GOVERNOR LEE SIGNS BILL INTO LAW PROHIBITING EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS FROM BEING INSIDE RESTAURANTS
Governor Bill Lee signed a bill into law Friday in Tennessee that prohibits emotional support animals from being inside restaurants.
Some lawmakers say too many pet owners are calling their dogs “service animals” or “emotional support animals.”
Tennessee law already bans most dogs inside buildings that prepare or serve food.
House Bill 1635 extends the ban to specifically include emotional support animals and other animals, such as cats.
Only trained service dogs, police dogs, and fish/crustaceans inside tanks would be allowed inside restaurants.
It would only allow dogs trained to work for a person with a disability inside restaurants and would explicitly not consider animals providing comfort or emotional support as service animals.