42 USC 1437z-3 – Pet ownership in public housing
(a) Ownership conditions
A resident of a dwelling unit in public housing (as such term is defined in subsection (c)) may own 1 or more common household pets or have 1 or more common household pets present in the dwelling unit of such resident, subject to the reasonable requirements of the public housing agency, if the resident maintains each pet responsibly and in accordance with applicable State and local public health, animal control, and animal anti-cruelty laws and regulations and with the policies established in the public housing agency plan for the agency.
(b) Reasonable requirements
Terms Used In 42 USC 1437z-3
- Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
- individual: shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development. See 1 USC 8
- project: means (A) housing developed, acquired, or assisted by a public housing agency under this chapter, and (B) the improvement of any such housing. See 42 USC 1437a
- public housing: includes dwelling units in a mixed finance project that are assisted by a public housing agency with capital or operating assistance. See 42 USC 1437a
- public housing agency: means any State, county, municipality, or other governmental entity or public body (or agency or instrumentality thereof) which is authorized to engage in or assist in the development or operation of public housing, or a consortium of such entities or bodies as approved by the Secretary. See 42 USC 1437a
- public housing agency plan: means the plan of a public housing agency prepared in accordance with section 1437c-1 of this title. See 42 USC 1437a
- Secretary: means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. See 42 USC 1437a
- State: includes the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories and possessions of the United States, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. See 42 USC 1437a
The reasonable requirements referred to in subsection (a) may include—
(1) requiring payment of a nominal fee, a pet deposit, or both, by residents owning or having pets present, to cover the reasonable operating costs to the project relating to the presence of pets and to establish an escrow account for additional costs not otherwise covered, respectively;
(2) limitations on the number of animals in a unit, based on unit size;
(3) prohibitions on—
(A) types of animals that are classified as dangerous; and
(B) individual animals, based on certain factors, including the size and weight of the animal; and
(4) restrictions or prohibitions based on size and type of building or project, or other relevant conditions.
(c) Pet ownership in public housing designated for occupancy by elderly or handicapped families
For purposes of this section, the term “public housing” has the meaning given the term in section 1437a(b) of this title, except that such term does not include any public housing that is federally assisted rental housing for the elderly or handicapped, as such term is defined in section 1701r-1(d) of title 12.
(d) Regulations
This section shall take effect upon the date of the effectiveness of regulations issued by the Secretary to carry out this section. Such regulations shall be issued after notice and opportunity for public comment in accordance with the procedure under section 553 of title 5 applicable to substantive rules (notwithstanding subsections (a)(2), (b)(B), and (d)(3) of such section).