Pet Addendum in California

Adds pet terms to a lease. Assistance animals for people with disabilities are not pets: no pet fee or pet rent may be charged for them under federal fair housing rules.

What California law says

Pet deposits and fees	Pet deposits count toward the deposit cap. "Security" means any payment, fee, deposit or charge imposed at the start of the tenancy (other than an application screening fee) for any purpose, and a landlord may not demand or receive security "however denominated" of more than one month's rent (two months' rent for a natural-person landlord, or an LLC of natural persons, owning no more than two rental properties with no more than four units in total, unless the tenant is a service member). No statute limits monthly pet rent. A landlord that allows animals may not require a tenant to declaw or devocalize an animal. The one-month cap applies to security collected on or after July 1, 2024. Fair housing law separately governs assistance animals. Source: Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(b)–(c); § 1942.7
Service & support animals (state law)	A landlord may not refuse to rent to, or refuse to let keep, a person with a disability who uses a guide, signal or service dog; lease terms may reasonably regulate the dog, and the tenant remains liable for proven damage. For emotional support dogs, a health care practitioner may provide documentation only if licensed, in a client-provider relationship for at least 30 days (waived for verified homeless individuals), after a clinical evaluation, and after warning about the penalty for fraud. Knowingly and fraudulently representing an emotional support dog as a service dog carries civil penalties of $500, $1,000 and $2,500 for first, second and later violations. These rules do not reduce reasonable-accommodation rights under state and federal fair housing law. The documentation rules come from AB 468 (2021), effective January 1, 2022. The Civil Rights Department's fair housing regulations also address assistance animals. Re-verified 2026-10-27. Source: Cal. Civ. Code § 54.1(b)(6); Health & Safety Code §§ 122317, 122318, 122319, 122319.5

Pet deposits and fees

Pet deposits count toward the deposit cap. "Security" means any payment, fee, deposit or charge imposed at the start of the tenancy (other than an application screening fee) for any purpose, and a landlord may not demand or receive security "however denominated" of more than one month's rent (two months' rent for a natural-person landlord, or an LLC of natural persons, owning no more than two rental properties with no more than four units in total, unless the tenant is a service member). No statute limits monthly pet rent. A landlord that allows animals may not require a tenant to declaw or devocalize an animal.

The one-month cap applies to security collected on or after July 1, 2024. Fair housing law separately governs assistance animals.

Source: Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(b)–(c); § 1942.7

Service & support animals (state law)

A landlord may not refuse to rent to, or refuse to let keep, a person with a disability who uses a guide, signal or service dog; lease terms may reasonably regulate the dog, and the tenant remains liable for proven damage. For emotional support dogs, a health care practitioner may provide documentation only if licensed, in a client-provider relationship for at least 30 days (waived for verified homeless individuals), after a clinical evaluation, and after warning about the penalty for fraud. Knowingly and fraudulently representing an emotional support dog as a service dog carries civil penalties of $500, $1,000 and $2,500 for first, second and later violations. These rules do not reduce reasonable-accommodation rights under state and federal fair housing law.

The documentation rules come from AB 468 (2021), effective January 1, 2022. The Civil Rights Department's fair housing regulations also address assistance animals. Re-verified 2026-10-27.

Source: Cal. Civ. Code § 54.1(b)(6); Health & Safety Code §§ 122317, 122318, 122319, 122319.5

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PET ADDENDUM to the lease for [rental address] dated [lease date]

Tenant: [tenant name] Pet(s): [type, breed, name, weight]

Pet deposit: $[pet deposit] (counts toward any state deposit limit where the law says so). Monthly pet rent: $[pet rent]

The tenant keeps the pet under control, cleans up after it, and pays for damage it causes beyond normal wear and tear.

Signatures and dates: [signatures]

Pet Addendum for other states · California tenant rights

General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.