The instrument
Why a dog treat falls under commercial feed licensing
Verified September 7, 2026. Figures quoted from the statute, rule, fee page or form.
The word feed sounds like cattle and chickens, and that is why so many new sellers look in the wrong statute. In every verified state the definition of commercial feed reaches pet food, pet food is defined as feed prepared and distributed for dogs or cats, and a treat is pet food. The instrument that follows is a license or registration of the firm, issued by the state feed control official, and it is the first filing a treat business makes.
Who the license reaches
The model bill that most states follow licenses a person who manufactures a commercial feed in the state, a person who distributes it in or into the state, and a person whose name appears on the label as guarantor. A home baker who mixes, bakes, packages and labels their own treats is all three at once. The only person the model leaves out is a retailer selling feed that already carries the label of a licensed firm that has taken responsibility for the inspection fee.
One verified state runs a different statute altogether: a pet food processor license issued to a facility under a health department, with no per-product fee and no home kitchens. The table below prints each state's instrument and its scope in the state's own words.
What one license covers
Usually one manufacturing location, sometimes one firm statewide, and in a few states one license for each name that appears on a label as guarantor. A second kitchen is a second license in most states. A second brand under the same firm is a second label, and in states with product registration a second set of product fees.
The exemptions are narrow and are about the kind of material rather than the size of the business: unmixed commodities, feed made for the maker's own animals, and the retail carve-out above. None of the verified states exempts a home kitchen, a hobby scale or a low revenue from the license itself.
Pet food is commercial feed
| State | What the state says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | YesA material used as a feed for an animal is commercial feed under Tex. Agric. Code 141.002(a), and 4 TAC 61.1(15) defines pet food as a commercial feed | Tex. Agric. Code §141.002(a) (Commercial Feed) |
| Florida | YesCommercial feed is all material distributed for use as feed for animals other than humans, with three commodity exceptions, and the rules define pet food as a kind of commercial feed | Fla. Stat. 580.031(2) |
| Ohio | YesPet food is defined as a kind of commercial feed, so the whole of ORC 923.41 to 923.55 applies to it | Ohio Rev. Code § 923.41(W) |
| Illinois | YesPet food is defined as a kind of commercial feed, with three commodity exceptions that do not reach a baked or dehydrated dog treat | 505 ILCS 30/3(d) (Definitions of words and terms) |
| Michigan | YesPet food is defined as a commercial feed prepared and distributed for consumption by dogs or cats, so the Feed Law licensing, labeling and inspection-fee provisions reach it | MCL 287.523(gg) (Definitions) |
| Iowa | YesPet food is a class of commercial feed | Iowa Code § 198.3(19) (Definitions) |
| Missouri | YesPet food is defined as a class of commercial feed | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 266.160(21) |
| Indiana | YesPet food is defined as a commercial feed prepared and distributed for consumption by dogs or cats | IC 15-19-7-2(a) ("Commercial feed") |
| California | NoThe California commercial feed definition excludes preparations manufactured and distributed for feeding to domestic pets such as dogs, cats and birds, so a dog treat sits in the CDPH processed pet food scheme and not in the CDFA commercial feed scheme | Cal. Food & Agric. Code § 14925 (Div. 7, Ch. 6, Art. 2, Definitions) |
| Georgia | YesPet food is defined as a class of commercial feed | O.C.G.A. § 2-13-1(17) |
The instrument, state by state
| State | What the state says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | YesFeed License, one per feed facility and one per guarantor named on the label, applied for on Form LA 0198 | Form LA 0198 Feed License Application, title line (Rev 5-3-11) |
| Florida | YesFeed Master Registration, one per distributor, applied for on Form FDACS-13244; the FDACS web page calls the same instrument a feed distributor license | Fla. Stat. 580.041(1)(a) |
| Ohio | YesFeed Registration under ORC 923.42, applied for on ODA form plnt_4203-011; ODA calls it an Animal Feed License on the program page and the form calls the charge a fee per permit | Ohio Rev. Code § 923.42(A) |
| Illinois | YesIllinois Commercial Feed License, a firm license under 505 ILCS 30/4(a), applied for on form IL406-0039 | IDOA Feed Frequently Asked Questions, Q1 'Who is required to obtain an Illinois Commercial Feed License?' |
