Full Statute Name:  Consolidated Assistance Animal/Guide Dog Laws

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Primary Citation:  4 Okl. St. Ann. § 801; 7 Okl. St. Ann. § 12 - 13; Okl. St. Ann. § 19.1 - 19.2; 21 Okl. St. Ann. § 649.3; 25 Okl. St. Ann. § 1452; 41 Okl. St. Ann. § 113.1; 41 Okl. St. Ann. § 113.2 Country of Origin:  United States Last Checked:  February, 2024 Alternate Citation:  OK ST T. 7 § 12 - 13; OK ST T. 7 § 19.1 - 19.2; OK ST T. 21 § 649.3; OK ST T. 25 § 1452; OK ST T. 41 § 113.1; OK ST T. 41 § 113.2 Historical: 
Summary: The following statutes comprise the state's relevant assistance animal and guide dog laws.

 

Oklahoma Statutes Annotated. Title 4. Animals. Chapter 18. Public Accommodations and Service Animals

§ 801. Public accommodations--Policy to prohibit animals--Service animal exception

Oklahoma Statutes Annotated. Title 7. Blind Persons. Chapter 1. Services to the Blind. Canes.

§ 12 . Duty of drivers of vehicles

§ 13 . Penalty

Oklahoma Statutes Annotated. Title 7. Blind Persons. Chapter 1. Services to the Blind. Guide Dogs.

§ 19.1 . Public conveyances and public accommodations--Guide, signal, or service dogs--Identification of dog--Definitions

§ 19.2 . Penalty

Oklahoma Statutes Annotated. Title 21. Crimes and Punishments. Part III. Crimes Against The Person. Chapter 20. Assault and Battery.

649.3 . Harming, mistreating or killing service animal--Willful interference with service animal's performance--Permitting animal to fight, injure or kill service animal--Penalties--Exemption from registration or license fees

Oklahoma Statutes Annotated. Title 25. Definitions and General Provisions. Chapter 21. Discrimination. Article 4a. Discrimination in Housing

§ 1452. Discriminatory housing practices--Categories or classes of persons protected--Jurisdiction of Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement

Oklahoma Statutes Annotated. Title 41. Landlord and Tenant. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.

§ 113.1 . Denial or termination of tenancy because of guide, signal or service dog

§ 113.2. Assistance animal--Reasonable housing accommodation request

 

 

Title 4. Animals. Chapter 18. Public Accommodations and Service Animals

§ 801. Public accommodations--Policy to prohibit animals--Service animal exception

A. For purposes of this section:

1. The terms “place of public accommodation”, “public accommodation” and “service animal” shall have the same meaning as such terms are defined in 28 C.F.R., Section 36.104. “Service animal” does not include an emotional support animal or a therapy animal;

2. “Emotional support animal” means an animal selected to reside with an individual with a disability that does not work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability and does not accompany at all times an individual with a disability; and

3. “Therapy animal” means a personal pet who is certified to make therapeutic visits with a trained volunteer to places including, but not limited to, nursing facilities, schools and hospitals to bring therapeutic benefit, comfort and cheer to others.

B. A public accommodation may adopt a policy to prohibit animals, except service animals, from entering the place of public accommodation.

C. A public accommodation which adopts such a policy shall post a sign in a conspicuous location outside the entrance of the place of public accommodation stating which animals or types of animals are prohibited. Such sign shall also state that service animals are permitted.

D. If a public accommodation inquires into the qualification of a service animal, the public accommodation shall comply with 28 C.F.R., Section 36.302(c)(6).

Credits

Laws 2019, c. 361, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2019. 

 

Oklahoma Statutes Annotated. Title 7. Blind Persons. Chapter 1. Services to the Blind. Canes.

