# Coral Springs ESA Rules: Breed Lists & Board Approval

> Coral Springs is 39.7% renters under community rules. Why breed lists yield to Fla. Stat. § 760.27, what a board may ask, and Broward's complaint routes.

- Source: https://supportanimal.com/blog/florida-emotional-support-animal/coral-springs/
- Publisher: Support Animal (supportanimal.com)
- Updated: 2026-07-28
- License note: informational content; not legal or medical advice.

## Key facts

- Population: 140,808
- Households renting: 39.7%
- Typical pet deposit (as a pet): $0 for a documented ESA under § 760.27(2); other deposits follow § 83.49's 15-day return and 30-day claim-notice rules
- Typical pet rent (as a pet): $0 for a documented ESA; neither pet rent nor a community animal charge may apply to the animal
- Breed/weight limits common: yes
- Pet fees, deposits, and breed limits with a valid ESA letter: none (FHA reasonable accommodation)

## A City Built Around Community Rules

Coral Springs held about 140,808 residents in the 2024 Census Bureau
estimate, and 39.7% of its households rent — above Florida's 32.4%
statewide share, across roughly 18,000 renter households.

Housing here was largely developed under community documents that regulate
appearance, use, and animals. A tenant signing a lease usually inherits two
sets of obligations at once: the landlord's, and the community's. Animal
restrictions almost always sit in the second set, complete with a list of
prohibited breeds.

That structure is why Coral Springs disputes tend to start with a breed
rather than with a fee. And it is why the relevant provision is often
§ 760.23(9)(b) of Florida's Fair Housing Act, under which a refusal to
accommodate — in a rule, in a policy, in a practice, in a service — becomes
a discriminatory housing practice once the accommodation may be necessary
for a person with a disability to have equal opportunity to use and enjoy a
dwelling.

## Breed Lists Are Policies

A prohibited-breed schedule is a policy. It governs pets and it does not, on
its own, dispose of a request for an emotional support animal.

The provision that can dispose of one is § 760.27(2)(a). A housing provider
may deny the request if the animal is a direct threat to anyone's health or
safety, or a direct threat of physical damage to anyone's property, and if
that threat lies beyond the reach of any other reasonable accommodation.

Read closely, that clause asks two questions and neither is about breed. Is
there a threat traceable to this animal? And could some lesser measure
resolve it? A community that answers with a category — this breed is always
excluded — has not engaged with either question.

## Who the Rules Bind

Section 760.27(1)(b) defines the housing provider functionally: any person
or entity engaging in conduct covered by the federal Fair Housing Act or by
section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, including a dwelling's owner
or lessor. An association applying occupancy rules to residents is doing
exactly that, which puts a board and a landlord under the same obligations.

The money rule follows from there. Under § 760.27(2), a tenant allowed to
keep the animal as a reasonable accommodation cannot be required to pay
extra compensation for it, whether the invoice comes from a management
company or from the community. An "animal registration fee" charged by a
board is as unenforceable as pet rent charged by an owner.

Section 760.27(2)(e) preserves one genuine requirement: proof that the
animal complies with state and local licensing and vaccination rules. That
is worth producing without being chased, since it is the one demand a
community can make that a tenant has no basis to resist.

## Submitting the Request

Management companies in this part of Broward County typically maintain an
online accommodation packet. Section 760.27(3)(b) allows them to publish a
routine method for receiving and processing requests, while forbidding them
to require a specific form or a notarized statement, and forbidding a denial
based solely on a tenant's not using that method.

The information a provider may seek where a disability is not readily
apparent is set out in § 760.27(2)(b). A government agency's determination
of disability is one acceptable item. Benefits or services received because
of a disability are another. Eligibility for housing assistance granted on
disability grounds is a third. The fourth is what a health care practitioner
or telehealth provider supplies, on condition that they personally know the
disability and are acting within the scope of practice.

The hard boundary appears in § 760.27(3)(a), which places the diagnosis, the
severity of the condition, and medical records outside what any provider is
entitled to request. A questionnaire sent to a tenant's physician asking for
a condition and its history exceeds that limit even when the form is offered
as a convenience.

