# ESA Letter in Moore, OK: Printed Pet Policies & What Overrides Them

> Moore rents at 32.1% in newer, professionally managed stock. Why a breed list is not the end of the conversation, and what § 113.2 requires instead.

- Source: https://supportanimal.com/blog/oklahoma-emotional-support-animal/moore/
- Publisher: Support Animal (supportanimal.com)
- Updated: 2026-08-02
- License note: informational content; not legal or medical advice.

## Key facts

- Population: 63,845
- Households renting: 32.1%
- Typical pet deposit (as a pet): Varies by building
- Typical pet rent (as a pet): Varies by building
- Breed/weight limits common: yes
- Pet fees, deposits, and breed limits with a valid ESA letter: none (FHA reasonable accommodation)

## Newer housing, written rules

Moore rents at 32.1%: around 7,600 of 23,671 occupied units on the 2020-2024
American Community Survey five-year estimate, a couple of points under the
statewide 34.2%.

It sits directly between Oklahoma City, which rents at 41.4%, and Norman, at
46.7%, and a large share of its residents commute to one or the other. The
housing stock is noticeably newer than in either neighbour, much of it built or
rebuilt within the last two decades.

Newer construction brings professional management, and professional management
brings written policy. In Moore the assistance animal question is usually put
to a document rather than to a person: a breed schedule, a weight ceiling, a
monthly charge, printed on page four of a standard lease.

## A printed rule is still a rule

Being written down does not put a policy beyond the statute. It puts it
squarely inside it.

41 O.S. § 113.2 allows a person with a disability to request a reasonable
accommodation to keep an assistance animal, and defines that term to take in an
emotional support animal supporting someone with a disability-related need.

The general fair housing duty covers the same ground from the other direction.
Under 25 O.S. § 1452(16)(b) it is discrimination to refuse an accommodation
touching **rules, policies, practices, or services** where that accommodation
may be needed for equal use and enjoyment of the home. A breed list is a rule;
a weight ceiling is a policy. The provision names both categories.

That does not make every animal automatically approved. It relocates the
question: not whether the animal fits the policy, but whether accommodating
this tenant is reasonable.

## Sequence matters more in a managed market

Where a policy is printed, staff apply it early, often at the application
stage, before anyone has considered whether an accommodation is in play.

There is no obligation to raise an animal on an application form, and a
disability is not a proper screening subject. The order that works is to be
assessed on income, credit and rental history like any other applicant, then
make the accommodation request in writing once the application has been
approved and before the lease is signed.

Keeping the two decisions apart matters practically as well as legally. If a
refusal comes after approval, it is identifiable as a refusal of the
accommodation rather than as a general decline that nobody has to explain.

## What the office may ask for

Subsection (B) of § 113.2 begins with a threshold: is the disability, or the
disability-related need, readily apparent? Where it is, no documentation
request is supported.

Where it is not, the landlord may seek reliable supporting documentation
addressing three matters. That the tenant meets the Fair Housing Act
definition of disability, what accommodation is needed, and how the disability
and that need are connected, and may independently confirm that the
documentation is genuine.

That verification right is real and gets exercised. It means the useful
question is not whether you hold a letter but whether the person who wrote it
can answer for it.

## The sentence that makes Oklahoma different

The same subsection provides that supporting documentation acquired through
purchase or exchange of funds for goods and services is **presumed to be
fraudulent**.

Subsection (D) then sets the exposure: an accommodation obtained by knowingly
making a false claim of disability, or by knowingly providing fraudulent
supporting documentation, allows the landlord to proceed to eviction under
41 O.S. § 132, with a prevailing landlord able to recover court costs and fees
plus damages not exceeding one thousand dollars.

The presumption is rebuttable and the penalty requires knowledge, so an honest
request made on proper documentation is not what any of this is aimed at. But
it does mean the origin of the paperwork is a legal question in Oklahoma rather
than a matter of taste.

