State feed law, quoted and dated

What license do I need to sell dog treats?

Verified September 7, 2026. Figures quoted from the statute, rule, fee page or form.

A dog treat is pet food, and pet food is commercial feed under state feed law. That puts it in a different statute from the one people usually find first: cottage food laws are written for food people eat and do not cover it in any state verified so far. What each state does want is its own instrument. Some license the firm and never look at the products. Some register every product and charge for each one. Some do both. This site prints the instrument name, the fee, the deadline and the label items for each verified state, with the quote from the statute, rule, fee schedule or form behind every figure and the date we last read it.

Check your state

Pick your state, what you make and where you sell it. Every line in the result is printed from the record for that state, with the citation beside it. Where the text we read does not answer something, it says so instead of guessing.

StateWhat you makeHow many productsOne product per brand and product name. Two sizes of one flavor are one product.

Package size

Package size does not change the California fee. The record says so in the small package row below.

Where you sell

California: what the record says

Verified September 7, 2026

Agency

California Department of Public Health

Firm instrument

YesPet Food Processor License for an in-state manufacturer or warehouse, and a registration certificate for an out-of-state manufacturer, one per processing facility, applied for on CDPH 8676 CDPH, Procedures for Obtaining a Pet Food Processor License or Registration, Revised (8/2025), in-state item 1

Applies to a home maker

DependsA license is required of every person who manufactures processed pet food in California, and CDPH will not accept a residence as the facility, so processed pet food including treats cannot be manufactured, packaged, labeled or stored in a residential home and must come from an approved facility Cal. Health & Safety Code Sec. 113060 (Licenses and Registration Certificates), the licence trigger

Product registration

NoCalifornia has no product registration, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag needs no product registration and pays no product fee; what the applicant files instead is the label that would be attached to the container of each type of processed pet food, with the ingredient list in order of predominance by weight, submitted with the firm application Cal. Health & Safety Code § 113070(c) (conditions of issuance of the annual license or registration certificate)

Small package rule

Not statedThe statute delegates small-package exemptions to department regulation, and the section that would carry them, 17 CCR 19015 Exemptions, is not in the snapshot Cal. Health & Safety Code Sec. 113095 (Misbranding), delegation of small-package exemptions

Cottage food

NoProcessed pet food is not on the approved food products list for cottage food operations, and CDPH states that animal food products are not covered under the California Cottage Food Law CDPH, Frequently Asked Questions for Pet Food Processor Registration, Q5

What the first year adds up to

Firm fee (per year, rolling from the date of issue)$190
First year total$190

This state charges no per-product fee, so the product count does not change the total.

State feed fees only. Laboratory work for the guaranteed analysis, packaging, a sales tax permit and a business entity filing are separate costs from separate places.

Your channels

Every channel you picked is distribution under the California definition, and the instrument does not change with the channel. DependsA retailer repackaging from a bulk container at the time of sale to its ultimate consumer is outside the word manufacture (FAQ Q7), and separately a brand owner who contracts out every part of the manufacture and distribution of pet foods under its own brand needs no registration itself while each contracting facility does (FAQ Q4); neither reaches a maker who bakes the treats CDPH, Frequently Asked Questions for Pet Food Processor Registration, Q7

An out-of-state manufacturer must obtain a registration certificate from the department before importing processed pet food into California, one per out-of-state facility, at the same $190 per year. The California license covers manufacturing in California; a California maker shipping out of state meets the destination state's feed law there, and most states run a commercial feed license or product registration of their own.

Label

Guaranteed analysis: YesCrude protein minimum, crude fat minimum, crude fiber maximum and moisture maximum, with additional guarantees following crude fiber Cal. Code Regs. tit. 17, § 19025(b) (Labeling and Restrictions), guaranteed analysis table

Treat exceptions: Not stated17 CCR 19025 and Cal. Health & Safety Code Article 5 were both read in full and neither carves treats or snacks out of any label item, and California imposes no nutritional adequacy or complete and balanced statement for a treat carve-out to attach to; but the section that would carry exemptions, 17 CCR 19015 Exemptions, is not in the snapshot Cal. Health & Safety Code Sec. 113095 (Misbranding), the delegation of exemptions to department regulation

