# ESA Letter in Ward 1, DC: Row House Rentals and the Owner Exemption

> An ESA letter in Ward 1, DC works under the Human Rights Act, but a row house the owner lives in may fall outside it. How § 2-1402.24's two tiers work.

- Source: https://supportanimal.com/blog/district-of-columbia-emotional-support-animal/ward-1/
- Publisher: Support Animal (supportanimal.com)
- Updated: 2026-09-23
- License note: informational content; not legal or medical advice.

**In short:** In DC's Ward 1, where about 64 percent of households rent, a landlord must make reasonable accommodations under D.C. Code § 2-1402.21(d)(3)(B), and an emotional support animal is one. The exception to watch is § 2-1402.24(a): an owner living in the building is outside the DC Act for up to two independent households, or four when a kitchen or bathroom is shared.

## Key facts

- Population: 81,010
- Households renting: 64.4%
- Typical pet deposit (as a pet): Up to ~$327 from Oct 2026
- Typical pet rent (as a pet): ~$22/dog cap from Oct 2026
- Breed/weight limits common: sometimes
- Pet fees, deposits and breed or weight limits with a qualifying reasonable accommodation: may be waived or modified, not automatically void (FHA reasonable accommodation)

## Why do Ward 1's row houses change the ESA question?

The DC Office of Planning describes Ward 1 as a ward of row houses. Columbia Heights "sits right in
the middle of the ward", with Adams Morgan, Mount Pleasant, LeDroit Park and part of Shaw around it,
and the U Street Corridor running along much of its southern edge. Planning's own summary is that
"most of these neighborhoods are dominated by row houses", with Sixteenth Street "lined with
impressive apartment buildings".

That mix gives a Ward 1 renter two quite different landlords. One is a company running a large
building on Sixteenth Street. The other is a person who owns a row house, lives in part of it and
rents the rest. For an emotional support animal, the second landlord can sit under a different rule,
and knowing which one you have is the first thing to settle.

## What does the DC Human Rights Act require of a Ward 1 landlord?

The District does not need federal law to carry an ESA request. Its own Human Rights Act says it is
unlawful discrimination to refuse "to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices,
or services, when these accommodations may be necessary to afford any person equal opportunity to use
and enjoy a dwelling" (**D.C. Code § 2-1402.21(d)(3)(B)**). A no-pets clause is a rule. Letting a
disabled tenant keep a support animal despite it is an accommodation to that rule. The federal Fair
Housing Act, **42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)**, runs alongside with almost the same words.

The District's Office of Human Rights (OHR) puts the practical side plainly in its fair housing FAQ:
"assistance animals are not pets", and they are "not required to be certified or go through a
professional training program". That is agency guidance, not statute, but it is the agency that hears
the complaint.

## When does the owner-occupied exemption in § 2-1402.24 reach a Ward 1 row house?

**D.C. Code § 2-1402.24(a)** takes some buildings out of the Human Rights Act entirely. It covers
housing "in a building in which the owner, or members of his or her family occupy one of the living
units" and which holds, or is meant to hold, accommodations for not more than:

1. "Four families, and only with respect to a prospective tenant, not related to the owner-occupant,
   with whom the owner-occupant anticipates the necessity of sharing a kitchen or bathroom"; or
2. "Two families living independently of each other."

So the exemption has two tiers. Read against Ward 1's housing, it sorts like this:

- **The owner lives upstairs and rents one separate unit.** Two households living independently. The
  DC Act likely does not apply to that rental.
- **The owner lives in one unit and rents two or three others, each with its own kitchen.** More than
  two independent households, and no shared kitchen or bathroom. The exemption does not fit, and the
  DC Act applies.
- **You rent a room in the owner's home and share their kitchen.** The four-family tier can reach
  you.

OHR's FAQ summarises this as owners who "live in one unit of a 4-or-fewer-unit building". The statute
is narrower than that summary, and the statute's text is what governs. One more limit: falling
outside the DC Act does not switch off federal fair housing law, which has its own small-building
rules that this page does not cover. Legal Aid DC or the Equal Rights Center can tell you which set
reaches your lease.

