Does Medical Pet Count as My One Pet at the Condo?

L.K. from New Haven County writes:

Dear Mister Condo,

If my condo complex has a one pet rule, does my medical pet count as that one pet or may I have another?

Mister Condo replies:

L.K., medical pets are still pets and my guess is that your condo association would prefer it if you would observe the one pet rule, if for no other reason than to prevent other residents from doing the same. It would be a much larger issue if your association had a “no pets” rule, which is not that uncommon. In that case, you would need to petition the dog to have any pet on the grounds although certain medical pets (seeing eye dogs, assistance dogs, dogs that alert to seizures, and such) are almost always allowed, there is a new type of doctor-recommended stress relief pet that some associations are challenging as medical pets. The bottom line is that where you live you do not face such a challenge and you should be fine as long as your total pet count, medical or other, does not exceed the association’s one pet rule. All the best!

Editor’s Note: Since this post was originally posted, I have had several readers (several attorneys as well) inform me that emotional service animals (ESAs) are generally not considered pets. Therefore, residents with ESAs may be able to skirt the “no pets” or “one pet” rule by claiming the service animal as an exception to the rule. As you can imagine, this is a contested topic and your results may vary.