Every required label item

YesProduct name required (CDPH 8676 label guidelines, Cal. Health & Safety Code 113095(c)(1)); species designation required, the words dog food or cat food or a similar designation conspicuously on the principal display panels (17 CCR 19025(a)); quantity statement required as an accurate statement of the quantity of the contents (113095(c)(2), CDPH 8676); guaranteed analysis required in the fixed order crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, moisture (17 CCR 19025(b)); ingredient statement required, all ingredients in descending order by weight (113070(c), CDPH 8676); nutritional adequacy statement not required by California statute or rule; feeding directions not required by California statute or rule; calorie content statement not required by California statute or rule; guarantor name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor required (113095(c)(1), CDPH 8676); precautionary statements not separately required by California statute or rule CDPH 8676 (7/2025), page 1, Pet Food Label Guidelines

How to file in California, step by step

Find or rent an approved facility. The department will not accept a residence as the facility. Processed pet food, treats included, cannot be manufactured, packaged, labeled or stored in a residential home under its procedures, so the first step is a commercial kitchen or a co-packer whose address goes on the application.
File form CDPH 8676 with the labels. The Pet Food Processor License application takes one facility per license. The label that would be attached to the container of each type of processed pet food goes in with it, with the ingredient list in order of predominance by weight. An application without product labels cannot be processed.
Pay the $190 fee. The fee is $190 per license or registration certificate per year, the fiscal year 2025-26 amount effective July 1, 2025. The license is good for one calendar year from the date of issue. A renewal more than 30 days past the expiration date carries a $30 late fee.
Wait for the label review. The department reviews the application, the fee and the labels before it issues the license. There is no separate product registration and no per-label fee: the review rides on the license, and a revised label goes back to the department.
Renew each year from the issue date. The term is rolling, one year from issue, and the license is nontransferable. Check the department's current fee letter before paying, because the fee is set by fiscal year and the letter we read covers 2025-26.
Route raw meat products to the agriculture department instead. A manufacturer solely engaged in making fresh or frozen raw meat or poultry pet food is outside the Department of Public Health registration and is licensed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Meat, Poultry and Egg Safety Branch. Baked, dried, dehydrated, semidried and canned treats stay with the Department of Public Health.

What the text we read does not say

The text of 17 CCR 19015, Exemptions, and any small-package rule in it: not stated in California law text we read.
Whether any label item is waived for treats: not stated in California law text we read.
A program page URL printed in the department's own documents: not stated in California law text we read.
Any fee letter for fiscal year 2026-27: not stated in California law text we read.

Full California page, with the quotes and the sources

Verified states

A state appears here only after two independent readers and a verifier have gone through its primary texts and the figures have been checked back against the quotes. More states are added a block at a time as they clear verification.

California
Instrument
Pet Food Processor License
Firm fee
$190 per year
Per product
None
Small package
No fee tier
Cottage food
Human food only
Florida
Instrument
Feed Master Registration
Firm fee
$40 per year up to 25 tons
Per product
None
Small package
No small package rule
Cottage food
Human food only
Georgia
Instrument
Commercial Feed License plus product registration
Firm fee
$75 per year
Per product
$40 per product per year
Small package
10 lb or less
Cottage food
Human food only
Illinois
Instrument
Commercial Feed License plus product registration
Firm fee
$30 per year
Per product
$90 per product per year
Small package
10 lb or less
Cottage food
Human food only
Indiana
Instrument
Commercial Feed License plus small-package product listing
Firm fee
$50 per calendar year
Per product
$50 per product per year
Small package
10 lb or less
Cottage food
Human food only
Iowa
Instrument
Commercial Feed License plus product registration
Firm fee
$20 per two years
Per product
$50 per product per year
Small package
10 lb or less
Cottage food
Human food only
Michigan
Instrument
Commercial Feed License
Firm fee
$100 per year, or $25 for 5 lb or less
Per product
None
Small package
5 lb or less lowers the firm fee
Cottage food
Human food only
Missouri
Instrument
Commercial Feed License plus product registration
Firm fee
$35 per year
Per product
$90 per product per year, $25 under $5,000 in sales
Small package
10 lb or less
Cottage food
Human food only
Ohio
Instrument
Feed Registration (Animal Feed License)
Firm fee
$50 per year
Per product
None
Small package
No small package rule
Cottage food
Not on the cottage food list
Texas
Instrument
Feed License plus Small Package Registration
Firm fee
$75 one time
Per product
$50 per product per year
Small package
5 lb or less
Cottage food
Does not reach pet food

