Quick Hits

• A bill introduced in the New York City Council would allow employees to take paid sick and safe leave for care of their pets.
• The bill could make New York City one of the first to legally provide pet leave, though employer-provided pet leave benefits are becoming increasingly popular.

The bill, Int. 1089-2024, sponsored by city council member Shaun Abreu, would amend New York City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA) to allow employees to take leave to care for a pet that needs medical treatment or care. The bill was introduced in the New York City Council on October 24, 2024, and referred to the Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection.

The bill would add “care of a covered animal” for purposes of obtaining a medical diagnosis of the treatment of physical illnesses, injuries, or medical conditions that need “preventive medical care” as a reason entitling employees to take leave under the ESSTA. The term “covered animal” would be defined as “an employee’s animal that is a service animal or is an animal kept primarily for companionship in compliance with all applicable laws.”

The ESSTA, which was passed in 2020, generally entitles employees in New York City up to forty or up to fifty-six hours of paid leave, depending on the size of the employer, for employees to care for physical or mental illnesses of the employee or an employee’s family member. The law further provides safe leave to obtain legal and social services and take other actions to protect themselves or a family member who may be a victim of domestic violence or unwanted sexual contact, stalking, or human trafficking.

However, if passed, the New York City pet leave bill would be a significant expansion of the ESSTA leave and would be one of the first to legally provide for leave to take care of pets in the United States.

One jurisdiction, Emeryville, California, has addressed pet leave in a municipal ordinance passed in 2015, but that bill only allows employees to use paid sick leave for care of specified guide dogs, signal dogs, or service dogs as defined under California law. The New York City bill would apply not just to service dogs but to animals “kept primarily for companionship,” which seemingly could encompass a range of animals kept as pets.

Additionally, while legally pet leave is rare, a growing number of companies are offering pet leave or leave to bond with newly adopted pets, sometimes referred to as “pawternity” leave, as an added benefit to recruit and retain talent. According to a recent study, 66 percent of households in the United States, or 89.6 million, own a pet.

Next Steps

The New York City pet leave bill is still in the early stages, and its chances of passage are unclear. The bill follows a trend of expanding state and local leave laws across the United States. That expansion includes the city’s ESSTA, which was amended in January 2024 to create a private right of action for alleged violations. The bill further reflects the growing importance of pets in the family lives of many employees and, if passed, could spur more jurisdictions to consider similar pet leave measures.