## How many Ward 1 households rent, and what do they pay?

The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates count 40,548 occupied
homes in Ward 1, of which 26,132 are rented (plus or minus 1,437). That is a renter share of 64.4
percent (plus or minus 2.8), one of four wards above the District's 58.5 percent. Median gross rent is
$2,179 (plus or minus $54), above DC's $1,954. The population estimate is 81,010.

Two cautions travel with those figures. They are averages over five years that include the pandemic
rent dip, so they are not today's rents. And gross rent counts utilities the tenant pays, so it will
not match a listing's asking price. The figures are also tabulated on the ward lines drawn in 2022,
which is why older ward profiles describe different ground.

## What changes for Ward 1 pet deposits on October 1, 2026?

Today, a DC deposit is capped by regulation. **14 DCMR 308.2** says any payment held as security
"shall not exceed an amount equivalent to the first full month's rent" and "shall be charged only
once". OHR's FAQ also lists a request "for a pet deposit fee waiver" among the accommodations a
disabled tenant can ask for.

From **October 1, 2026**, a new layer applies. The Pets in Housing Amendment Act of 2024 (**D.C. Law
25-308**) lets a landlord take a separate pet deposit of up to 15 percent of monthly rent and pet rent
of up to 1 percent of the first month's rent per dog. It also says no deposit and no pet rent may be
charged "for a service or assistance animal required by a tenant with a disability as a reasonable
accommodation under local or federal law". The law was enacted subject to funding. **D.C. Act 26-416
§ 7259**, an emergency budget act, removed that condition for the landlord provisions as of October
1, 2026. As of September 2026 the change rests on that emergency act alone, which lasts no more than
90 days, and a permanent version was not confirmed. The online Code still prints "Not Funded".

At Ward 1's median, 15 percent would be about $327 for an ordinary pet, and 1 percent about $22 a
month per dog. For a support animal that qualifies as an accommodation, both are $0. If your lease
began between October 2025 and September 2026, the texts do not settle whether the new caps reach it.

## Does public housing in Ward 1 use different animal rules?

The DC Housing Authority's public-housing list names six Ward 1 properties, among them Garfield
Terrace, Harvard Towers and Kelly Miller Dwellings. DCHA's own rule, **14 DCMR 7001.3**, says
assistance animals, "including service and support animals, are not pets" and so are outside its pet
policy. Its accommodations page says a request can be made at any point in the application, and that you
are "never required to tell DCHA" that you or someone in your household has a disability.

One warning. That rule still cites HUD notice FHEO 2020-01, which HUD withdrew effective September 17,
2025. Do not rely on the notice itself.

## Where can a Ward 1 renter take a refused request?

The forum for a DC housing discrimination complaint is OHR. **D.C. Code § 2-1403.04(a)** gives you
one year from the refusal, or from when you discovered it. A lawsuit is also open for two years under
**§ 2-1403.16(b)**, and a timely OHR complaint pauses that clock. The Office of the Tenant Advocate
advises tenants but does not decide discrimination complaints.

For free help, Legal Aid DC (intake 202-628-1161) and Bread for the City's legal clinic (202-780-2575)
both take housing cases. We found no DC offence for misrepresenting an assistance animal, so the risk
we can point to from a weak letter is not a fine. It is a denial you cannot answer.

## How do you get an ESA letter that holds up in Ward 1?

A Ward 1 landlord, whether a building manager or the owner upstairs, may ask for the two things OHR
names: verification of a disability "from a physician or other healthcare provider", and a
"connection between the disability and the function provided by the assistance animal".

If you already see a therapist, ask them first. They know your history. Expect some friction: a
clinician who has seen you only a few times may reasonably decline to state a disability finding, and
a community clinic may have a wait before a first visit.

Where neither route is open, a licensed evaluation answers the same two questions on purpose. A
licensed clinician assesses you, decides whether a disability is present and whether this animal is
needed because of it, and writes it down, including when the answer is no. That possibility of a no
is what gives the landlord, and OHR, a reason to trust the yes.