## Liability, and the answer already in the statute

Managed buildings raise insurance and liability more often than individual
owners do, usually as a settled corporate position rather than a view about the
particular animal.

41 O.S. § 113.2(C) disposes of it. Where the animal is on the property because
subsection (B) required the accommodation, injuries it causes are not the
landlord's responsibility.

Damage to the unit is a separate matter entirely, stays with the tenant, and is
settled at move-out alongside everything else.

## Deposits: escrow, forty-five days, one demand

Oklahoma regulates the money closely, and 41 O.S. § 115 applies to a large
management company exactly as it does to someone letting a single house.

The deposit belongs in escrow, held for the tenant at a federally insured
institution inside Oklahoma. An owner who dips into it faces a county jail term
of up to six months and a fine of double whatever was taken.

Whether it comes back turns on the tenant acting. A written breakdown of
anything kept is owed, and the rest within forty-five days: a period that
starts only once the tenancy has ended, possession has passed, and a **written
demand** has been made.

And if six months pass from termination without that written demand, the
deposit reverts to the landlord. Commuter cities produce short tenancies and
quick moves to the next suburb, which is precisely how the six-month rule ends
up costing people money.

## Physical changes are a different provision (and stricter

Where a tenant needs the unit itself altered rather than a rule bent), a ramp,
a grab rail, a widened doorway: the request moves to a neighbouring
subsection, and Oklahoma attaches a condition most states do not.

25 O.S. § 1452(16)(a) treats a refusal to permit reasonable modifications, made
at the disabled person's own expense, as discrimination where the work may be
necessary for full enjoyment of the premises. But it qualifies that: the tenant
must also provide **a surety bond guaranteeing restoration** of the premises to
their prior condition, where restoration is needed to make the unit suitable
for nondisabled tenants.

Elsewhere a written restoration agreement is usually enough. A bond costs money
and has to be arranged, which is worth knowing before a request for building
work is made. None of it touches an assistance animal request, which is an
accommodation in policy rather than a modification of the premises.

## If the answer is no

Oklahoma has no human rights commission. The structure was repealed in 2013,
and Moore has no verified municipal fair housing office. Complaints go to the
**Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement**, which holds the
powers to receive, investigate, seek to conciliate and hold hearings under
25 O.S. § 1501.

Section 1502.2(C) allows one year from the date the discriminatory housing
practice occurred or terminated, whichever is later. The complaint must be in
writing, under oath, on the Attorney General's form, which is considerably
easier to prepare when the refusal itself already exists as an email rather
than as a recollection of a conversation at a leasing counter.

In a market where policy is applied by staff following a manual, asking for the
refusal in writing rarely meets resistance. It is a routine request, and it
converts a printed rule into a documented decision that somebody has to stand
behind.

For the statutes behind these rules, see the
[Oklahoma ESA law guide](/blog/oklahoma-emotional-support-animal/), and our
[guide to getting an ESA letter](/blog/articles/how-to-get-esa-letter/) for what
a defensible letter contains.

## What Moore landlords can and cannot do

**Cannot:**
- Cannot refuse a reasonable accommodation request to keep an assistance animal, which 41 O.S. § 113.2(A) defines to include an emotional support animal providing support to a person with a disability-related need
- Cannot demand supporting documentation at all where the disability or the disability-related need is readily apparent
- Cannot apply the narrow guide-dog rule in 41 O.S. § 113.1 to an emotional support animal request, since that section covers trained dogs for blind, deaf and physically handicapped tenants
- Cannot treat the public-access rules in 7 O.S. § 19.1 as the housing standard, because that section governs public conveyances and public accommodations rather than dwellings
- Cannot refuse reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services where necessary to afford equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling, under 25 O.S. § 1452(16)(b)
- Cannot hold a deposit anywhere but an escrow account in Oklahoma at a federally insured institution, misappropriation being punishable by jail and a fine of up to twice the amount taken
- Cannot keep any part of a deposit without an itemised written statement, and must return the balance within forty-five days of termination, delivery of possession and the tenant's written demand

