• Penal Law § 242.10—Harming a Service Animal in the Second Degree

• Penal Law § 242.15—Harming a Service Animal in the First Degree

• Agriculture and Markets Law § 123-B—Offenses by Other Animal Owners

• Agriculture and Markets Law § 110—Municipal Licensing Fees

• Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1153—Blind-Pedestrian Right-of-Way

These provisions operate alongside the Americans with Disabilities Act, the federal Fair Housing Act and other federal disability-rights laws.

New York Public-Facility Rights

New York Civil Rights Law § 47 prohibits denying admission or equal use of a public facility solely because a person with a disability is accompanied by a qualifying dog.

The state definition of a public facility includes:

• Public transportation

• Private transportation

• Permanent housing

• Temporary housing

• Public buildings

• Government buildings

• Educational institutions

• Places selling food

• Live theaters

• Motion-picture theaters

• Places of entertainment

• Places of resort

• Public businesses

• Other places where the public is ordinarily invited or permitted

(NYSenate.gov)

An ordinary no-pets policy does not determine whether a qualifying service dog may enter.

A service dog is present to perform individually trained disability-related work—not for ordinary recreation or companionship.

New York Human Rights Law

🐕🦺 Executive Law § 296 makes it unlawful for an owner, manager, agent or employee of a place of public accommodation, resort or amusement to refuse, withhold or deny accommodations, advantages, facilities or privileges because of disability.

The Human Rights Law also treats refusal to make a reasonable modification in a policy, practice or procedure as disability discrimination when the modification is necessary for equal access and would not fundamentally alter the nature of the facility or service. (NYSenate.gov)

A no-animals policy may therefore need to be modified for a qualifying service-animal team.

Equal treatment generally means that a handler should not be:

• Required to use a separate entrance

• Restricted automatically to an outdoor area

• Placed in a designated pet section

• Segregated from other patrons

• Required to wait longer

• Offered fewer goods or services

• Charged an additional animal fee

• Treated as a threat without objective evidence

New York’s Service-Dog Definition

Civil Rights Law § 47-B defines a service dog as a dog that:

• Is under the control of the person using or training it; and

• Has been or is being individually trained to perform work or tasks for a person with a disability.

The statute incorporates control standards consistent with the federal ADA Title III regulation. (NYSenate.gov)

New York’s state definition therefore expressly includes a dog that is still being trained.

Guide and hearing dogs are similarly defined as dogs that have been—or are being—trained to guide or otherwise assist a person with a disability.

Federal Service-Dog Definition

Under the ADA, a service animal is generally a dog individually trained to perform work or tasks directly related to a person’s physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other disability.

Qualifying work may include:

• Guiding a person who is blind

• Alerting a person who is deaf or hard of hearing

• Retrieving medication

• Retrieving dropped objects

• Pulling a wheelchair

• Providing balance or mobility assistance

• Detecting an approaching seizure

• Alerting to blood-sugar or other medical changes

• Interrupting disability-related behavior

• Reminding a person to take medication

• Responding to a psychiatric episode

• Preventing disability-related wandering

• Creating physical space through trained positioning

• Performing another disability-related action

The trained work must relate directly to the handler’s disability.

Comfort, companionship or emotional reassurance supplied solely through a dog’s presence does not satisfy the ADA’s ordinary public-access definition.

Psychiatric Service Dogs

A psychiatric service dog may qualify when it is trained to recognize or respond to a disability-related condition.

Qualifying work may include:

• Interrupting a disability-related episode

• Guiding the handler toward an exit

• Retrieving medication

• Reminding the handler to take medication

• Providing a trained medical or behavioral alert

• Applying trained pressure

• Creating physical space through positioning

• Waking the handler from a disability-related event

• Interrupting repetitive or destructive behavior

• Performing another individually trained response

The handler’s psychiatric or neurological disability does not need to be visible.

The legal focus is the dog’s trained work—not whether employees can observe the disability.

Owner-Trained Service Dogs

🐾 The ADA does not require a completed service dog to be trained by:

• A commercial trainer

• A nonprofit service-dog organization

• A professional training center

• A state-approved instructor

• A certified professional

A person with a disability may train the dog personally.

