DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines airport officials will have to spend up to $100,000 to build a room for service dogs to relieve themselves inside the terminal.
The “service animal relief area” will be built in a boarding area and will require removing about 10 seats.
Airport Executive Director Kevin Foley told board members Tuesday that the bathroom is required under an update of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The update requires all airports with more than 10,000 passengers a year to have a service animal relief area inside their terminals.
The Des Moines facility will have artificial turf and a sink for animal owners to wash their hands and a system for washing down the turf afterward.