Instrument, fees and cottage food status in each verified state, from the hub figures on each state page. Every state was last verified September 7, 2026.
State	Instrument	Firm fee	Per product	Small package	Cottage food
California	Pet Food Processor License	$190 per year	None	No fee tier	Human food only
Florida	Feed Master Registration	$40 per year up to 25 tons	None	No small package rule	Human food only
Georgia	Commercial Feed License plus product registration	$75 per year	$40 per product per year	10 lb or less	Human food only
Illinois	Commercial Feed License plus product registration	$30 per year	$90 per product per year	10 lb or less	Human food only
Indiana	Commercial Feed License plus small-package product listing	$50 per calendar year	$50 per product per year	10 lb or less	Human food only
Iowa	Commercial Feed License plus product registration	$20 per two years	$50 per product per year	10 lb or less	Human food only
Michigan	Commercial Feed License	$100 per year, or $25 for 5 lb or less	None	5 lb or less lowers the firm fee	Human food only
Missouri	Commercial Feed License plus product registration	$35 per year	$90 per product per year, $25 under $5,000 in sales	10 lb or less	Human food only
Ohio	Feed Registration (Animal Feed License)	$50 per year	None	No small package rule	Not on the cottage food list
Texas	Feed License plus Small Package Registration	$75 one time	$50 per product per year	5 lb or less	Does not reach pet food

The federal layer under the state rules

A home kitchen is outside FDA facility registration.

Facility means any establishment, structure, or structures under one ownership at one general physical location, or, in the case of a mobile facility, traveling to multiple locations, that manufactures/processes, packs, or holds food for consumption in the United States. [...] The private residence of an individual is not a facility.

21 CFR 1.227, definition of "Facility"

Federal package rules still apply to every bag you sell.

Ingredients required to be declared on the label of a food [...] shall be listed by common or usual name in descending order of predominance by weight on either the principal display panel or the information panel in accordance with the provisions of § 501.2 .

21 CFR 501.4(a)

Your state label rules come from an AAFCO model, not from FDA.

Pet food labeling is regulated at two levels. The current FDA regulations require proper identification of the product, net quantity statement, name, and place of business of the manufacturer or distributor, and proper listing of all the ingredients in the product from most to least, based on weight. Some states also enforce their own labeling regulations.

FDA, "Pet Food" (Animal Foods & Feeds)

Guides across the states

How the numbers get here

One state at a time. First a source pass that finds the statute chapter, the rule chapter, the current fee schedule and the application forms, and takes a local snapshot of each one. Then two collectors read that snapshot separately, from different directions, without seeing each other work: one from the law down, one from the fee figures up. A fact with no verbatim quote from the snapshot does not count.

Their answers are diffed by key. Every disagreement goes to a verifier whose job is to refute, not to confirm, and anything still unsettled is read by hand in the cited fragment before a value is written. Then three gates run: every quote has to appear word for word in the snapshot, every record has to hold its shape and its dates, and every figure inside a value has to appear inside that value quote.

Fees live on application forms and fee pages more often than in statutes, and the two do not always agree. Where they diverge we print the agency figure and say so on the state page. Where a state text simply does not answer a question, the page prints that it is not stated in the text we read rather than filling the gap. Every state page carries the date it was last verified and links to the documents behind it.

The seven steps, in order What the label carries Site index

Questions people actually type

What license do I need to sell dog treats?

A state commercial feed instrument, issued by the state department of agriculture or its feed control office. Depending on the state that is a firm license, a registration of each product, or both. It is not a cottage food registration, not a sales tax permit and not a business entity filing, though sellers are often sold those three instead.

Can you sell dog treats without a license?

Not in any state verified so far. Each of them defines commercial feed, or processed pet food, widely enough to catch a baked or dried dog treat, defines distribution widely enough to catch an online order or a market stall, and carries no exemption for a home kitchen, a small catalogue or a low turnover.

Are dog treats cottage food?

No, in every state verified so far. Cottage food laws are written around food for people. Some states exclude pet food by defining the regime around human consumption, some run a closed list of permitted products that pet treats are not on, and at least one answers the question directly in agency guidance by sending pet bakeries to the feed control office.

Do I need a license in every state I ship to?

Each state answers that for itself, and every state verified so far says yes for anyone whose name is on the label of product distributed there. AAFCO states that shipping product into a state in response to an internet purchase counts as distribution in that state. The per-state cost is on each state page.

How much does it cost to start selling dog treats?

The state instrument is usually the smallest line in the plan and it varies by scheme rather than by size of business. A firm-only state charges the same whether you sell one flavor or twenty. A per-product state multiplies with your catalogue. The checker on this page prints the arithmetic for the state and the catalogue you pick.

Fees and rules change. Confirm with the state feed control office before you file or sell. See terms.