| Michigan | YesMichigan Commercial Feed License, one per physical manufacturing location, and one for a non-manufacturer distributor or guarantor; there is no separate pet-treat instrument | MDARD Commercial Animal Feed Licensing page, opening paragraph |
| Iowa | YesCommercial feed license, one per facility, applied for on the IDALS Commercial Feed License Application | Iowa Code § 198.4(2) (Licenses) |
| Missouri | YesMissouri Commercial Feed License, one per facility, applied for on form MO 350-1186 | Commercial Feed License Application, form MO 350-1186 (8-19), activity checklist |
| Indiana | YesCommercial feed license issued by the state chemist, applied for on Form F-1, one per Indiana manufacturing location | IC 15-19-7-24(a) (Distributors; commercial feed licenses) |
| California | 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 |
| Georgia | YesCommercial feed license issued by the Commissioner, one per firm | O.C.G.A. § 2-13-6(a) |
What one instrument covers
| State | What the state says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | YesOne license per feed facility and one per guarantor named on the label | Form LA 0198 Instructions, Section 1: Licensee |
| Florida | YesOne master registration per distributor, covering all of its brands and products | Fla. Stat. 580.041(1)(a) |
| Ohio | YesOne registration per firm and per Ohio manufacturing facility, not per product | Ohio Rev. Code § 923.42(A) |
| Illinois | YesAny person who manufactures feed in Illinois or whose name appears on the label; secondary Illinois sites under the same firm name go on the same license, and a facility under a different name needs its own | 505 ILCS 30/4(a) (Product Registration and Firm License) |
| Michigan | YesOne license per Michigan manufacturing facility, plus one for a non-manufacturer distributor or guarantor; MDARD counts licenses by the name and address that appears on the label | MCL 287.524(1)(a)-(b) (Persons required to be licensed) |
| Iowa | YesOne license per facility; the section reaches a person who manufactures commercial feed in Iowa, who distributes commercial feed in or into Iowa, or whose name appears on the label as guarantor | Iowa Code § 198.4(1)(a)-(c) and § 198.4(2) (Licenses) |
| Missouri | YesOne license per facility, reaching a manufacturer in Missouri, a distributor in or into Missouri, a label guarantor and an independent consultant | Mo. Rev. Stat. section 266.165.1 |
| Indiana | YesThe license reaches a person who manufactures a commercial feed or whose name appears on the label, and each location that manufactures commercial feed in Indiana must have its own license | IC 15-19-7-24(a) (Distributors; commercial feed licenses) |
| California | 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 |
| Georgia | YesOne license per firm, statewide, reaching an in-state manufacturer, a label guarantor and a distributor, except a distributor moving only a licensee feed unchanged | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 40-5-5-.01(a)-(c) |
The retail carve-out
| State | What the state says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | DependsOnly a person making retail sales of commercial feed that bears the label of a licensed manufacturer, guarantor or distributor is outside the license; a maker who manufactures and labels their own treats is not, and the channel of sale makes no difference | Tex. Agric. Code §141.021(a) (License Required), second sentence |
| Florida | DependsOnly a person who sells a registrant brand-name feed at retail on the registrant behalf is outside the definition of distributor; a maker who manufactures and sells their own treats is the distributor and must register, whatever the channel | Fla. Stat. 580.031(8) |
| Ohio | DependsThe registration duty reaches only a person who manufactures commercial feed or whose name appears on the label as a distributor, so a shop reselling another firm labeled feed is outside it; a maker who manufactures and labels their own treats is inside it whatever the sales channel, and giving feed away is still distribution | Ohio Rev. Code Sec. 923.42(A) (Registration), the licence trigger |
| Illinois | DependsThe license duty reaches only a person who manufactures feed in Illinois or whose name appears on the label, so a shop reselling another firm labeled feed is outside it; a maker who manufactures and labels their own treats is inside it whatever the channel, and giving the product away is still distribution | 505 ILCS 30/4(a) (Product Registration and Firm License), the licence trigger |
| Michigan | DependsOnly a person making retail sales of commercial feed labeled from a licensed manufacturer, distributor or guarantor that has assumed responsibility for the inspection fee is outside the license; a maker who prepares, grinds, mixes, packages, repackages or relabels their own treats is a manufacturer and is inside it, whatever the channel | MCL 287.524(2)(a) |
