{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-258.500","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 258.500","heading":"Definitions for section -- Persons with assistance dogs not to be denied","body":"accommodations, transportation, or elevator service -- Conditions --\nExemption from licensing fees -- Denial of emergency medical treatment for\nassistance dog prohibited -- Documentation may be requested in some\ninstances -- Handler liable for damages.\n(1) As used in this section, unless the context requires otherwise:\n(a) \"Assistance dog\" means a dog that has been individually trained to do work or\nperform tasks for a pe rson with disabilities and is considered a service animal\nunder the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. sec. 12101 et seq.;\n(b) \"Emotional support animal\" means a companion animal that may provide\nsupport to alleviate the symptoms or effects of a pe rson's disability, but the\nanimal has not been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a\nperson with disabilities and is not considered a service animal under the\nAmericans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. sec. 12101 et seq.;\n(c) 1. \"Person\" means a \"person with a disability\" as defined by KRS 210.770\nwho has an ongoing therapeutic relationship with a health care provider\nfor the provision of care with at least one (1) of the following health care\nproviders who maintains an active practice within the state:\na. A licensed clinical social worker who holds a valid, unrestricted\nstate license under KRS 335.100;\nb. A professional clinical counselor or professional counselor\nassociate who holds a valid, unrestricted state license under KRS\n335.525;\nc. An advanced practice registered nurse who holds a valid,\nunrestricted state license under KRS 314.042;\nd. A psychologist who holds a valid, unrestricted state license under\nKRS 319.050;\ne. A licensed psychological practitioner who holds a valid,\nunrestricted state license under KRS 319.053; or\nf. A physician who holds a valid, unrestricted state license under\nKRS 311.571.\n2. \"Person\" also includes a trainer of an assistance dog; and\n(d) \"Therapeutic relationship with a health care provider\" does not include\ntransactions for documentation of disability in exchange for a fee unless there\nhas been a face-to-face in-office consultation with the health care provider.\n(2) If a person is accompanie d by an assistance dog, neither the person nor the dog\nshall be denied admittance to any hotel, motel, restaurant, or eating establishment,\nnor shall the person be denied full and equal accommodations, facilities, and\nprivileges of all public places of amu sement, theater, or resort when accompanied\nby an assistance dog.\n(3) Any person accompanied by an assistance dog shall be entitled to full and equal\naccommodations on all public transportation if the dog does not occupy a seat in\nany public conveyance nor endanger the public safety.\n(4) No person shall be required to pay additional charges or fare for the transportation\nof any accompanying assistance dog.\n(5) No person accompanied by an assistance dog shall be denied admittance and use of\nany public building nor denied the use of any elevator operated for public use.\n(6) Any person accompanied by an assistance dog may keep the dog in his or her\nimmediate custody while a tenant in any apartment or building used as a public\nlodging.\n(7) All trainers accompani ed by an assistance dog shall have in their personal\npossession identification verifying that they are trainers of assistance dogs.\n(8) The rights, privileges, and accommodations granted to a person under this section\nshall not be enforceable if the person  has not complied, at the time of seeking the\naccommodation, with the legal requirements to:\n(a) Tag and vaccinate the assistance dog pursuant to KRS 258.015;\n(b) Leash, unless the person's disability otherwise requires, and control the\nassistance dog at all times;\n(c) Prevent the assistance dog from disrupting or fundamentally altering the\nprovision of goods or services offered by the establishment regardless of\nwhether the establishment is in a public place;\n(d) Prevent the assistance dog from becoming a  nuisance, urinating or defecating,\nor running at large; and\n(e) License the assistance dog pursuant to KRS 258.135.\n(9) Assistance dogs are exempt from all state and local licensing fees.\n(10) Licensing authorities shall accept that the dog for which the  license is sought is an\nassistance dog if the person requesting the license is a person with a disability or the\ntrainer of the dog.\n(11) Emergency medical treatment shall not be denied to an assistance dog assigned to a\nperson regardless of the person's ability to pay prior to treatment.\n(12) No person shall willfully or maliciously interfere with an assistance dog or the dog's\nuser.\n(13) It shall not be a violation of this section for an establishment to:\n(a) Ask if the dog is an assistance dog and what tasks the dog performs for the\nperson making the request to be accompanied by an assistance dog;\n(b) Maintain a general no pets policy if the policy is not used to exclude\nassistance dogs; or\n(c) Refuse admittance of an assistance dog if admittance jeopar dizes the health\nand safety of others.\n(14) Any establishment under subsection (6) of this section that would admit an animal\nunder tenancy may request documentation if the disability or disability -related need\nis not readily apparent. Documentation shall be from a health care provider listed in\nsubsection (1)(c)1.a. to f. of this section with whom the person requesting an\nassistance dog has an ongoing therapeutic relationship. Documentation shall\nidentify the work or tasks that the assistance animal performs for the person that are\ndirectly related to that person's disability or therapeutic needs.\n(15) The handler of an assistance dog shall be liable for damage caused by the assistance\ndog.\n(16) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the admittance of an emotional\nsupport animal in establishments where assistance dogs are required to be admitted,\nexcept with regard to the establishments described in subsection (6) of this section,\nin which case the requirements of KRS 383.085 shall apply. Nothing in this section\nshall be construed to extend any other rights, privileges, or exemptions afforded to\nassistance dogs to emotional support animals.","path":["KRS Chapter 258"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=55105","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:53:08Z","sha256":"5a05d4146d80b7b036a50e519f9d12248ed2811866a4494690a6f38efc6e351a","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-258.490","next":"us-ky/krs-258.505"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}