A New York business should not deny ADA access merely because:

• The dog was owner-trained

• The handler did not use a professional organization

• The dog lacks a training certificate

• The dog is not privately registered

• The dog does not wear a vest

• The dog lacks purchased identification

• The handler’s disability is not visible

• The dog performs psychiatric or neurological tasks

An owner-trained dog must meet the same task-training, behavior, control and housebreaking standards as another completed service dog.

New York’s separate professional-trainer wording in Executive Law § 296(14) does not establish a universal professional-training requirement for completed ADA service dogs. The federal ADA and Civil Rights Law must also be considered. (NYSenate.gov)

Permissible Questions

When a dog’s disability-related function is not readily apparent, staff generally may ask only:

1. Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?

2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

Staff generally may not require:

• Medical documentation

• Disclosure of the person’s diagnosis

• A doctor’s letter as a condition of public entry

• Private service-dog registration

• Service-dog certification

• A purchased identification card

• Professional training records

• Proof that the dog attended a training center

• A demonstration of the trained task

• A particular vest, patch or harness

The questions generally should not be asked when the dog’s trained function is already apparent.

No Certification or Private Registration Requirement

A certificate, registry listing, identification card, vest or harness does not independently establish service-dog status.

Likewise, the absence of those items does not establish that a completed service dog is unqualified.

Generally applicable requirements may still include:

• Municipal dog licensing

• Rabies vaccination

• Animal-health laws

• Animal-control requirements

A municipal dog license is not service-animal certification.

📘 This Service Animal Access Card is therefore an educational reference—not registration, certification, government identification or proof of disability.

Service Dogs in Training

New York grants public-facility rights to a person engaged in training a dog to guide or otherwise assist people with disabilities while the person is actively engaged in that training.

The person with a disability for whom the dog is being trained also receives the rights and privileges established by Civil Rights Law Article 4-B. (NYSenate.gov)

The protected dog must remain under appropriate control.

Civil Rights Law § 47-B does not state that every protected trainer must:

• Work for a named organization

• Carry a state-issued trainer license

• Produce a private service-dog certificate

• Use a particular vest

• Carry a purchased identification card

Executive Law § 296(14) separately and expressly protects professional guide-, hearing- and service-dog trainers engaged in training a dog for a person with a disability, whether or not the intended handler is present. (NYSenate.gov)

The statutes should be read together.

Trainer access applies to a dog still in training. It does not create a professional-training requirement for a completed owner-trained service dog.

Immediate Custody and Control

New York guarantees qualifying handlers the right to keep their guide, hearing or service dogs in their immediate custody while exercising the rights protected by Civil Rights Law Article 4-B. (NYSenate.gov)

Under federal standards, a completed service dog generally must be:

• Harnessed

• Leashed

• Tethered

An exception applies when:

• The handler’s disability prevents use of the device; or

• The device would interfere with the dog’s safe and effective performance of trained work.

When a physical restraint cannot appropriately be used, the handler must maintain control through:

• Voice commands

• Signals

• Another effective method

A service dog should not be permitted to:

• Wander freely

• Repeatedly disrupt the environment

• Jump on customers

• Approach other animals without justification

• Consume merchandise

• Damage property

• Act independently of the handler’s control

A single bark does not automatically establish lack of control. The relevant question is whether the dog remains uncontrolled and whether the handler takes effective corrective action.

No Direct or Indirect Additional Charge

💳 Civil Rights Law § 47-B prohibits a public or private person or legal entity from imposing any direct or indirect additional charge for admitting a guide, hearing or service dog accompanying a person with a disability. (NYSenate.gov)

A covered establishment generally should not impose an automatic:

• Pet fee

• Animal admission fee

• Service-dog surcharge

• Pet-room charge

• Animal deposit

• Routine pet-cleaning fee

• Special seating charge

• Mandatory handling fee

A hotel generally should not restrict a service-dog handler to pet-designated rooms or impose its ordinary pet fee merely because the dog is present.

A handler may remain responsible for actual damage caused by the dog under a generally applicable damage policy.

An establishment should not convert an actual-damage policy into an advance animal charge.