| Iowa | DependsOnly a person making retail sales of commercial feed that bears labeling showing it is from a licensed manufacturer, guarantor or distributor who has assumed responsibility for the tonnage inspection fee is outside the license; a maker whose own name is the label guarantor is inside it, and direct, farmers market and internet sales make no difference | Iowa Code § 198.4(2), second sentence (Licenses) |
| Missouri | DependsOnly a person making retail sales of commercial feed that bears labeling showing it is from a licensed manufacturer, guarantor or distributor who has assumed responsibility for the tonnage inspection fee is outside the license; a maker who labels their own treats is inside it | Mo. Rev. Stat. section 266.165.1 |
| Indiana | DependsThe license duty reaches only a person who manufactures a commercial feed or whose name appears on the label, so a shop reselling another firm labeled feed is outside it; a maker who manufactures and labels their own treats is inside it whatever the channel, and OISC applies that to farmers market sales in one pound bags | IC 15-19-7-24(a) (Distributors; commercial feed licenses), the licence trigger |
| California | 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 |
| Georgia | DependsThe license exemption reaches only a distributor moving a licensee feed unchanged, either in the original packages of a licensed manufacturer, guarantor or distributor (r. 40-5-5-.01(c)1) or in bulk as received from a licensee with that licensee label information except for the net weight statement (r. 40-5-5-.01(c)2); a maker who manufactures and labels their own treats falls under (a) and (b) and is inside the license | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 40-5-5-.01(a)-(c), including both limbs of the distributor exemption |
How AAFCO describes the two schemes
AAFCO describes the two state schemes: firm license (unlimited products per fee) or per-product registration with label review and fee annually or biennially, plus tonnage reports.
The state will either require registration of labels of products or will require a feed license for the firm that makes the pet food products. [...] The registration scheme involves a fee for each product, either annually or bi-annually, filling out an application with the company contact information, sending in a list of products to be registered and their labels.
AAFCO states many states require registration and/or licensure before distribution into that state and that shipping in response to an internet order is distribution; farmers-market and giveaway treats are also distribution.
many states require pet food and specialty pet food registration and/or distributor licensure before offering distribution into that state. [...] Therefore, shipping product into a state in response to an internet purchase constitutes “distribution”.
AAFCO states it does not regulate, approve, certify or review labels; states have that authority under their feed laws.
AAFCO does not regulate, approve, certify or endorse animal feed or pet food in any way, and AAFCO does not review an individual company’s label or labeling. It is the states, and their designated regulatory officials, which have the legal authority to review a feed or pet food label and approve or disapprove products for distribution in their state
Verified states on this site
This guide prints only what the verified state records support. More states are added a block at a time as they clear verification.
Questions people actually type
Is a commercial feed license the same as a business license?
No. A business license, a trade name filing or a sales tax permit comes from the revenue side or the secretary of state and says who you are. The commercial feed instrument comes from the agriculture department or state chemist and records you as a firm that distributes feed in that state with your name on a label. A treat business normally needs both kinds of paperwork, from different offices.
Do I need a license in a state I only ship to?
In every verified state the license reaches a person who distributes commercial feed in or into the state or whose name appears on the label, wherever they sit. Shipping to a buyer in that state in response to an online order is distribution there. The state page for the destination state prints the out-of-state rule with its citation.
What happens at renewal?
The instrument runs on a fixed period, usually a calendar year or a July to June year, sometimes two years, and in one state it is permanent. Renewal is the same form, the current fee and any revised labels. Missing the date brings a late fee in most states, printed on the state cost page.
Keep reading
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.
Questions about this page go to the state feed control office first. Our terms explain what this site is and is not. See also privacy.