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  • 2017-09-07 (xsd:date)
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  • Are Hotels Required to Accept Pets During Natural Disasters? (en)
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  • In late August and early September 2017, the approach of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma prompted social media claims that the federal government, either through a 2006 law or through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), mandated that pets be allowed to accompany disaster evacuees into hotels and motels. A typical expression of the claim read: The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006 essentially requires that FEMA take into account the needs of pet owners when developing disaster preparedness plans, and it also authorizes the director of the agency to fund emergency shelter facilities which can accommodate displaced persons with pets and service animals, but it makes no mention of requirements placed on hotels or motels: The Rumors section of FEMA's website now specifically addresses this issue and notes that the rumor about hotels and motels being legally required to accommodate pets is false: In preparation for Tropical Storm Irene, FEMA advised pet owners to locate several 'pet-friendly' hotels but made no mention of any purported requirement for all hotels to accommodate pets: FEMA's other guides for pet owners also make no mention of the purported requirement. However, disabled people who use service animals do have the law on their side when they check into hotels. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes service animals legally exempt from any hotel pet policies. Bottom line: no law requires hotels to accommodate household pets during a natural disaster. Pet owners should plan accordingly. (en)
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