Care and Supervision

A business generally is not required to:

• Feed the service dog

• Provide water

• Walk the dog

• Supervise the dog

• Clean up after the dog

• Hold the dog

• Provide veterinary care

• Board the dog

Responsibility for the animal remains with the handler or an assistant arranged by the handler.

Lawful Removal

A service dog may generally be required to leave when:

• The dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective corrective action; or

• The dog is not housebroken.

An individual dog may also be excluded when:

• It presents an actual direct threat that cannot be reduced through reasonable measures

• Its presence would fundamentally alter the nature of the goods or services

• Its presence conflicts with a legitimate safety requirement necessary for operation

Removal must concern the particular dog’s actual conduct and circumstances—not:

• An ordinary no-pets policy

• Fear of dogs

• Discomfort with a breed

• The dog’s size

• Muscular appearance

• Cropped ears or another physical trait

• A prior incident involving another animal

• Speculation about what the dog might do

When removal is lawful, the person with a disability must still be offered an opportunity to obtain the establishment’s goods or services without the dog present.

Breed, Size and Appearance

🛡️ A service dog may be any breed or size.

A New York restaurant, hotel, store, healthcare facility, school, transportation provider or government office should not exclude a qualifying dog merely because it:

• Resembles a breed restricted under an ordinary pet policy

• Appears physically powerful

• Has cropped ears

• Is unusually large

• Is unusually small

• Is not a traditional guide-dog breed

• Causes concern based only on reputation or stereotypes

A direct-threat assessment must concern the individual dog’s actual behavior or known history.

Generalized fear, breed reputation and speculation are not substitutes for evaluating the dog that is present.

Restaurants and Places Selling Food

New York expressly includes places where food is offered for sale within the public facilities covered by Civil Rights Law § 47. (NYSenate.gov)

A qualifying service dog may generally accompany its handler through:

• Dining rooms

• Grocery aisles

• Checkout areas

• Customer waiting areas

• Self-service food lines

• Other areas open to customers

The dog should not be placed on:

• Tables

• Chairs

• Counters

• Shopping carts

• Food-preparation surfaces

• Other surfaces intended for seating or food service

A business is not required to provide food, water, care or supervision for the dog.

The presence of food does not transform a service dog into an ordinary pet or eliminate lawful access.

Hotels and Temporary Lodging

New York’s definition of public facility includes temporary housing accommodations, and its broader language covers buildings and businesses ordinarily open to the public. (NYSenate.gov)

A qualifying service dog may generally accompany its handler in:

• Guest rooms

• Lobbies

• Hallways

• Elevators

• Dining rooms

• Meeting spaces

• Other areas open to guests

A hotel generally should not:

• Restrict the handler to a pet room

• Impose a pet fee

• Require an animal deposit

• Demand private certification

• Require professional training records

• Require advance service-dog registration

The hotel may enforce its ordinary actual-damage policy when the same policy applies to other guests.

Healthcare Facilities

Hospitals, clinics and medical offices may be covered by New York’s public-facility and Human Rights Law protections as well as the ADA.

A service dog may generally accompany its handler into areas open to patients and visitors.

Limited exclusion may be appropriate in a specific area where the dog’s presence would conflict with a legitimate sterile-field or safety requirement.

The assessment should concern:

• The particular room

• The particular procedure

• Actual infection-control requirements

• Whether the dog can remain safely nearby

• Whether temporary supervision can be arranged

• Whether another accommodation preserves access to care

A healthcare facility should not impose a building-wide exclusion merely because ordinary pets are prohibited.

Transportation

🚕 New York’s public-facility definition expressly includes all modes of public and private transportation. (NYSenate.gov)

A transportation provider generally should not:

• Refuse a qualifying service-dog team

• Demand private certification

• Require the dog to be transported in a carrier

• Charge an animal fee

• Refuse the dog solely because of breed or size

Air travel is governed primarily by the federal Air Carrier Access Act rather than the ordinary ADA rules used by restaurants, hotels and retail businesses.

Airlines may use federally authorized procedures that ordinary public accommodations may not demand.

