Can Hotels Charge Pet Fees in Connecticut? Here’s What the Law Says

If you’re packing your dog or cat for a Connecticut getaway, you’ve probably wondered whether that “pet-friendly” listing comes with hidden costs. Can hotels charge pet fees in Connecticut, and if so, is there any limit on what they can ask for? The short answer depends entirely on what kind of animal you’re bringing.

Standard household pets and legally protected service animals fall under completely different rules in Connecticut. Understanding the difference before you check in can save you money, and in some cases, protect you from illegal discrimination.

Can Hotels Charge Regular Pet Fees in Connecticut

Yes. If you’re traveling with a dog (Canis lupus familiaris), cat (Felis catus), or another ordinary household pet, Connecticut hotels are free to charge whatever fee they set in their own pet policy. Unlike residential rentals, where landlords are permitted to charge pet deposits and additional fees under Connecticut landlord-tenant law, there’s no equivalent state statute that caps or standardizes what a hotel can charge a leisure traveler for bringing a pet.

That means pricing varies widely from property to property. Some Connecticut hotels charge a flat one-time fee, while others bill per night. For example, one Mystic-area pet-friendly property lists a $25 per-pet, per-night charge for the first six nights, dropping to $10 per night after that, while another nearby property requires a one-time $75 fee along with vaccination records and a signed pet agreement at check-in.

Many properties also layer on breed or weight restrictions similar to what you’d find in local rental housing rules. If you’re bringing a dog with a reputation for being restricted, it’s worth checking a hotel’s policy against Connecticut’s broader dog breed restrictions before you book, since some chains apply comparable size or breed limits to guest rooms.

Pro Tip: Always call the hotel directly to confirm the exact pet fee before booking online. Third-party travel sites don’t always list the most current pet policy, and fees can change without updating the listing.

Service Animals: Why Hotels Cannot Charge a Fee

Trained service animals are a completely different legal category, and hotels cannot charge you anything extra for bringing one. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), if a business requires a deposit or fee to be paid by patrons with pets, it must waive the charge for service animals. The ADA also makes clear that guests with service animals cannot be charged fees that aren’t charged to other guests without animals.

Connecticut backs this up with its own state law. Under Connecticut General Statutes § 46a-64, it’s an illegal discriminatory practice for a place of public accommodation, including a hotel, to deny full and equal access to a person with a disability. A companion statute, CGS § 46a-44, entitles a blind, deaf, or mobility-impaired person using a guide or assistance dog to enter any place of public accommodation and keep the dog with them at all times at no extra charge.

Public Act 24-18, effective July 1, 2024, updated these statutes so that Connecticut’s protection statutes and over a dozen other related provisions now use the ADA’s definition of service animal. In practice, this means Connecticut hotels must follow the ADA’s broader definition, covering any dog trained to perform tasks for a disability, not just guide or assistance dogs for blind, deaf, or mobility-impaired guests.

This isn’t just theoretical. In one real Connecticut case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reached a settlement with the Comfort Inn in Guilford, Connecticut, to address ADA violations after a guest with a disability was denied accommodation because of his service animal. Under Connecticut law, denying access to a person with a disability and their service dog in a public accommodation is treated as a Class D misdemeanor, and hotels that violate the ADA can also face federal civil penalties and settlement agreements like the Guilford case.

Key Insight: A service animal is never classified as a “pet” under hotel policy. Front desk staff can only ask two questions: whether the animal is required because of a disability, and what task it’s trained to perform. They cannot ask for certification, registration, or proof of training.

Emotional Support Animals: Do Connecticut’s Laws Offer Extra Protection

Emotional support animals (ESAs) occupy much murkier territory than trained service animals, and this is where many travelers get tripped up. Unlike service dogs, ESAs are not covered under the ADA, which means they don’t carry the same automatic right to enter a hotel fee-free.

The Fair Housing Act protects ESA owners in rental housing, but that protection stops at the hotel lobby door. As one legal resource puts it, the Fair Housing Act covers ESAs in housing, not typical hotel stays, so it does not require hotels to waive fees or no-pet rules for ESAs. Hotels are legally free to treat an emotional support animal exactly like an ordinary pet, applying the same fees, deposits, and breed or weight restrictions.

Connecticut doesn’t close this gap with its own law, either. Connecticut does not have a standalone state law governing emotional support animals; instead, ESA protections come primarily from the federal Fair Housing Act and the state’s fair housing statute, CGS § 46a-64c, which applies to residential housing, not hotels. As a result, ESAs have no public access rights in Connecticut under either state or federal law.

Important Note: An ESA letter is valuable for securing no-fee housing accommodations in Connecticut, but it does not obligate a hotel to waive pet fees. Some chains voluntarily accommodate ESAs as a courtesy, but it’s a business choice, not a legal requirement, so always confirm the specific property’s policy before you book.

