A visit to the farmers market is one of life’s simple pleasures—fresh food, open air, and a vibrant community gathering. To help keep our markets safe, clean, and accessible for everyone, we maintain a strict no pets policy.
Service dogs are always welcome.
Recently, we’ve seen some confusion—and increasing challenges—around the difference between service dogs and emotional support animals. In some cases, situations have become disruptive when staff politely explain our policy. We want to be clear, respectful, and consistent in how this is handled.
What Is a Service Dog?
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service dog is:
- Individually trained to perform specific tasks
- Working directly to assist a person with a disability
Examples include guiding individuals who are visually impaired, assisting with mobility, alerting to medical conditions, or responding to seizures.
Service dogs are working animals, not pets, and are legally permitted in public spaces like farmers markets.
What About Emotional Support Animals?
Emotional support animals provide comfort and companionship and can be deeply important to their owners.
However, they are not considered service animals under the ADA and do not have public access rights in spaces such as farmers markets, grocery stores, or restaurants.
Emotional support animals and pets are not permitted at the market.
Why This Policy Matters
Farmers markets are food environments with close quarters and large crowds. Maintaining this policy helps protect:
- Food safety standards
- Public health and comfort
- Access for individuals who rely on trained service animals
Even well-behaved pets can create unintended challenges in this setting.
When Questions Arise
Market staff may ask two questions if a service animal is not readily identifiable:
- Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
- What task has the dog been trained to perform?
These are standard questions under ADA guidelines. Staff will never ask for documentation or details about a person’s disability.
We ask for your cooperation and understanding during these interactions. Our team is working to apply the same standards fairly and respectfully for everyone.
A Kind but Important Reminder
We know how much people love their dogs—we do too.
But to protect the safety and experience of all our guests, please leave pets and emotional support animals at home.
Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, welcoming market for our entire community.