**Can:**
- May request reliable supporting documentation where the disability or need is not apparent, and may independently verify that the documentation is authentic
- May treat supporting documentation acquired through purchase or exchange of funds for goods and services as presumptively fraudulent, under 41 O.S. § 113.2(B)
- May pursue eviction under 41 O.S. § 132 and recover costs, fees and damages up to one thousand dollars where a tenant knowingly made a false claim of disability or knowingly supplied fraudulent documentation
- May require a surety bond guaranteeing restoration before permitting a physical modification of the premises, under 25 O.S. § 1452(16)(a)
- May hold the tenant responsible for damage the animal actually causes, assessed at move-out like any other damage

## How to get an ESA letter in Moore

1. **Check that you qualify**, Answer a short screening about how your condition affects daily life in Moore. No diagnosis paperwork needed up front. (About 5 minutes: free)
2. **Connect with a licensed professional**, You are matched with a provider licensed for Oklahoma 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. (Most of Our Applicants Qualify)
4. **Receive your signed letter**, Your letter arrives on the professional's letterhead with their license number: the documentation Oklahoma 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 Moore. (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 Moore

- [Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement](https://oag.ok.gov/civil-rights-enforcement) (state agency)
- [Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma](https://legalaidok.org/) (legal aid)
- [Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency](https://www.ohfa.org/) (housing agency)

## Frequently asked questions

### The lease has a breed list and a weight limit. Does that end it?

A printed policy is a policy, not an exemption. 41 O.S. § 113.2 lets a person with a disability request a reasonable accommodation to keep an assistance animal, and the section defines that term to include an emotional support animal supporting someone with a disability-related need. The general duty at 25 O.S. § 1452(16)(b) treats a refusal to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services as discrimination where they may be necessary for equal use and enjoyment of a dwelling.

### Do I have to raise the animal on the application form?

There is no obligation to. A disability is not a proper screening subject, and the sensible sequence is to be assessed on income, credit and rental history first, then make the accommodation request in writing once the application is approved and before the lease is signed. That keeps the two decisions separate and makes any later refusal easier to identify for what it is.

### What may a management company ask me to produce?

Where the disability and the disability-related need are readily apparent, § 113.2(B) supports nothing at all. Otherwise the landlord may seek reliable supporting documentation that verifies the tenant meets the Fair Housing Act definition of disability, describes the accommodation needed, and shows how the two relate, and may independently confirm that the documentation is genuine.

### Why is Oklahoma unusual about where the letter comes from?

Because of one sentence in § 113.2(B): supporting documentation acquired through purchase or exchange of funds for goods and services is presumed to be fraudulent. Section 113.2(D) then makes a knowingly false claim, or knowingly fraudulent documentation, grounds for eviction under 41 O.S. § 132 with costs, fees and damages up to one thousand dollars for a prevailing landlord. Documentation from someone who assessed you is what the statute is looking for.

### The landlord is worried about being sued if the animal bites a child.

41 O.S. § 113.2(C) answers that. Where the animal is on the property because an accommodation was granted under subsection (B), the landlord is not liable for injuries it causes. It is the reason most often given for refusing, and the legislature dealt with it in the same section that created the right. Damage to the property remains the tenant's responsibility.

### When and how does my deposit come back?

Under 41 O.S. § 115 the money is held in an escrow account in Oklahoma, and the balance is due within forty-five days after the tenancy terminates, possession is delivered and the tenant makes a written demand: all three. Anything retained must be itemised in writing. Where no written demand is made within six months of termination, the deposit reverts to the landlord.

### How much of Moore rents?

About 32.1%, or roughly 7,600 of 23,671 occupied housing units, on the 2020-2024 American Community Survey five-year estimate: a little under the statewide 34.2%. Its neighbours run higher: Oklahoma City at 41.4% and Norman at 46.7%.

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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=oklahoma-emotional-support-animal%2Fmoore