Business & Work

What is a service animal?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal as any dog trained to provide assistance to a person with a disability. Service dogs can provide many services including:

• Guiding blind or visually impaired people,
• Alerting deaf or hard-of-hearing people to sounds,
• Picking up objects or helping those who are mobility impaired balance,
• Alerting others to oncoming seizures while keeping the person safe,
• Pulling a wheelchair,
• Calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and
• Reminding the person to take medication. This could be for depression, diabetes, or other conditions.

The ADA also allows individually trained miniature horses to be used as service animals in certain circumstances.

How do animal service laws affect your business?

You may not discriminate against people with disabilities. This includes restaurants, hotels, and retail stores. It also includes theaters, parks, concert halls and sports venues. These businesses must allow service animals. The animals can go where the public is generally allowed. This applies even if the business normally has a “no pets” policy.

Businesses that charge pet fees, like hotels, are not allowed to charge these fees to owners of service animals. Hotels also cannot restrict service animals to pet-friendly rooms. However, if a service animal causes damage to a business's property, the business can charge the owner for the damages.

The service animal does not have to wear identification or a vest. Staff are not allowed to request any documentation. Staff cannot require that the animal perform a task. The staff cannot ask about the person’s disability. The staff may ask only two specific questions: 

• Is the animal a service animal that is required because of a disability?
• What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?

The business does not have to provide any care to the animal. It is up to the owner to provide any care that the animal may need. The owner must also keep the animal under control at all times.

What can you do if you are told your service animal is not allowed into a business?

If you experience discrimination under the ADA or state law, you can file a complaint with:

• The Illinois Department of Human Rights (called a public accommodations charge), 

• The US Department of Justice, or 

• The Disability Rights Bureau at the Illinois Office of the Attorney General.  

You can also file a private lawsuit in federal court. 

Where can you learn more?

Learn more about service animals from: 

• The Illinois Attorney General's Service Animals: A Guide for Individuals with Disabilities and Illinois Businesses, and
• The State of Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission website.