Civil Rights Law Penalties

Under Civil Rights Law § 47-C:

• A violation of Article 4-B is classified as a violation

• A person or legal entity that violates § 47 or subdivisions one or two of § 47-B two or more times within a two-year period may be fined $1,000

(NYSenate.gov)

Section 47-C applies to both public and private persons or legal entities.

The $1,000 provision concerns repeat qualifying violations. The statute should not be represented as an automatic $1,000 penalty for every first misunderstanding.

Human Rights Law Complaints and Remedies

A person alleging disability discrimination may report the matter to the New York State Division of Human Rights.

For discrimination occurring on or after February 15, 2024, a Human Rights Law complaint generally must be filed with the Division within:

Three years of the most recent discriminatory incident

(Division of Human Rights)

The Division’s process may involve:

• Review of the discrimination report

• Preparation of a formal complaint

• Service on the respondent

• Investigation

• Probable-cause determination

• Conciliation

• Public hearing

• Final order

• Judicial review or enforcement

Reporting and filing through the Division are free, and a person does not need an attorney to submit a report. (Division of Human Rights)

Available Human Rights Law Relief

When the Division finds unlawful discrimination, relief may include:

• An order stopping the discrimination

• Equal and unsegregated access

• Policy changes

• Compensatory damages

• Appropriate affirmative relief

• Compliance reporting

• Civil fines payable to the state

State civil penalties may reach:

• Up to $50,000 for an unlawful discriminatory act

• Up to $100,000 when the act is found to be willful, wanton or malicious

(NYSenate.gov)

These maximums are not automatic. The facts, evidence, legal findings and enforcement process determine the relief ordered.

Public-Access Misrepresentation and Legal Accuracy

The current statewide statutes summarized here do not contain an enacted general public-access offense broadly criminalizing every false service-animal claim.

New York Penal Law Article 242 currently contains offenses for:

• Interference, harassment or intimidation

• Harming a service animal in the second degree

• Harming a service animal in the first degree

It does not currently list a general service-animal misrepresentation offense. New York legislators have introduced proposals to create one, but an introduced bill is not enacted law. (NYSenate.gov)

The card therefore does not advertise a statewide “fake service dog” fine that is not contained in the current enacted statutes reviewed.

Misrepresentation may still:

• Create public confusion

• Harm legitimate service-animal teams

• Affect credibility in a legal proceeding

• Support lawful removal when a dog does not satisfy access standards

• Violate another law depending on the conduct

Concerns about misrepresentation do not authorize unlawful documentation demands.

This card itself never confers service-animal status.

Interference, Harassment or Intimidation

⚠️ Penal Law § 242.05 applies when a person intentionally commits an act that makes it:

• Impractical

• Dangerous

• Impossible

for a service animal to perform its assigned responsibilities of assisting a person with a disability.

The offense is a Class B misdemeanor. (NYSenate.gov)

Under New York’s general sentencing provisions, a Class B misdemeanor may carry:

• Up to three months of imprisonment

• A fine of up to $500

• Or both

(NYSenate.gov)

Members of the public should not:

• Pet a working animal without permission

• Call or whistle at it

• Feed it

• Grab its leash or harness

• Block its path

• Frighten or provoke it

• Distract it from a medical alert

• Interrupt a mobility task

• Encourage another animal to approach

• Attempt to test its behavior

Intentional Injury or Death

Penal Law § 242.10 applies when a person intentionally causes physical injury to a service animal, including injury resulting in the animal’s death.

The offense is a Class A misdemeanor. (NYSenate.gov)

Under New York’s general sentencing provisions, a Class A misdemeanor may carry:

• Up to 364 days of imprisonment

• A fine of up to $1,000

• Or both

(NYSenate.gov)

Repeat Harming Offense

Penal Law § 242.15 applies when a person commits second-degree harming and has previously been convicted of first- or second-degree harming of a service animal within the prior five years.

The repeat offense is a Class E felony. (NYSenate.gov)

A felony conviction may carry consequences beyond the sentence imposed in the individual case.

Protection From Another Person’s Animal

Agriculture and Markets Law § 123-B applies when an animal owner or person controlling an animal recklessly permits it to interfere with the proper working of a service animal, exposing the handler and service animal to danger or causing injury or death.