§ 12. Duty of drivers of vehicles

Any driver of a vehicle who knowingly approaches within fifteen (15) feet of a person who is in the roadway or at an intersection and who is wholly or partially blind and who is carrying a cane or walking stick white in color, or white tipped with red, or who is using a dog guide wearing a specialized harness, or who is wholly or partially deaf and is using a signal dog wearing an orange identifying collar, or who is physically handicapped and is using a service dog, shall immediately come to a full stop and take such precautions before proceeding as may be necessary to avoid accident or injury to the person wholly or partially blind, deaf or physically handicapped. For purposes of this section, a "dog guide" means any dog that is specially trained to guide a blind person.

CREDIT(S)

Laws 1949, p. 47, § 2, emerg. eff. June 6, 1949; Laws 1997, c. 57, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 1997; Laws 1998, c. 108, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 1998; Laws 2002, c. 141, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2002.

 

§ 13. Penalty

Any person, other than a person wholly or partially blind, who shall carry a cane or walking stick such as is described in this act, contrary to the provisions of this act, [FN1] or who shall violate any of the provisions of this act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding three (3) months, or by fine not exceeding One Hundred Dollars ($100.00), or by both such fine and imprisonment.

CREDIT(S)

Laws 1949, p. 47, § 3, emerg. eff. June 6, 1949.

 

Oklahoma Statutes Annotated. Title 7. Blind Persons. Chapter 1. Services to the Blind. Guide Dogs.

§ 19.1. Public conveyances and public accommodations--Guide, signal, or service dogs--Identification of dog--Definitions

A. Any blind, physically handicapped, deaf or hard-of-hearing person who is a passenger on any common carrier, airplane, motor vehicle, railroad train, motorbus, streetcar, boat, or any other public conveyance or mode of transportation operating within this state or any dog trainer from a recognized training center when in the act of training guide, signal, or service dogs shall be entitled to have with him or her a guide, signal, or service dog specially trained or being trained for that purpose, without being required to pay an additional charge therefor, but shall be liable as hereafter set forth in subsection B of this section.

B. A blind, physically handicapped, deaf or hard-of-hearing person and his or her guide, signal, or service dog or a dog trainer from a recognized training center in the act of training guide, signal, or service dogs shall not be denied admittance to or refused access to any of the following because of such dog: Any street, highway, sidewalk, walkway, any common carrier, airplane, motor vehicle, railroad train, motor bus, streetcar, boat, or any other public conveyance or mode of transportation, hotel, motel, or other place of lodging, public building maintained by any unit or subdivision of government, building to which the general public is invited, college dormitory and other educational facility, restaurant or other place where food is offered for sale to the public, or any other place of public accommodation, amusement, convenience, or resort to which the general public or any classification of persons from the general public is regularly, normally, or customarily invited within the State of Oklahoma. Such blind, physically handicapped, deaf or hard-of-hearing person or dog trainer from a recognized training center in the act of training guide, signal, or service dogs shall not be required to pay any additional charges for his or her guide, signal, or service dog, but shall be liable for any damage done to the premises by such dog.

C. A dog used by a deaf or hard-of-hearing person shall be required to wear an orange identifying collar.

D. For the purposes of this section and Section 113.1 of Title 41 of the Oklahoma Statutes:

1. "Physically handicapped person" means any person who has a physical impairment which severely and permanently restricts mobility of two or more extremities, or who is so severely disabled as to be unable to move without the aid of a wheelchair;

2. "Service dog" means any dog individually trained to the physically handicapped person's requirements; and

3. "Signal dog" means any dog trained to alert a deaf or hard-of-hearing person to intruders or sounds.

CREDIT(S)

Laws 1968, c. 9, § 1, emerg. eff. Feb. 6, 1968; Laws 1981, c. 41, § 1; Laws 1985, c. 19, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 1985; Laws 1988, c. 71, § 1, emerg. eff. March 25, 1988; Laws 1989, c. 154, § 3, operative July 1, 1989; Laws 1992, c. 122, § 1, emerg. eff. April 23, 1992; Laws 1998, c. 246, § 3, eff. Nov. 1, 1998.

