24 C.F.R. § 960.705
§ 960.705 Animals that assist, support, or provide service to persons with disabilities. (24 CFR Part 960)
Operative Text
(a) This subpart G does not apply to animals that assist, support or provide service to persons with disabilities. PHAs may not apply or enforce any policies established under this subpart against animals that are necessary as a reasonable accommodation to assist, support or provide service to persons with disabilities. This exclusion applies to such animals that reside in public housing, as that term is used in § 960.703, and such animals that visit these developments. (b) Nothing in this subpart G: (1) Limits or impairs the rights of persons with disabilities; (2) Authorizes PHAs to limit or impair the rights of persons with disabilities; or (3) Affects any authority that PHAs may have to regulate service animals that assist, support or provide service to persons with disabilities, under Federal, State, or local law.
Under 24 CFR Part 960 § 960.705, the pet and animal regulations established elsewhere in Subpart G of Part 960 do not apply to animals that assist, support, or provide service to persons with disabilities when those animals are required as a reasonable accommodation. This carve-out covers both animals that live in a public housing development and those that merely visit. The provision also makes clear that nothing in Subpart G narrows the rights of persons with disabilities or grants PHAs any new authority to restrict those rights beyond what federal, state, or local law already permits.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Public housing authorities operating under 24 CFR Part 960 § 960.705 generally treat assistance, support, and service animals as a separate category from pets, meaning standard Subpart G pet policies are not applied to them. Compliant PHAs process requests for these animals through the reasonable accommodation framework rather than through pet-approval procedures. PHAs retain only the regulatory authority over service animals that already exists under applicable federal, state, or local law—no additional restrictions are created by Subpart G.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 960.705 of 24 CFR Part 960 protects residents and visitors with disabilities by shielding their assistance, support, or service animals from public housing pet rules. If a PHA attempts to enforce a Subpart G animal policy against a disability-related animal, a tenant may raise that exclusion as a defense, noting that the provision explicitly prohibits such enforcement. Tenants who believe their rights under § 960.705 have been violated can contact their local HUD field office, a local tenant-rights organization, or a legal aid provider for general information about available options.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 4, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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