Named in 1894 for Army chaplain Winfield Scott and home to 241,361 people at the 2020 census, Scottsdale runs from the Salt River up toward the McDowell Mountains. If your animal steadies you through anxiety, depression or trauma, the free screening lets a clinician licensed in Arizona decide whether an emotional support animal letter or a psychiatric service dog letter is supported.
Three storefronts on one boardwalk, from your first answer to a signed letter. You pay only if a letter is supported and you choose a plan.
Answer questions about your symptoms, your animal and your housing whenever it suits you.
The clinician reads your answers and meets you by telehealth when that is right for your care.
If a letter is supported and you pick a plan, it is emailed; otherwise you pay nothing.
Chaparral and Thompson Peak close on set mornings for maintenance. Pick a day and arrival time to see which of the four city dog parks fit, then check the posted signs at the gate.
Clear pricing for emotional support animal and psychiatric service dog letters written by a licensed mental health professional. Your screening is free, and you pay only if a clinician supports a letter and you decide to continue.
Best option for most renters with one emotional support animal
For people who have more than one emotional support animal in the home
For people who may qualify for a task-trained psychiatric service dog
Save more with combined document bundles
ESA letter and certificate in one package
Complete PSD documentation: letter, certificate and ID card
Chaplain Winfield Scott and his wife, Helen, bought the land where Old Town now stands in 1888. A neighbor filed plans for a town called Orangedale, but the Arizona Republican reported it as Scottsdale, and the name stuck. The city incorporated in 1951 with about 2,000 residents.
The area was an Akimel O'odham village, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community still borders Scottsdale to the south and east.
Four documents, all starting with the same free screening. A clinician licensed in Arizona decides which one, if any, fits your situation.
For an accommodation request to a landlord, condo board or HOA.
Every animal your clinician supports is named in one letter.
Ties a trained dog's tasks to the disability they address.
A certificate or ID card that accompanies the letter.
Three notices worth knowing before you ask a Scottsdale landlord, condo board or HOA for an accommodation.
Six questions about Scottsdale dog parks and Old Town, each tied off with a short answer.
Four since August 2026: Chaparral; Horizon, a small park in a retention basin at the west end of Horizon Park; Vista del Camino, a half-acre park with shade trees; and the new Thompson Peak Dog Park.
Tuesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon. The park is split into three areas, and one is rotated out at a time for maintenance and turf repair.
Young people under 16 must be accompanied by an adult, and food and alcoholic drinks are not allowed in the exercise area.
It has 3.5 acres of grass in three gated cells that rotate for turf recovery, at Hayden Road and Thompson Peak Parkway. It is open 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and closes Mondays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to noon for maintenance.
You are. Scottsdale says a dog's owner or custodian is responsible and legally liable for the dog's acts whenever it is in a city park.
Arizona does not give emotional support animals public access: A.R.S. 11-1024 treats emotional support as no work or task. A business may still choose to welcome pets.
General information for Scottsdale residents, current as of October 2026, and not legal advice. Dog park hours and rules are set by the City of Scottsdale and can change, so check posted signs before a visit. Screening does not guarantee a letter. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988, or reach the Arizona Statewide Crisis Line on 1-844-534-4673.
A clinician licensed in Arizona can review how your animal helps you and explain which letter, if any, your situation supports.
