What a service dog registry can and cannot do in the United States
ServDog is a service dog registry, so this is a strange post for us to write. It is also the one we would want to read before paying anyone for anything.
What a registry cannot do
It cannot make registration as a service animal a requirement. The Department of Justice: "Mandatory registration of service animals is not permissible under the ADA." (ADA.gov FAQ, Q20.)
It cannot convey rights. The Department of Justice is direct about documents bought online:
"There are individuals and organizations that sell service animal certification or registration documents online. These documents do not convey any rights under the ADA and the Department of Justice does not recognize them as proof that the dog is a service animal." — ADA.gov FAQ, Q17
That describes us too. Nothing ServDog issues conveys rights.
It cannot be something a business may demand. The regulation: "A public accommodation shall not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal." (28 CFR § 36.302(c)(6).) No registry's card, ours included, is a document a shop, a restaurant or a hotel may require.
It is not your city's dog licence. "Service animals are subject to local dog licensing and registration requirements." (Q19.) A private registry record does not replace any dog licence your city or county requires.
What the Department of Justice says about voluntary registries
The Department of Justice says some voluntary registries are permitted, and says where the line is:
"Registries for purposes like this are permitted under the ADA. An entity may not, however, require that a dog be registered as a service animal as a condition of being permitted in public places. This would be a violation of the ADA." — ADA.gov FAQ, Q21
The registries that answer describes are ones colleges and local governments offer for a public purpose, for example so emergency staff know to look for service animals during an evacuation. ServDog is not one of those. It is a private registry, and the same line applies to it: voluntary, never a condition of entry.
Where a record honestly helps
- Your answer to the second question. Where it is not obvious what the dog does, a business may ask what work or task the dog has been trained to perform. A dated record of the tasks, in your own words, is one way to have that answer ready. It is not something they can ask to see. The rule is in What can a business ask me?
- Flying. An airline may ask for a form, and it is a government form, not a registry's. The rule speaks to the airline as "you": "you may require the passenger to provide you, as a condition of permitting the service animal to travel in the cabin, a current completed U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation Form" (14 CFR § 382.75(a)). Your dog's vaccination and training details, kept in one place, are what you draw on to fill it in. The record is not the form, and no airline is obliged to look at it. See Flying with a service dog.
- Housing. A written request to a landlord, any letter you already have from a health professional who treats you, and your dog's records are easier to find when they live in one place. The rules are in our housing guide.
The four things we will always tell you
Registration as a service dog is not required under the ADA. Nothing we issue conveys rights. The ADA requires no certificate. We do not sell clinician letters.
If a registry will not tell you those four things, ask why.
This is general information, not legal advice. Sources checked 25 September 2026.