## What Ward 1 landlords can and cannot do

**Cannot:**
- Cannot refuse a reasonable accommodation to a no-pets rule where it may be necessary to give a person with a disability equal opportunity to use and enjoy the home, D.C. Code § 2-1402.21(d)(3)(B) and 42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B).
- Cannot deny a dwelling because of a disability, or set different terms, conditions or privileges because of one, D.C. Code § 2-1402.21(d)(1) and (d)(2).
- Cannot require a pet security deposit or pet rent for an assistance animal required as a reasonable accommodation, for the period from October 1, 2026, D.C. Law 25-308 § 2(c)(2) as applied by D.C. Act 26-416 § 7259. Before that date, OHR treats a pet deposit waiver as a reasonable accommodation request.
- Cannot take more than the first full month's rent as security, in total and only once, 14 DCMR 308.2. Federally subsidised units are excluded from that rule by 308.8.
- Cannot charge a prospective tenant any fee other than the application fee before the lease is signed, D.C. Code § 42-3505.10(b)(3).
- Cannot, in screening, ask about or act on an alleged lease breach related to the applicant's or a household member's disability, D.C. Code § 42-3505.10(d)(2)(C).
- Cannot insist on a certificate or training programme for an assistance animal: OHR's fair housing FAQ says assistance animals are "not required to be certified".

**Can:**
- Must return the deposit with interest, or give written notice of intent to withhold, within 45 days after the tenancy ends, 14 DCMR 309.1, and may not deduct for ordinary wear and tear, D.C. Code § 42-3502.17(c).
- May ask, in OHR's published view, for verification from a physician or other healthcare provider that the tenant has a disability, and for a connection between the disability and what the animal does. That is agency guidance, not statute.
- May decline where a tenancy would be a direct threat to others' health or safety, or would cause substantial physical damage to others' property, D.C. Code § 2-1402.21(d)(5).
- May be outside the DC Act only in the narrow owner-occupied cases in D.C. Code § 2-1402.24: up to four families where the owner will share a kitchen or bathroom with the tenant, otherwise up to two.

## How to get an ESA letter in Ward 1

1. **Check that you qualify**, Answer a short screening about how your condition affects daily life in Ward 1. No diagnosis paperwork needed up front. (About 5 minutes: free)
2. **Connect with a licensed professional**, You are matched with a provider licensed for District of Columbia clients who reviews your situation in a telehealth evaluation. (Telehealth evaluation)
3. **Complete your evaluation**, The professional considers whether an emotional support animal is clinically appropriate for a condition recognized in the DSM-5. The DSM-5 can inform that assessment, but the housing question is whether you have a qualifying disability and whether the animal is necessary because of it. Honest evaluations: not everyone qualifies. (Most of Our Applicants Qualify)
4. **Receive your signed letter**, Your letter arrives on the professional's letterhead with their license number: supporting documentation for a reasonable accommodation that District of Columbia landlords may lawfully request. (Typically within days of approval)
5. **Send it to your landlord**, Submit the letter with a short reasonable-accommodation request. Where the accommodation is required, ordinary pet-related rules and charges, including pet fees, pet deposits and breed or weight limits, may need to be waived or modified. You remain responsible for any damage the animal actually causes. (Protection under FHA + state law)

## Conditions that can qualify for an ESA

No fixed government list exists. A licensed professional assesses whether an emotional support animal is clinically appropriate for a condition recognized in the DSM-5. The DSM-5 can inform that assessment, but the housing question is whether a qualifying disability is present and whether the animal is necessary because of it. Commonly:

- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Major depressive disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Panic disorder
- Social anxiety disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Bipolar disorder
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Phobias with housing impact
- Chronic stress affecting daily function

