Low Income Public Housing
Federal law allows for all tenants of the SHA Low Income Public Housing (LIPH) program to own and keep common household pets, defined as “smaller domesticated animals such as a dog, cat, bird, rodent, ferret, fish or turtle.”
In the case of birds, a maximum of two birds may be permitted. There shall be no limit as to the number of fish, but no more than one aquarium with a maximum capacity of 55 gallons shall be permitted. Rodents other than hamsters, gerbils, rats or mice are not common household pets. Reptiles other than turtles are not common household pets.
No more than one dog or one cat (not both) shall be permitted in a household. With respect to dogs, pitbulls or pitbull mixes are specifically prohibited and shall not be allowed in any SHA community. Ownership of a trained “guard” dog or “attack” dog, or ownership of animals for the purpose of dog or cat breeding is prohibited. A resident with a dog or cat may also have other categories of common household pets as defined above.
No dog or cat shall exceed 15 inches in height at the shoulder or 35 pounds in weight when fully grown. Residents with a dog or cat shall be responsible for a $100 security deposit to help defray the costs of potential damage done by a dog or cat to the unit or adjacent yard.
Assistance Animal Policy
In accordance with federal law and HUD regulations, residents of federally funded housing for the elderly, persons with disabilities or families shall not be prohibited from owning and keeping assistance animals. Assistance animals are animals that work, provide assistance, or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability OR are animals that provide emotional support that alleviate one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability. Assistance animals are a type of reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities. As such, documentation to demonstrate the connection between the benefit that the animal provides and the need of the person is necessary.