California Department of Public Health
Verified September 7, 2026. Figures quoted from the statute, rule, fee page or form.
California runs dog treats through its Pure Pet Food Act, not the feed law. Cal. Health & Safety Code 113060 requires a Pet Food Processor License of every person who manufactures processed pet food in the state, and the definition of processed pet food names treats and candy for pets. The fee is $190 per license per year, the fiscal year 2025-26 amount set by the Department of Public Health. There is no product registration and no per-product fee, but the label for each type of product goes in with the application and the department reviews it before issuing the license. The department does 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. The cottage food law covers human food only.
| Item | What California says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Firm fee | Yes$190 per license or registration certificate per year (rolling year, good for one calendar year from the date of issue), the FY 2025-26 amount effective July 1, 2025, with a $30 late fee if more than 30 days past the expiration date | CDPH Food and Drug Branch fee-increase letter, May 1, 2025, FY 2025-26 fee table, row Pet Food Processor License/Registration |
| Firm fee period | YesOne year, rolling, good for one calendar year from the date of issue and renewed annually; the license is nontransferable | CDPH, Procedures for Obtaining a Pet Food Processor License or Registration, Revised (8/2025), item 10 |
| What one firm instrument covers | YesOne license per processing plant located in California, and one registration certificate per out-of-state pet food processing facility | Cal. Health & Safety Code § 113065, first sentence |
| 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) |
| Fee per product | NoneNo per-product or per-label fee; the annual license fee is the only charge attached to the label submission | CDPH 8676 (7/2025), Pet Food Processor Registration Application, fee block items 25 to 28 |
| Product registration period | NoneNo product registration exists to renew; the one year term belongs to the license or registration certificate and is recorded under firm.period | Cal. Health & Safety Code Sec. 113060, the term provision that would carry a product period |
| Small package threshold | 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 |
| Small package fee | NoneThe license fee is flat, with no small-package tier, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag changes nothing about the money | CDPH 8676 (7/2025), fee block items 25 to 28, the closed fee list that would carry a small-package tier |
| Tonnage fee applies | NoThe inspection tonnage tax in the Food and Agricultural Code reaches only commercial feed, and commercial feed excludes preparations manufactured and distributed for feeding to domestic pets such as dogs, cats and birds | Cal. Food & Agric. Code § 14925 (definition that scopes the Ch. 6 inspection tonnage tax) |
| Tonnage rate | NoneNo tonnage charge reaches processed pet food, because the tonnage tax is scoped to commercial feed and pet preparations are excluded from that term | Cal. Food & Agric. Code Sec. 14925 (Definitions), the definition that scopes the Ch. 6 inspection tonnage tax |
| Tonnage minimum | NoneNo tonnage charge reaches processed pet food, so there is no tonnage minimum to record | Cal. Food & Agric. Code Sec. 14925 (Definitions), the definition that scopes the Ch. 6 inspection tonnage tax |
| Tonnage reporting | NoneThe CDPH pet food license carries no tonnage return; the only recurring act is the annual renewal | Cal. Food & Agric. Code Sec. 14925 (Definitions), the definition that keeps pet food outside the commercial feed reporting scheme |
| Label goes in with the filing | YesCDPH reviews the application, fee and labels before it issues the license, and an application without product labels cannot be processed | CDPH, Procedures for Obtaining a Pet Food Processor License or Registration, Revised (8/2025), item 7 |
| Out-of-state sellers | YesAn out-of-state manufacturer must first obtain a registration certificate from CDPH before importing into California, one per out-of-state pet food processing facility, at the same $190 per year | Cal. Health & Safety Code § 113060 |
Three treats made in an approved facility, since the department does not accept a residence. One license covers every product, so the count changes nothing.
This state charges no per-product fee, so the product count does not change the total.
Every figure above is multiplied out from the figures printed beside it, and each of those comes from a quote in the table. Laboratory work for the guaranteed analysis, packaging, a sales tax permit and a business entity filing are separate costs from separate agencies and are not counted here.
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.
The instrument exists, but the department does not issue it to a residence. A maker who wants to sell in California works from an approved facility or through a co-packer, and the co-packer's facility is what holds the license. There is no volume, revenue or home-scale exemption anywhere in the chapter.
Fresh or frozen raw meat or poultry pet food belongs to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Meat, Poultry and Egg Safety Branch, not to the Department of Public Health. A maker who bakes, dries or dehydrates meat treats stays with the Department of Public Health and its processor license.
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 label review applies to that certificate in the same way.
The two carve-outs in the department's own questions and answers are a retailer repackaging from a bulk container at the time of sale to the ultimate consumer, and a brand owner who contracts out every part of manufacture and distribution while each contracting facility holds its own license. Neither reaches a maker who bakes the treats, and the channel makes no difference.