 

§ 19.2. Penalty

Any person, or persons, firm, association, or corporation, or the agent of any person, firm, association, or corporation, who shall violate the provisions of Section 19.1 of this title shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

CREDIT(S)

Laws 1968, c. 9, § 2, emerg. eff. Feb. 6, 1968; Laws 1985, c. 19, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 1985.

 

Oklahoma Statutes Annotated. Title 21. Crimes and Punishments. Part III. Crimes Against The Person. Chapter 20. Assault and Battery.

§ 649.3. Harming, mistreating or killing service animal--Willful interference with service animal's performance--Permitting animal to fight, injure or kill service animal--Penalties--Exemption from registration or license fees

A. No person shall willfully harm, including torture, torment, beat, mutilate, injure, disable, or otherwise mistreat or kill a service animal that is used for the benefit of any handicapped person in the state.

B. No person including, but not limited to, any municipality or political subdivision of the state, shall willfully interfere with the lawful performance of any service animal used for the benefit of any handicapped person in the state.

C. Except as provided in subsection D of this section, any person convicted of violating any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by the imposition of a fine not exceeding One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one (1) year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

D. Any person who knowingly and willfully and without lawful cause or justification violates the provisions of this section, during the commission of a misdemeanor or felony, shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by the imposition of a fine not exceeding One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment in the Department of Corrections not exceeding two (2) years, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

E. Any person who encourages, permits or allows an animal owned or kept by such person to fight, injure, disable or kill a service animal used for the benefit of any handicapped person in this state, or to interfere with a service animal in any place where the service animal resides or is performing, shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable as provided in subsection C of this section. In addition to the penalty imposed, the court shall order the violator to make restitution to the owner of the service animal for actual costs and expenses incurred as a direct result of any injury, disability or death caused to the service animal, including but not limited to costs of replacing and training any new service animal when a service animal is killed, disabled or unable to perform due to injury. For purpose of this subsection, when a person informs the owner of an animal that the animal is a threat and requests the owner to control or contain the animal and the owner disregards the request, the owner shall be deemed to have encouraged, permitted or allowed any resulting injury to or interference with a service animal.

F. Notwithstanding any ordinance in effect as of the effective date of this act, [FN1] no municipality or political subdivision of the state, or any official thereof, may enact or enforce any ordinance or rule that requires any registration or licensing fee for any service animal as defined in this section that is used for the purpose of guiding or assisting a disabled person who has a sensory, mental, or physical impairment. Any official violating the provisions of this paragraph shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than Fifty Dollars ($50.00).

G. As used in this section, "service animal" means an animal that is trained for the purpose of guiding or assisting a disabled person who has a sensory, mental, or physical impairment.

CREDIT(S)

Laws 2004, c. 281, § 1, emerg. eff. May 10, 2004; Laws 2005, c. 158, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2005.

[FN1] O.S.L. 2005, c. 158, effective November 1, 2005.

 

Oklahoma Statutes Annotated. Title 25. Definitions and General Provisions. Chapter 21. Discrimination. Article 4a. Discrimination in Housing

§ 1452. Discriminatory housing practices--Categories or classes of persons protected--Jurisdiction of Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement

A. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory housing practice for any person, or any agent or employee of such person:

1. To refuse to sell or rent after the making of a bona fide offer, or to refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of any housing, or otherwise make unavailable or deny any housing because of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, familial status, or disability;

2. To discriminate against any person in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of housing, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection with any housing because of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, familial status, or disability;

3. To make, print, publish, or cause to be made, printed, or published any notice, statement, or advertisement, with respect to the sale or rental of housing that indicates any preference, limitation, discrimination, or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, familial status, or disability;

4. To represent to any person, for reasons of discrimination, that any housing is not available for inspection, sale, or rental when such housing is in fact so available because of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, familial status, or disability;

5. To deny any person access to, or membership or participation in, a multiple-listing service, real estate brokers' organization or other service, organization, or facility relating to the business of selling or renting dwellings, or discriminate against a person in the terms or conditions of access, membership, or participation in such an organization, service, or facility because of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, familial status, or disability;

