TX · ESA letters by state
Your ESA letter in Texas, done right.
From Houston to the state line, one flat $99 gets you a clinician licensed in Texas and a letter your landlord has to take seriously.
- Licensed in Texas
- Letter 24 to 48 hours after your evaluation
- $99 flat, money-back guarantee
- Fair Housing Act ready
How Texas treats ESA letters
Texas has written its own rules on top of the federal baseline, and a letter that ignores them is not worth the paper it is printed on. Here is what actually applies.
Texas follows the federal Fair Housing Act for what documentation a landlord may request, and since September 1, 2023 it backs that up with penalties: under Texas Human Resources Code 121.006 (HB 4164), fraudulently claiming an animal is a service or assistance animal is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and 30 hours of community service. A valid Texas ESA letter should come from a professional licensed in Texas who actually evaluated you, with their license details on the letter. Complaints go to the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division or HUD.
2023 penalties for misrepresenting an assistance animal
Tex. Hum. Res. Code § 121.006 (HB 4164, eff. Sept. 1, 2023)
Texas HB 4164, effective September 1, 2023, made fraudulently representing an animal as a service or assistance animal a Class B misdemeanor carrying a fine up to $1,000 and 30 hours of community service benefiting people with disabilities. Legitimate ESA accommodations backed by a real clinical evaluation are untouched; bought certificates are the target.
Every FetchMyESA letter in Texas comes from a clinician with an active TX license, after a real evaluation. That is the standard the law expects, and it is the only kind of letter we issue.
From stressed to sorted in three steps
Step 1
Take the free assessment
Three minutes of straightforward questions about your home, your animal, and what you are carrying.
Step 2
Meet your clinician
A real evaluation, by phone or video, with a mental health professional licensed in your state.
Step 3
Get your letter
If you qualify, your signed ESA housing letter lands in your inbox, ready to hand to your landlord.
Timing in Texas: most people finish the assessment the same day, meet their clinician within a day or two, and have their signed letter in hand 24 to 48 hours after the evaluation.
Statewide, corner to corner
Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Austin. And everywhere in between.
Evaluations happen by phone or video, so it does not matter whether you are downtown or three hours from the nearest office. If you live in Texas, a clinician licensed in Texas can see you.
Texas has more than 4 million renter households, among the most in the nation, and its big-metro apartment managers are famously strict about pet paperwork and breed lists.
Texas questions, straight answers
Do online ESA letters actually work in Texas?
Yes. The law cares about who signed it and whether they evaluated you, not whether the appointment happened over video. Every FetchMyESA letter comes from a TX-licensed clinician after a live evaluation.
How fast can I get an ESA letter in Texas?
Assessment today, evaluation within a day or two, signed letter 24 to 48 hours later. If you have a lease deadline in Texas, tell us and we will pace it accordingly.
Does a Texas landlord have to accept a valid ESA letter?
Only in narrow cases, like an animal that poses a direct threat or an undue burden. With a valid letter from a licensed clinician, the Fair Housing Act requires your housing provider to consider your accommodation request seriously, and our money-back guarantee backs you up.
Something more specific about your building or your lease? Call us at (888) 728-3372 or read the full housing rights guide.
Ready when you are, Texas.
The assessment is free, private, and takes about three minutes. You pay the flat $99 only if a licensed clinician confirms an ESA is right for you.
Start my free assessmentMoving soon, or helping someone in another state? Browse ESA letter rules for all 50 states.