Pet Fee vs. Pet Deposit: What’s Legal in Connecticut

Hotels typically use two different charge structures, and the terminology matters. A pet fee is usually a flat, non-refundable charge meant to cover general cleaning, while a pet deposit is refundable and returned if the room shows no pet-related damage. Connecticut doesn’t have a statute specifically regulating either type of charge for hotel stays, which is different from residential rentals, where landlords can charge pet deposits and additional fees but are still bound by the state’s general security deposit limits of two months’ rent for tenants under 62 and one month for tenants 62 and older.

Because that residential cap doesn’t extend to transient lodging, Connecticut hotels have wide latitude to structure pet charges however they choose, as long as service animals are exempted. Here’s how the three categories typically compare:

Animal Type	Standard Fee or Deposit Allowed?	Legal Basis
Regular pet (dog, cat, etc.)	Yes, hotel sets its own fee or deposit	No specific CT statute regulating hotel pet charges
Trained service animal	No, fee or deposit must be waived	ADA and CGS §§ 46a-44, 46a-64
Emotional support animal	Yes, treated as a regular pet at hotels	ADA doesn’t cover ESAs; no CT hotel-specific ESA law

Even for service animals, hotels retain one important right. Federal guidance confirms that if a business normally charges guests for damage they cause, a customer with a disability may also be charged for damage caused by themselves or their service animal. In other words, the fee waiver applies to routine cleaning and deposits, not to actual property damage.

Are There Limits on How Much Hotels Can Charge in Connecticut

Because Connecticut has no statute directly capping hotel pet fees, the amount you’ll pay comes down to individual property policy rather than state law. Fee structures across Connecticut hotels vary considerably. Some properties charge modest per-stay fees, such as a $30 pet fee for stays of up to seven nights, while others scale with length of stay, charging $75 for stays of one to four nights and $125 for stays of five nights or more.

Weight and headcount limits often come attached to these fees. It’s common to see caps such as a maximum of two pets per room at 35 pounds or less. Since none of these figures are set by state regulation, they can change at any time, and two hotels in the same city might charge dramatically different amounts.

• Compare pet fees across at least two or three properties before booking, especially for multi-night stays where per-night fees add up quickly.
• Ask whether the fee is refundable in whole or in part, since some listed “deposits” are actually non-refundable fees in disguise.
• Confirm weight, breed, and pet-count limits, since exceeding them can mean a higher fee or a denied reservation at check-in.

Pro Tip: If you’re bringing a cat rather than a dog, don’t assume the fee will be lower. Many Connecticut hotels charge the same flat pet fee regardless of species, since it’s meant to cover general cleaning rather than a specific animal’s size. If you’re weighing which breed to bring along on a trip, this rundown of popular cat breeds in Connecticut can help you plan ahead for size and temperament considerations relevant to hotel stays.

What to Do If a Hotel Charges You Illegally in Connecticut

If a Connecticut hotel tries to charge you a pet fee or deposit for a legitimate service animal, you have real legal recourse. Here’s how to handle it step by step:

1. Speak up at check-in. Calmly explain that the animal is a trained service animal, not a pet, and reference the ADA and Connecticut’s public accommodations law. Front desk staff may simply be unaware of the distinction.
2. Get everything in writing. If the hotel insists on the charge, ask for an itemized receipt and take note of the staff member’s name and the date and time of the interaction.
3. Escalate to management. Many disputes resolve at this stage once a manager reviews the property’s own ADA compliance obligations.
4. File a complaint with the Department of Justice. The DOJ investigates ADA violations at places of public accommodation and has previously reached settlements with Connecticut hotels, including the Comfort Inn in Guilford, Connecticut, after a guest with a disability was denied accommodation due to his service animal.
5. File a complaint with Connecticut’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO). The CHRO has jurisdiction to investigate and order businesses that violate the state’s public accommodations law to stop discriminating, and can require compensation to the victim in appropriate circumstances.
6. Consider small claims court. If you’ve already paid an illegal fee and the hotel won’t refund it after a formal complaint, small claims court is an option for recovering the charge.

Keep in mind that under Connecticut law, denying access to a person with a disability accompanied by a service animal is treated as a Class D misdemeanor under CGS § 46a-64. That criminal classification, on top of federal ADA enforcement, gives you meaningful leverage if a hotel refuses to correct an illegal charge.

Important Note: This article provides general information about Connecticut and federal law and isn’t a substitute for legal advice. If you’re dealing with a specific dispute, consult an attorney or contact the CHRO directly for guidance on your situation.

Before your next Connecticut trip, whether you’re headed to the coast or inland to explore areas where you might spot some of the wild animals that live in Connecticut, take five minutes to read the hotel’s actual pet policy rather than relying on a travel site summary. And if your dog has a bite history or you’re unsure how liability works if an animal causes an incident during your stay, it’s worth understanding what happens if a dog bites someone in Connecticut, since that liability exists separately from any hotel fee dispute. For more Connecticut-specific animal law and wildlife guides, browse the full Connecticut animal law collection.