## Two Animals

Where a household needs a second emotional support animal, the statute
supplies a proportionate response rather than a veto. Section 760.27(2)(d)
allows a provider to request information about the specific need for each
animal, which means each is supported on its own record and each is assessed
separately under the direct-threat standard.

A community rule capping animals per unit is, once again, a policy of the
kind that must yield where an accommodation may be necessary.

## Clubhouse, Pool, and the Edge of the Right

An approved accommodation attaches to the dwelling. Section 413.08 limits
service animals to dogs and miniature horses trained to do work or perform
tasks and states that emotional support does not qualify an animal for that
category, and § 760.27(5) provides that Florida's ESA statute does not apply
to service animals as defined there.

Amenity access is therefore governed by community rules unless a separate
accommodation is requested and granted. Saying so explicitly in the original
request often prevents a board from answering a claim the tenant never made.

## Deposits and Charges at Move-Out

Where the tenancy uses a conventional security deposit, § 83.49 fixes the
calendar rather than the amount. A landlord making no claim must return the
deposit within 15 days after the rental agreement terminates. A landlord
intending to keep part of it must send written notice within 30 days, and
the tenant has 15 days from receiving that notice to object in writing.

For an approved emotional support animal there should be no animal deposit
in the first place, so the only animal-related money at move-out is what
§ 760.27(4) contemplates: liability for damage the animal actually did to
the premises or to another person there. A deduction labeled "pet cleaning"
on a unit that housed an approved accommodation is worth objecting to in
writing, within the window, before arguing about the amount.

## Documentation That Survives Review

Section 760.27(2)(b)4. is the clause that most often decides whether a
letter is accepted. Where the practitioner is licensed in another state,
their information counts only if they have provided in-person care or
services to the tenant on at least one occasion, in addition to having
personal knowledge of the disability and acting within their scope.

Telehealth is expressly among the accepted sources, so remote care from a
Florida-licensed practitioner presents no difficulty. Meanwhile
§ 760.27(3)(c) removes any value from products marketed as credentials: a
registration of any kind, including a card, patch, or certificate obtained
online, is not by itself sufficient to establish a disability or a
disability-related need. Section 817.265 makes knowingly providing
fraudulent ESA documentation a second-degree misdemeanor with 30 hours of
community service on conviction.

## Escalating in Broward County

Broward County operates a Human Rights Section that handles discrimination
matters arising within the county, and the Florida Commission on Human
Relations handles complaints under the state Fair Housing Act. Section
760.34 requires a state complaint to be filed within one year after the
alleged discriminatory housing practice occurred.

Legal Aid Service of Broward County provides free civil legal help to
residents who qualify, and Disability Rights Florida advocates statewide for
people with disabilities.

When a board and a landlord are both involved, document each separately.
Note who was asked, what was demanded of the tenant, and the date of each
answer — including the meeting at which a decision was deferred again. Our
guide to [what a landlord can and cannot do](/blog/articles/can-landlord-deny-emotional-support-animal/) explains how such refusals get
evaluated, and the [Florida ESA law overview](/blog/florida-emotional-support-animal/) sets out the statewide
statute.

## What Coral Springs landlords can and cannot do

**Cannot:**
- Cannot require extra compensation for an emotional support animal, which takes pet rent, pet deposits, and pet fees off the table under § 760.27(2)
- Cannot request information that discloses the diagnosis or the severity of the tenant's disability, or any medical records
- Cannot require a specific form or a notarized statement, or deny a request solely because the tenant did not use the provider's routine method
- Cannot refuse the request merely because the property advertises a no-pets policy, since the request is judged under the reasonable-accommodation standard in § 760.23(9)(b)