## Housing help in Ward 1

- [DC Office of Human Rights: file a discrimination complaint](https://ohr.dc.gov/service/file-discrimination-complaint) (fair housing agency)
- [Office of the Tenant Advocate](https://ota.dc.gov/) (tenant advocate)
- [Legal Aid DC: how to apply for help](https://www.legalaiddc.org/how-to-apply-for-help) (legal aid)
- [Bread for the City: legal clinic](https://breadforthecity.org/legal/) (legal aid)
- [Equal Rights Center: fair housing program](https://equalrightscenter.org/our-programs/fair-housing/) (fair housing agency)
- [Disability Rights DC at University Legal Services](https://www.uls-dc.org/programs/disability-rights-dc) (disability rights)
- [DC Housing Authority: disability accommodations](https://www.dchousing.org/wordpress/public-housing/disability-accommodations/) (local housing authority)

## Frequently asked questions

### I rent the only other unit in a Ward 1 row house where the owner lives. Does the DC Human Rights Act cover my ESA request?

Probably not. D.C. Code § 2-1402.24(a)(2) takes a building out of the Act when the owner or the owner's family lives in one unit and it holds no more than "Two families living independently of each other." That describes an owner upstairs and one separate rental. Federal fair housing law has its own small-building rules, which this page does not cover, so ask Legal Aid DC or the Equal Rights Center before assuming you have no claim.

### I rent a room in a Columbia Heights house and share the kitchen with the owner. Which rule applies to my support animal?

The four-family tier of § 2-1402.24(a)(1) is written for you: it exempts a building the owner lives in with room for up to four families, but only as to a tenant "with whom the owner-occupant anticipates the necessity of sharing a kitchen or bathroom." If the owner lives there and you share a kitchen, the DC Act likely does not reach the rental. Get advice on the federal side before you drop the request.

### My Sixteenth Street apartment building has a no-pets policy. Can it turn down my emotional support animal?

Generally no. A large building is not owner-occupied, so § 2-1402.21(d)(3)(B) applies in full. OHR's fair housing FAQ says a no-pets policy does not allow a denial unless the provider is exempt or the request would be an undue financial or administrative burden, fundamentally alter its operations, or pose a direct threat. A support animal named in a clinician's letter is a request the building has to weigh.

### Can a Ward 1 landlord charge a pet deposit for my ESA before October 2026?

No DC statute or rule for private rentals in force today mentions a pet deposit. What applies now is 14 DCMR 308.2, which caps everything held as security at the first full month's rent, charged once, and OHR's FAQ, which lists a "pet deposit fee waiver" as an accommodation you may request. From October 1, 2026, Law 25-308, applied by D.C. Act 26-416 § 7259, bars a deposit for an assistance animal outright.

### I live in a DCHA property in Ward 1. Does the authority's pet deposit apply to my support animal?

No. DCHA's pet deposit, the lower of 15 percent of flat rent or $100 under 14 DCMR 7004, is for pets. 14 DCMR 7001.3 says assistance animals, "including service and support animals, are not pets" and fall outside the pet policy. DCHA's rule still cites HUD notice FHEO 2020-01, which was withdrawn in September 2025, so rely on the rule's own text, not on that notice.

### How long do I have to act after a Ward 1 landlord refuses my support animal?

One year to file with the DC Office of Human Rights, counted from the refusal or from when you discovered it (D.C. Code § 2-1403.04(a)). A lawsuit can be filed within two years under § 2-1403.16(b), and a timely OHR complaint pauses that two-year clock. OHR is at 441 4th Street NW, Suite 570 North, and takes calls on (202) 727-4559.

### Is there a DC penalty for using a fake ESA letter in Ward 1?

We found none. A search of the whole D.C. Code turned up no offence for misrepresenting a service or support animal. That does not make a thin letter safe to use. A Ward 1 landlord may ask for verification of a disability and its link to the animal, and a document that answers neither question will simply be refused.

---

Get evaluated by a licensed provider: https://my.supportanimal.com/qualify?sa_source=blog&sa_medium=blog&sa_campaign=esa-guides&sa_content=markdown&ref=blog&sa_term=district-of-columbia-emotional-support-animal%2Fward-1