The person may face a civil penalty of up to:

$1,000

in addition to other applicable penalties. (NYSenate.gov)

When the interfering animal was previously determined to be dangerous, the owner or person controlling it may face:

• A fine of up to $2,000

• Up to 15 days of imprisonment

• Or both

(NYSenate.gov)

A pet owner should immediately control an animal that is:

• Lunging at a working team

• Pursuing the service animal

• Barking aggressively

• Ignoring recall commands

• Blocking the handler’s path

• Attempting unwanted physical contact

Civil Recovery Following Injury or Death

💼 A handler whose service animal is incapacitated, injured or killed may pursue available civil remedies for losses including:

• Medical expenses

• Veterinary expenses

• Rehabilitation

• Replacement of the service animal

• Lost wages

• Transportation expenses

• Other expenses directly related to the temporary or permanent loss of the animal

(NYSenate.gov)

These remedies recognize that loss of a trained service animal may affect the handler’s safety, independence, health, mobility, employment and daily functioning.

Blind-Pedestrian Right-of-Way

Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1153 requires a driver approaching an intersection or crosswalk to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing or attempting to cross when the pedestrian:

• Is accompanied by a guide dog

• Uses a metallic cane

• Uses a white cane

• Uses a white cane with a red tip

(NYSenate.gov)

This traffic provision does not create:

• A general harness requirement for all service dogs

• A vest requirement for public entry

• A certification requirement

• A limitation on handlers with nonvisual disabilities

Municipal Dog-Licensing Fees

New York municipalities may exempt qualifying guide, hearing and service dogs from municipal licensing fees.

The exemption is permissive rather than automatically mandatory statewide. Municipal rules should be checked locally. (NYSenate.gov)

Generally applicable licensing and rabies-vaccination requirements remain separate from service-animal certification.

A municipal license marked “Service Dog” does not independently create public-access rights and should not be demanded by a business as proof of ADA qualification.

Housing Accommodations

🏠 Housing law uses a broader assistance-animal framework than ordinary ADA public-access law.

New York’s Human Rights Law prohibits disability discrimination in housing terms, conditions, privileges, services and facilities. It also recognizes use of an animal as a potential reasonable accommodation. (NYSenate.gov)

New York’s Division of Human Rights housing intake expressly recognizes claims involving:

• Professionally trained guide, hearing or service dogs

• Dogs that are not professionally trained

• Miniature horses

• Emotional-support animals

• Other companion animals used as a reasonable disability accommodation

(DHR Web Applications)

A qualifying accommodation may require modification of:

• A no-pets policy

• A breed restriction

• A size or weight restriction

• A pet-deposit requirement

• A recurring pet-fee requirement

• Another animal-related housing rule

Public Access and Housing Are Different

An emotional-support animal may qualify as a reasonable housing accommodation without performing an individually trained task.

That does not give the animal ordinary access to:

• Restaurants

• Grocery stores

• Retail businesses

• Entertainment venues

• Hotels used by the general public

• Other public accommodations

Public-access law generally focuses on a dog trained to perform disability-related work, with a separate ADA analysis for trained miniature horses.

Housing law may protect a broader range of animals.

Housing Documentation

When the disability and disability-related need for an animal are readily apparent or already known, additional documentation generally should not be necessary.

When the disability or need is not apparent, a housing provider may request limited information necessary to verify:

• The existence of a qualifying disability

• The disability-related need for the animal

• The relationship between the animal and the requested accommodation

A housing provider should not demand:

• Complete medical records

• An entire treatment history

• Unrelated diagnostic information

• A particular private registry

• A purchased service-animal identification card

• Professional training records for an emotional-support animal

Federal housing law recognizes assistance animals that perform work, provide assistance or provide disability-related emotional support. (HUD)

Housing documentation procedures must not be transferred to restaurants, stores and similar public accommodations.

Housing Fees and Damage

A qualifying housing assistance animal is not treated as an ordinary pet for purposes of the disability accommodation.