6. To include in any transfer, sale, rental, or lease of housing any restrictive covenant that discriminates, or for any person to honor or exercise, or attempt to honor or exercise, any discriminatory covenant pertaining to housing because of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, familial status, or disability;

7. To refuse to consider the income of both applicants when both applicants seek to buy or lease housing because of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, familial status, or disability;

8. To refuse to consider as a valid source of income any public assistance, alimony, or child support, awarded by a court, when that source can be verified as to its amount, length of time received, regularity, or receipt because of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, familial status, or disability;

9. To discriminate against a person in the terms, conditions, or privileges relating to the obtaining or use of financial assistance for the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, repair, or maintenance of any housing because of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, familial status, or disability;

10. To discharge, demote, or discriminate in matters of compensation or working conditions against any employee or agent because of the obedience of the employee or agent to the provisions of this section;

11. To solicit or attempt to solicit the listing of housing for sale or lease, by door to door solicitation, in person, or by telephone, or by distribution of circulars, if one of the purposes is to change the racial composition of the neighborhood;

12. To knowingly induce or attempt to induce another person to transfer an interest in real property, or to discourage another person from purchasing real property, by representations regarding the existing or potential proximity of real property owned, used, or occupied by persons of any particular race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, familial status or disability, or to represent that such existing or potential proximity shall or may result in:

a. the lowering of property values,

b. a change in the racial, religious, or ethnic character of the block, neighborhood, or area in which the property is located,

c. an increase in criminal or antisocial behavior in the area, or

d. a decline in quality of the schools serving the area;

13. To refuse to rent or lease housing to a blind, deaf, or disabled person on the basis of the person's use or possession of a bona fide, properly trained guide, signal, or service dog;

14. To demand the payment of an additional nonrefundable fee or an unreasonable deposit for rent from a blind, deaf, or disabled person for such dog. Such blind, deaf, or disabled person may be liable for any damage done to the dwelling by such dog;

15. a. to discriminate in the sale or rental or otherwise make available or deny a dwelling to any buyer or renter because of a disability of:

(1) that buyer or renter,

(2) a person residing in or intending to reside in that dwelling after it is sold, rented, or made available, or

(3) any person associated with that buyer or renter, or

b. to discriminate against any person in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling or in the provision of services or facilities in connection with the dwelling because of a disability of:

(1) that person,

(2) a person residing in or intending to reside in that dwelling after it is so sold, rented, or made available, or

(3) any person associated with that person;

16. For purposes of disability discrimination in housing pursuant to Sections 1451 through 1453 of this title, discrimination includes:

a. a refusal to permit, at the expense of the disabled person, reasonable modifications of existing premises occupied or to be occupied by the person if the modifications may be necessary to afford the person full enjoyment of the premises, provided that such person also provides a surety bond guaranteeing restoration of the premises to their prior condition, if necessary to make the premises suitable for nondisabled tenants,

b. a refusal to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services, when the accommodations may be necessary to afford the person equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling, or

c. in connection with the design and construction of covered multifamily dwellings for first occupancy thirty (30) months after the date of enactment of the federal Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-430),1 a failure to design and construct those dwellings in a manner that:

(1) the public use and common use portions of the dwellings are readily accessible to and usable by disabled persons,

(2) all the doors designed to allow passage into and within all premises within the dwellings are sufficiently wide to allow passage by disabled persons in wheelchairs, and

(3) all premises within the dwellings contain the following features of adaptive design:

(a) an accessible route into and through the dwelling,

(b) light switches, electrical outlets, thermostats, and other environmental controls in accessible locations,

(c) reinforcements in bathroom walls to allow later installation of grab bars, and

(d) usable kitchen and bathrooms so that an individual in a wheelchair can maneuver about the space,

(4) compliance with the appropriate requirements of the American National Standard for buildings and facilities providing accessibility and usability for physically disabled people, commonly cited as “ANSI A 117.1”, suffices to satisfy the requirements of division (3) of this subparagraph,

