Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Can you sell dog treats under the Florida cottage food law?
Verified September 7, 2026. Figures quoted from the statute, rule, fee page or form.
No. A cottage food product is food sold by a cottage food operation, and food under the same chapter means articles used for food or drink for human consumption; FDACS guidance answers that pet treats are not cottage food. What applies to a dog treat maker in Florida instead is the feed side of the state: the instrument, the home and small-scale position, and the retail carve-out are set out below with their citations, and the first-year cost is added up on its own page.
What the Florida cottage food text says
What applies to a dog treat maker in Florida instead
| Item | What Florida says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| The instrument that applies | 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) |
| Home manufacturer | YesAnyone who offers commercial feed for sale to a consumer in Florida is a distributor and must hold a master registration; there is no home, hobby, volume or premises exemption | Fla. Stat. 580.031(7) |
| Small or home exemption | NoNo size, revenue, premises or home-kitchen exemption; the only carve-outs are the three commodity exceptions in Fla. Stat. 580.031(2)(a)-(c) | Fla. Stat. 580.031(2)(c) |
| Retail or direct sales carve-out | 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) |
| Product registration | NoFlorida has no per-product or per-brand 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; both sizes count only toward the tons that set the annual master registration band | Fla. Stat. 580.041(1)(a) |
| Pet food is commercial feed | 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) |
More for Florida
Florida questions on this topic
Are dog treats cottage food in Florida?
No. A cottage food product is food sold by a cottage food operation, and food under the same chapter means articles used for food or drink for human consumption; FDACS guidance answers that pet treats are not cottage food. Source: Fla. Stat. 500.03(1)(j) (Definitions).
Is there a home or small-scale exemption for dog treats in Florida?
No. No size, revenue, premises or home-kitchen exemption; the only carve-outs are the three commodity exceptions in Fla. Stat. 580.031(2)(a)-(c). Source: Fla. Stat. 580.031(2)(c).
Does selling only at a farmers market change the Florida answer?
It depends. Only 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. Source: Fla. Stat. 580.031(8).
What does a dog treat maker need in Florida instead?
Yes. Feed Master Registration, one per distributor, applied for on Form FDACS-13244; the FDACS web page calls the same instrument a feed distributor license. Source: Fla. Stat. 580.041(1)(a).
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.
Read the terms before you rely on any figure here.