A housing provider generally should not impose:

• Pet rent

• A pet deposit

• An animal admission fee

• An assistance-animal surcharge

The resident may remain responsible for:

• Actual property damage

• Sanitation

• Animal control

• Dangerous behavior

• Generally applicable tenancy obligations

A decision involving safety or damage should concern the individual animal and objective evidence—not breed or appearance alone.

Employment Protection

💼 Civil Rights Law § 47-A prohibits denying an otherwise qualified person equal opportunities to obtain, maintain or advance in employment solely because the person has a disability and is accompanied by a guide, hearing or service dog, unless the disability prevents performance of the particular job. (NYSenate.gov)

The New York Human Rights Law also requires reasonable accommodation of known disabilities in employment unless the employer demonstrates undue hardship. (NYSenate.gov)

Use of a service animal at work ordinarily involves an individualized accommodation process.

An employer may evaluate:

• Whether the employee has a qualifying disability

• The disability-related need for the animal

• Whether the animal can remain appropriately controlled

• Whether the accommodation imposes an undue hardship

• Whether an actual direct threat exists

• Whether another effective accommodation is available

Employment procedures differ from immediate customer access.

A store employee should not demand workplace-style medical documentation from a customer accompanied by a service dog.

Retaliation Is Prohibited

New York’s Human Rights Law prohibits retaliation against a person because the person:

• Opposed unlawful discrimination

• Filed a complaint

• Testified in a proceeding

• Assisted in a proceeding

• Requested a reasonable accommodation

(NYSenate.gov)

A handler, trainer, employee, witness or tenant should not be threatened or punished for raising a good-faith disability-access concern.

Enforcement and Complaints

Potential enforcement avenues may include:

• New York State Division of Human Rights

• Local law enforcement

• Municipal police

• County sheriff

• District attorney

• New York Attorney General

• United States Department of Justice

• United States Department of Housing and Urban Development

• Transportation regulators

• Local animal-control authorities

• A private attorney concerning available remedies

Potential issues may involve:

• Public-access denial

• Disability discrimination

• A prohibited additional charge

• Failure to modify an ordinary no-pets policy

• Trainer-access interference

• Retaliation

• Interference with a service animal

• Intentional injury or death

• Failure to control another animal

• Housing discrimination

• Employment discrimination

• Another applicable state or federal violation

Filing deadlines, jurisdiction and available remedies depend on the facts and governing law.

This educational card is not a substitute for individualized legal advice.

Designed For

• Service-animal handlers

• Service-dog trainers

• Restaurants and cafés

• Hotels and lodging establishments

• Retail businesses

• Grocery stores

• Food-service establishments

• Healthcare facilities

• Hospitals, clinics and medical offices

• Government offices

• Public agencies

• Schools and universities

• Transportation providers

• Taxi and rideshare personnel

• Security personnel

• Law enforcement officers

• Animal-control officers

• Emergency personnel

• First responders

• Property managers

• Housing professionals

• Employers

• Human-resources personnel

• Disability-access educators

• Employee-training programs

• Members of the public

Product Includes

• One New York Service Animal Access Card

• Premium full-color front-and-back printing

• Rounded corners

• Standard 4" × 6" vertical format

• Compatible with appropriately sized badge holders and lanyards

Important Notice

This card is an educational legal reference.

It is not:

• Government-issued identification

• Service-dog registration

• Service-dog certification

• Medical documentation

• Proof of disability

• Proof that a dog qualifies for access

Public-access rights arise from applicable state and federal law—not possession of this card.

A handler is not required to display this card, and an ADA-covered business generally may not require:

• Private registration

• Service-dog certification

• Purchased identification

• Medical records

• Professional training records

• Proof that a completed dog attended a service-dog school

• A demonstration of the trained task

as a condition of lawful public access.

New York protects qualifying dogs in training. Civil Rights Law § 47-B grants rights to a person engaged in training a dog to guide or otherwise assist people with disabilities while actively engaged in that training. That state protection should not be confused with a requirement that a completed service dog come from a professional organization. (NYSenate.gov)

A completed qualifying service dog may be owner-trained.