**Can:**
- May request reliable information supporting the disability when the disability is not readily apparent, including a government disability determination, proof of disability benefits, or information from a licensed practitioner
- May treat an out-of-state practitioner's information as unreliable unless that practitioner has provided in-person care or services to the tenant on at least one occasion
- May ask for information about the specific need for each animal when a tenant requests more than one emotional support animal
- May require proof of compliance with state and local licensing and vaccination requirements for the animal
- May deny the accommodation on a direct-threat finding — the animal endangering the health or safety of other people, or threatening physical damage to what belongs to them — where no other accommodation can reduce or eliminate the threat
- May hold the tenant liable for damage the animal does to the premises or to another person on the premises

## How to get an ESA letter in Coral Springs

1. **Check that you qualify** — Answer a short screening about how your condition affects daily life in Coral Springs. No diagnosis paperwork needed up front. (About 5 minutes — free)
2. **Connect with a licensed professional** — You are matched with a provider licensed for Florida clients who reviews your situation in a telehealth evaluation. (Telehealth evaluation)
3. **Complete your evaluation** — The professional evaluates whether an emotional support animal alleviates symptoms of a condition recognized in the DSM-5. Honest evaluations — not everyone qualifies. (95% of applicants qualify)
4. **Receive your signed letter** — Your letter arrives on the professional's letterhead with their license number — the documentation Florida landlords may lawfully request. (Typically within days of approval)
5. **Send it to your landlord** — Submit the letter with a short reasonable-accommodation request. Pet fees, pet deposits, and breed limits no longer apply to your animal in Coral Springs. (Protection under FHA + state law)

## Conditions that can qualify for an ESA

No fixed government list exists. A licensed professional evaluates whether an animal alleviates symptoms of a DSM-5-recognized condition, 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 Coral Springs

- [Legal Aid Service of Broward County](https://browardlegalaid.org/) (legal aid)
- [Broward County Human Rights Section](https://www.broward.org/HumanRights/Pages/Default.aspx) (government)
- [Florida Commission on Human Relations — housing complaints](https://fchr.myflorida.com/housing-complaint) (government)
- [Disability Rights Florida](https://disabilityrightsflorida.org/) (advocacy)

## Frequently asked questions

### My Coral Springs community bans certain dog breeds. Does that apply to an ESA?

A breed restriction is a policy, and § 760.23(9)(b) makes refusing a reasonable accommodation in rules, policies, practices, or services a discriminatory housing practice where the accommodation may be necessary for equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. The only refusal ground in § 760.27(2)(a) is a direct threat traceable to the individual animal that no other accommodation can address.

### Can the community charge an animal registration fee?

Not for a documented emotional support animal. Section 760.27(2) bars requiring extra compensation for the animal, and § 760.27(1)(b) defines a housing provider broadly enough to cover an association acting in that role. A community may still require proof of licensing and vaccination compliance under § 760.27(2)(e).

### Do I have to submit my request through the management portal?

No. Section 760.27(3)(b) permits a provider to publish a routine method for receiving accommodation requests but forbids requiring a specific form or notarized statement, and forbids denying a request solely because the tenant used a different channel. A written request with adequate supporting information is valid however it arrives.

### How does a Broward County tenant escalate a refusal?

Broward County's Human Rights Section handles discrimination matters within the county, and the Florida Commission on Human Relations handles state Fair Housing Act complaints subject to the one-year deadline in § 760.34. Legal Aid Service of Broward County can advise on the merits before a filing is made.

### Can a landlord ask my doctor to fill out its own questionnaire?

It may seek reliable information under § 760.27(2)(b), but it may not mandate the vehicle. Section 760.27(3)(b) rules out requiring a specific form, and § 760.27(3)(a) rules out any request that would disclose the diagnosis or severity of the disability, or produce medical records.

### Is a second emotional support animal treated differently?

It is evaluated separately rather than refused automatically. Section 760.27(2)(d) allows a housing provider to request information about the specific need for each animal where a tenant asks to keep more than one, so each animal is supported and assessed on its own before the direct-threat standard is applied.

### Does approval let my animal use the community clubhouse?

Not by itself. Section 413.08 limits service animals to dogs and miniature horses trained to do work or perform tasks and excludes emotional support as a qualifying function, and § 760.27(5) states that the ESA statute does not apply to service animals. Amenity access follows community rules unless a separate accommodation is granted.

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