California has no product registration and no small-package fee tier, so the same recipe in a two pound bag and a six pound bag changes nothing about the money. The statute delegates small-package label exemptions to a regulation, 17 CCR 19015, whose text is not in the snapshot we read, so any size-based label relief is unknown on this page.
| Item | What California says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Required label items | 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 |
| 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 |
| What a treat is excused from | 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 |
| AAFCO text adopted | NoCalifornia adopts no AAFCO document by statute or regulation; CDPH states only that it recognizes the AAFCO Official Publication as its reference for pet food ingredients not defined by California law, which is an agency statement and not an incorporation by reference | CDPH, Procedures for Obtaining a Pet Food Processor License or Registration, Revised (8/2025), opening paragraph |
| AAFCO edition | NoneNo Official Publication year is named in the statute, in the rules or in any CDPH document; the CDPH sentence that names the publication names no edition | CDPH, Procedures for Obtaining a Pet Food Processor License or Registration, Revised (8/2025), opening paragraph, the only place any CDPH document names the AAFCO publication |
The full item list, both AAFCO editions and the exceptions are in the label guide, and the laboratory side of the guarantees is in where to get a guaranteed analysis.
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.
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.
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 .
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.
Cal. Health & Safety Code 113065 still prints an older, lower amount for the annual license and registration fees. The department sets the operative amount by fiscal year under budget-act authority, and its fee letter for fiscal year 2025-26 lists $190. We print the letter, and we flag that a letter for 2026-27 may exist that our snapshot does not hold.
Cal. Food & Agric. Code 14925 excludes preparations manufactured and distributed for feeding to domestic pets such as dogs, cats and birds from commercial feed, so the agriculture department's commercial feed license and inspection tonnage tax do not apply to treats. AAFCO's published California entry points at that feed scheme, which is the wrong door for a treat maker.
17 CCR 19015, Exemptions, is not in the snapshot; the statute delegates small-package and other exemptions to it. Treat-specific label exceptions are therefore unknown on this page rather than none. Neither 17 CCR 19025 nor the statute's labeling article carves treats out of any item.
The record for California carries 14 recorded gaps and 11 staleness flags from the reading pass. Those are about the documents, not about your product.
Cal. Health & Safety Code 113080(a) makes a violation of the chapter punishable by imprisonment for not more than six months or a fine of not more than $1,000, or both, and by imprisonment for not more than one year or a fine of not more than $1,000, or both, where the violation follows a final conviction or is committed with intent to defraud or mislead. Failure to obtain the license is itself a prohibited act under 113075(h).
A sales tax permit comes from the revenue side of the state and lets you collect tax. It is not a feed instrument and no feed office issues it.
A business entity filing or a trading name registration comes from the secretary of state or the county. It records who you are. It says nothing about feed.
A local food handler card or a home kitchen permit belongs to the human food regime. Services that bundle these three and call the bundle a license are selling you paperwork you may well need, but not the instrument on this page.
The California text we read gives no route around it. Cal. Health & Safety Code 113060 requires a Pet Food Processor License of every person who manufactures processed pet food in California, the definition of processed pet food names treats and candy for pets, and failure to obtain the license is a prohibited act under 113075(h). There is no volume, revenue or home-scale exemption in the chapter.
The department's procedures rule out a home kitchen for anything you sell. It will not accept a residence as the facility, and it states that processed pet food including treats cannot be manufactured, packaged, labeled or stored in a residential home. Production moves to an approved facility or to a co-packer, whose facility holds the license.
No. Processed pet food is not on the approved food products list for cottage food operations, and the department states that animal food products are not covered under the California Cottage Food Law. Dog treats take the Pet Food Processor License instead, issued to an approved facility.
Yes, the same one, issued to the facility where the treats are made. The channel does not change the instrument. Shipping into other states adds their feed laws, and most of them run a commercial feed license or a product registration of their own, so a buyer's state may want its own filing.
The Pet Food Processor License is $190 per year, the fiscal year 2025-26 amount, with a $30 late fee more than 30 days past expiration. There is no per-product fee and no tonnage fee, so three treats cost the same as one. The facility is the real cost: a commercial kitchen or a co-packer, because the department does not license a home.
No. California has no product registration and no per-product fee. What the department wants instead is the label that would be attached to the container of each type of processed pet food, filed with the license application and reviewed before the license issues. A new flavor means a new label sent to the department, not a new fee.
Statute: yes: Cal. Health & Safety Code, Div. 104, Part 6, Ch. 10, Secs. 113025 through 113120 (Pure Pet Food Act of 1969). Rules: yes: Cal. Code Regs. tit. 17, div. 1, ch. 5, subch. 2, group 2, art. 16, Secs. 19005 through 19043 (Processed Pet Food Regulations); Secs. 19000 and 19001 are repealed. Agency: yes: California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch (program page).
Snapshot read and adjudicated September 7, 2026, record date 2026-09-07. 38 recorded facts for California.
DogTreatLicense is an informational reference about state commercial feed laws as they apply to people who make and sell pet treats in the United States. It reprints instrument names, fees, thresholds, label items and citations from state statutes, rules, fee schedules and agency forms, together with the date each state was last verified. Nothing on this site is legal advice, and fees and rules change. Confirm with the state feed control office before you register or sell.
Read the terms before you rely on any figure here.