Approved by the Board of Trustees January 22, 2024
Purpose
The purpose of the service animal policy is to accommodate all patrons’ use of library resources while maintaining a safe and comfortable environment.
Policy
Animals of any type are not allowed in library facilities except for the following:
- Definition of service animals: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal as “a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.” The South Carolina Code of Laws, section 47-3-920, defines a service animal as “an animal that is trained for the purposes of assisting or accommodating the sensory, mental, or physical disability of a disabled person.”
- To ascertain whether an animal is allowed in the library under ADA, library staff may ask if the dog is a service animal required because of a disability, and what work or task the dog has been trained to perform. Library staff may not ask for documentation, identification, or other information.
- Emotional support, therapy, comfort, or companion animals are not considered service animals under the ADA, and are not allowed in the library.
- A service animal must be housebroken and under the full supervision and control of its handler at all times. Service animals that urinate or defecate in the library, bark or growl uncontrollably, or pose a threat to the safety of other library users shall be removed from the library by the handler.
- If a handler is asked to a remove a service animal for a reason listed above, staff will provide an option for the handler to obtain library services without requiring the service animal to enter the facility.
- Animals approved for inclusion in a library program or library-sponsored event: These animals will be approved by library management prior to the event.