Disabilities Housing Protections

     The act specifies relevant factors for assessing reasonable accommodations related to assistance animals that may be necessary for an individual with a disability to have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy housing under the 'Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act'. Permitting an assistance animal is presumed to be a reasonable accommodation if a housing provider has been given an opportunity to engage in an interactive accommodation process with the individual requesting the accommodation. The act also:

• Defines 'reasonable accommodation', as it applies to discriminatory housing practices, as an exception or adjustment to a rule, policy, practice, or service that may be necessary for an individual with a disability to have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy housing, including public and common-use spaces;
• Defines 'assistance animal' as an animal that does work, performs tasks, assists, or provides therapeutic emotional support to an individual with a disability. 'Assistance animal' includes emotional support animals and service animals.
• Defines 'emotional support animal' as an animal that provides solely emotional support to an individual to alleviate a symptom or an effect of a disability;
• Permits a housing provider to request reasonable documentation to support an individual's claim of disability or disability-related need for an assistance animal if the individual's disability or disability-related need is not obvious; and
• Permits a housing provider, when considering a reasonable accommodation request, to consider documented, specific conduct of an assistance animal that poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others or that causes substantial physical damage to property.
  
  (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)