Fees compared
How much does a license to sell dog treats cost, state by state?
Verified September 7, 2026. Figures quoted from the statute, rule, fee page or form.
The state fee is rarely the biggest cost of starting a treat business, but it is the one that changes most from state to state. Some states charge one flat amount for the firm and nothing per product. Others charge a small firm fee and then a fee for every product in small packages, so a long flavor list gets expensive. The table below puts the verified states side by side, and the first-year figure is multiplied out from the same quoted values that appear on each state page.
Two shapes of fee
Under the firm-only shape, one instrument covers every product the firm makes, and the fee is either flat or set by how many tons the firm shipped in the prior year. A first-year seller with no history lands in the lowest band. Under the firm-plus-product shape, the firm pays its license and then registers or lists each product sold in small packages, paying a fee for each one every year in place of a per-ton inspection fee.
A few states sit between the two. One lowers the firm fee for a firm whose every container is small. Another lowers the product fee for a company below a gross sales threshold, on approval. Those tiers are printed on the state pages with the conditions attached to them.
What the first-year figure does and does not include
The comparison counts the firm instrument and, where the state charges one, the product fee for three products in small packages. It does not count tonnage, because a per-ton fee depends on how much you ship, and it does not count late fees, laboratory work, packaging, a sales tax permit or a business filing. Each state page has a cost page that adds the figure up for one to ten products and lists every fee with its citation.
Verified states side by side
| State | Instrument | Firm fee | Per product | Small package | Three products, year one |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Feed License plus Small Package Registration | $75 one time | $50 per product per year | 5 lb or less | $225 |
| Florida | Feed Master Registration | $40 per year up to 25 tons | None | No small package rule | $40 |
| Ohio | Feed Registration (Animal Feed License) | $50 per year | None | No small package rule | $50 |
| Illinois | Commercial Feed License plus product registration | $30 per year | $90 per product per year | 10 lb or less | $300 |
| Michigan | Commercial Feed License | $100 per year, or $25 for 5 lb or less | None | 5 lb or less lowers the firm fee | $25 |
| Iowa | Commercial Feed License plus product registration | $20 per two years | $50 per product per year | 10 lb or less | $170 |
| 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 | $305 |
| Indiana | Commercial Feed License plus small-package product listing | $50 per calendar year | $50 per product per year | 10 lb or less | $200 |
| California | Pet Food Processor License | $190 per year | None | No fee tier | $190 |
| Georgia | Commercial Feed License plus product registration | $75 per year | $40 per product per year | 10 lb or less | $195 |
The firm fee, in each state's words
| State | What the state says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | Yes$75 per feed facility, one time (the license is permanent under Tex. Agric. Code 141.023, so there is no renewal period); a further $75 late fee applies to a late application | Form LA 0198 Instructions, Section 5: Application Fees |
| Florida | Yes$40 per master registration per year for zero up to and including 25 tons distributed in Florida in the previous year, rising in nine bands to $3,500 for more than 5,000 tons (registration year ending June 30) | Fla. Stat. 580.041(1)(b) |
| Ohio | Yes$50 per feed registration per year (registration year February 1 to January 31, filed not later than February 1) | Ohio Rev. Code Sec. 923.42(A) (Registration), effective September 30, 2025 |
| Illinois | Yes$30 per firm license per year or any portion thereof (calendar year, all firm licenses expire December 31) | 505 ILCS 30/4(a) (Product Registration and Firm License) |
| Michigan | Yes$100 per manufacturing facility per year, or $25 per license per year where the firm distributes in containers of only 5 pounds or less, plus a $50 late fee (license year July 1 to June 30, license expires June 30) | MCL 287.524(3)(a)-(b) and 287.524(4) (Persons required to be licensed; application; fee; late fee) |
| Iowa | Yes$20 per license per two-year term (the license expires July 1 of the odd-numbered year following issue, and the agency prints a June 30 expiry, so the fee falls in each odd-numbered year) | Iowa Code Sec. 198.4(4) (Licenses) |
| Missouri | Yes$35 per license per year (license year July 1 to June 30, expiring June 30), plus a $25 penalty fee if paid after July 31 | Commercial Feed License Application, form MO 350-1186 (8-19), fee block |
| Indiana | Yes$50 per license per calendar year (January 1 to December 31, renewal received after January 16 carries a further $50 late filing fee, and distributing before filing carries a $50 late filing fee) | IC 15-19-7-24(c)(1)-(3) (licence fee and both late fees) |
| California | 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 |
| Georgia | Yes$75 per license for a new application, and on renewal $75 to $2,000 per license per year set by a band of prior-year tonnage (calendar year January 1 to December 31, due January 31, with penalty bands after that date); the license fee plus all product registration fees are capped at $2,000 per annum for any licensee | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 40-5-5-.02 (Commercial Feed License Fees), whole Schedule of Fees and Penalty |
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
Which is cheaper, a firm-only state or a firm-plus-product state?
For one or two flavors the totals are close, and the firm-only state can even be dearer. For a long flavor list the firm-only state wins, because its fee does not move with the product count. The comparison table shows the three-product figure for each verified state, and each state cost page runs the same arithmetic for one to ten products.
Do these fees include the laboratory test for the guaranteed analysis?
No. The guaranteed analysis is a label requirement, and the laboratory that produces the numbers is a private vendor with its own price list. The fees on this page are the amounts the state itself charges for the license, registration or listing, quoted from the statute, rule, fee page or form.
Is the first-year figure also the renewal figure?
Not always. Where the firm instrument is permanent or runs on a two-year term, the second year costs only the product renewals. Where both sides renew annually, the renewal repeats the first year. The renewal dates guide lists the period for each verified state, and the state cost page prints the period with its citation.
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.