Service Animals
Cape Fear Community College (“CFCC” or the “College”) recognizes the importance of service animals on campus and has adopted the following policy to ensure all students, employees, and visitors have equal access to programs, services, and physical facilities, and are offered reasonable accommodations within the learning and working environment and associated activities offered at CFCC. CFCC acknowledges that some members of the CFCC community with disabilities may require the use of a “service animal” (defined below) while at the College. The purpose of this Service Animals Policy (the “Policy”) is to provide the CFCC community with guidelines for the use of service animals on campus. Pets and therapy animals are not considered service animals and therefore are not covered by this Policy.
Definitions
- Disability: A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
- Service Animal: A dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals.
Service Animals in Training
In accordance with local, state, and federal law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, an animal in training to become a service animal shall be permitted to accompany its trainer on CFCC premises if:
a) The animal is accompanying a trainer for the purpose of training to become a service animal;
b) The animal’s presence is for the specific purpose of training to become a service animal; and,
c) The animal must wear a collar and leash, harness, or cape that identifies the animal as a service animal in training.
The trainer shall be liable for any damage caused by the animal while on campus.
Service Animals
Employees are strongly encouraged to notify Human Resources if they intend to use a service animal on a CFCC campus, so appropriate College officials are aware of the animal’s presence. Students are strongly encouraged to notify Student Accessibility Services if they plan to bring a service animal to campus. Voluntary notification can help the College plan for situations such as emergency evacuation or other safety needs, and allows appropriate officials to be aware of the animal’s presence if assistance is ever needed. The College prohibits individuals from bringing an animal/pet that does not meet the definition of a service animal onto the College’s premises.
Generally, service animals shall be permitted to accompany the person using the animal’s services (hereinafter, the “owner”) on CFCC’s premises. When not readily apparent that the animal is a service animal, CFCC may ask: (1) is the animal a service animal required because of a disability; and/or (2) what work or task has the animal been trained to perform.
Responsibilities for Persons Using Service Animals
The care and supervision of a service animal is the responsibility of the owner. The owner is responsible for the following:
- The owner must ensure that the service animal has its current rabies vaccines and wears its rabies vaccination tag. All service animals must have current registration with the county 117 of residence Animal Service Unit, if applicable, i.e., New Hanover County Animal Service Unit.
- The service animal must be kept on a leash when the service animal is in a public area (i.e., classroom, library, outdoors on campus, etc.), unless the service animal is required to perform a task that it could not accomplish while on a leash or the owner is otherwise unable to maintain the service animal on a leash due to disability; in such case the owner still must maintain control by voice, signal, or other effective means.
- The owner must be in full control of the service animal at all times.
- The owner is responsible for the cost to repair any damage done by the service animal to CFCC’s property or the private property of another individual.
Restricted Areas
CFCC may prohibit the use of service animals in certain locations due to health or safety restrictions or where service animals may be in danger. These areas include, but are not limited to, food preparation areas, wood/metal/machine shops, areas where protective clothing is necessary, and/or other areas where the service animal’s presence may constitute a danger or a fundamental alteration of the program or activity conducted in the area. Access to restricted areas may be granted on a case-by-case basis by contacting the appropriate department or CFCC representative.
Removal of Service Animals
CFCC has the authority to remove a service animal from its premises if the service animal becomes unruly or disruptive, unclean, and/or unhealthy to the extent that the animal’s behavior or condition poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others or otherwise causes a fundamental alteration in the College’s services, programs, or activities. If such behavior or condition persists, the owner may be directed not to bring the animal into public campus areas until the problem is rectified.
Revision History:
July, 2026