New York’s criminal service-animal definition is broader than its ordinary dog-based public-access language and may protect an animal trained—or being trained by a qualified person—to assist a person with a disability. The definition applicable to a particular claim should be matched to the statute being used. (NYSenate.gov)

Many employees, managers, healthcare workers, transportation personnel, security officers, public employees and first responders receive little or no practical training concerning service-animal access. Nevertheless, they may be expected to make an immediate decision involving a sensitive disability-access situation.

💡 This card helps public-facing personnel understand:

• Which questions may lawfully be asked

• Why private certification generally cannot be demanded

• Why completed service dogs may be owner-trained

• How New York protects dogs in training

• Why an ordinary no-pets policy does not determine access

• Why direct and indirect animal charges are prohibited

• Why breed and appearance are not substitutes for an individualized assessment

• What immediate custody and control require

• When removal may be lawful

• Why goods and services must remain available following lawful removal

• How Civil Rights Law penalties apply

• How the Human Rights Law complaint process applies

• Why intentional interference is a Class B misdemeanor

• Why intentional injury or death is a Class A misdemeanor

• Why a qualifying repeat harming offense is a Class E felony

• How another animal’s owner may face civil penalties and damages

• Why public-access and housing procedures differ

• Why this educational card does not confer legal status

The card presents protections and responsibilities together so the focus remains on lawful conduct, accurate information, responsible handling and respectful public interaction.

Legal References

New York

• New York State Senate—Current Laws

• Civil Rights Law Article 4-B

• Civil Rights Law § 47—Public Facilities

• Civil Rights Law § 47-A—Employment

• Civil Rights Law § 47-B—Custody, Charges, Trainers and Definitions

• Civil Rights Law § 47-C—Penalties

• Executive Law § 296—Unlawful Discriminatory Practices

• Executive Law § 297—Complaints, Remedies and Deadlines

• Penal Law Article 242—Offenses Against Service Animals

• Penal Law § 242.00—Definitions

• Penal Law § 242.05—Interference, Harassment or Intimidation

• Penal Law § 242.10—Harming in the Second Degree

• Penal Law § 242.15—Harming in the First Degree

• Penal Law § 70.15—Misdemeanor Sentences

• Penal Law § 80.05—Misdemeanor and Violation Fines

• Agriculture and Markets Law § 110—Dog-Licensing Fees

• Agriculture and Markets Law § 123-B—Offenses Against Service Animals and Handlers

• Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1153—Blind-Pedestrian Right-of-Way

• New York State Division of Human Rights

• Report Discrimination

• New York DHR Housing Discrimination Report

• New York Attorney General—Fair Housing

• New York Department of Agriculture—Municipal Dog-Licensing Guidance

• Service Animal Alert—Laws by State

Federal

• U.S. Department of Justice—Service Animals

• ADA Service-Animal Frequently Asked Questions

• ADA Requirements for Service Animals

• ADA Title III Regulations—28 CFR Part 36

• 28 CFR § 36.302(c)—Public-Accommodation Service Animals

• 28 CFR § 35.136—Service Animals in Public Entities

• HUD—Assistance Animals in Housing

• U.S. Department of Justice—File an ADA Complaint

• Service Animal Alert—ADA Resources

Why ServiceAnimalAlert?

At ServiceAnimalAlert.com, our store’s purpose is to make service-animal access laws easier to recognize, understand and respectfully apply in everyday situations.

📚 We create professionally designed educational references for handlers, trainers, businesses, healthcare providers, public agencies, transportation employees, security personnel, first responders and members of the public.

Every order represents more than the purchase of a card. It welcomes another handler, trainer, employee, business owner, public servant or informed community member into a growing coalition committed to lawful access, responsible handling and greater service-animal awareness.

Our store materials focus on:

• Education

• Legal awareness

• Respectful interactions

• Responsible handling

• Practical reference tools

• Clear public-facing information

Each card is informational—not identification or certification—so the focus remains on the law itself.

Carry the law. Strengthen awareness. Guard access with the confidence of the Empire State.

Carry it proudly—not as a credential, but as a visible commitment to education, dignity and respectful access.

Learn more through the Service Animal Alert Mission Page, explore the ADA Resources and Educational Index or review the 50-State Service Animal and Disability Access Laws.

Know the Law. Respect Access. Guard Rights.