(5) as used in this subsection, the term “covered multifamily dwellings” means:

(a) buildings consisting of four or more units if the buildings have one or more elevators, and

(b) ground floor units in other buildings consisting of four or more units,

(6) nothing in this subsection requires that a dwelling be made available to an individual whose tenancy would constitute a direct threat to the health or safety of other individuals or whose tenancy would result in substantial physical damage to the property of others; or

17. a. A person whose business includes engaging in residential real estate related transactions may not discriminate against a person in making a real estate related transaction available or in the terms or conditions of a real estate related transaction because of race, color, religion, gender, disability, familial status, national origin or age.

b. In this section, “residential real estate related transaction” means:

(1) making or purchasing loans or providing other financial assistance:

(a) to purchase, construct, improve, repair, or maintain a dwelling, or

(b) to secure residential real estate, or

(2) selling, brokering, or appraising residential real property.

B. This section does not prohibit discrimination against a person because the person has been convicted under federal law or the law of any state of the illegal manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance.

C. No other categories or classes of persons are protected pursuant to Sections 1451 through 1453 of this title. The Attorney General's Office of Civil Rights Enforcement shall have no authority or jurisdiction to act on complaints based on any kind of discrimination other than those kinds of discrimination prohibited pursuant to Section 1101 et seq. of this title or any other specifically authorized by law.

Credits
Laws 1985, c. 289, § 2; Laws 1991, c. 177, § 3; Laws 2011, c. 270, § 14, eff. Nov. 1, 2011; Laws 2013, c. 214, § 7, emerg. eff. May 7, 2013.
 

Oklahoma Statutes Annotated. Title 41. Landlord and Tenant. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.

§ 113.1. Denial or termination of tenancy because of guide, signal or service dog

A landlord shall not deny or terminate a tenancy to a blind, deaf, or physically handicapped person because of the guide, signal, or service dog of such person unless such dogs are specifically prohibited in the rental agreement entered into prior to November 1, 1985.

CREDIT(S)

Laws 1982, c. 251, § 3, eff. May 11, 1982; Laws 1985, c. 19, § 3, eff. Nov. 1, 1985.

 

§ 113.2. Assistance animal--Reasonable housing accommodation request

A. As used in this section, “assistance animal” means an animal that works, provides assistance or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person's disability. “Assistance animal” includes a service animal specifically trained or equipped to perform tasks for a person with a disability, or an emotional support animal that provides support to a person with a disability who has a disability-related need for such support.

B. A person with a disability may submit a request for a reasonable accommodation to maintain an assistance animal in a dwelling pursuant to the Fair Housing Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C., Section 3601 et seq., the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C., Section 12101 et seq., and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C., Section 701 or any other federal, state or local law.

Unless the person making the request has a disability or disability-related need for an assistance animal that is readily apparent, the landlord may request reliable supporting documentation that (1) is necessary to verify that the person meets the definition of disability pursuant to the Fair Housing Act, (2) describes the needed accommodation, and (3) shows the relationship between the person's disability and the need for the requested accommodation. The landlord may independently verify the authenticity of any supporting documentation. Supporting documentation that was acquired through purchase or exchange of funds for goods and services shall be presumed to be fraudulent supporting documentation.

C. A landlord shall not be liable for injuries by a person's assistance animal permitted on the landlord's property as a reasonable accommodation to assist the person with a disability pursuant to the requirements of subsection B of this section.

D. If a person obtains a reasonable housing accommodation under this section by knowingly making a false claim of having a disability that requires the use of an assistance animal or by knowingly providing fraudulent supporting documentation in connection with such claim, the landlord may remedy the person's noncompliance by the procedures authorized pursuant to the Oklahoma Residential Landlord and Tenant Act in Section 132 of Title 41 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Additionally, a prevailing landlord in an eviction action under this section may be awarded court costs and fees, plus damages not to exceed One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) from the tenant.

Credits
Laws 2018, c. 223, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2018.

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