Office of Indiana State Chemist
Can you sell dog treats under the Indiana cottage food law?
Verified September 7, 2026. Figures quoted from the statute, rule, fee page or form.
No. Both Indiana home-production chapters are limited to human food, IC 16-42-5.4 defining a meat product as a product capable of use as human food and produce as what is grown for human consumption, and the Indiana Department of Health states that the home based vendor rule is limited to human foods with all pet treats and food regulated by the Office of Indiana State Chemist. What applies to a dog treat maker in Indiana 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 Indiana cottage food text says
What applies to a dog treat maker in Indiana instead
| Item | What Indiana says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| The instrument that applies | 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) |
| Home manufacturer | YesEveryone must be licensed regardless of company size or amount distributed; OISC adds that it does not inspect a home kitchen under normal circumstances, only on a customer complaint | OISC deck "I Want to Make and Sell Pet Treats in Indiana - What do I have to do?", slide "Obtain a Commercial Feed License" |
| Small or home exemption | NoInd. Code ch. 15-19-7 contains no size, revenue, premises or home-kitchen exemption from the license duty at IC 15-19-7-24(a), and OISC states that everyone must be licensed regardless of company size or amount distributed | IC 15-19-7-24(a) (Distributors; commercial feed licenses) |
| Retail or direct sales carve-out | 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 |
| Product registration | DependsA distributor subject to the small-package inspection fee must file a listing of pet and specialty pet foods distributed in containers of ten pounds or less, renewed annually before January 1, at $50 per product; a product distributed only in packages over ten pounds is not listed and pays tonnage instead, and a company selling the same recipe in a two pound bag and a six pound bag owes both the small-package fee on the small bag and tonnage on the larger one | IC 15-19-7-31(c) and (c)(1) |
| Pet food is commercial feed | 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") |
More for Indiana
Indiana questions on this topic
Are dog treats cottage food in Indiana?
No. Both Indiana home-production chapters are limited to human food, IC 16-42-5.4 defining a meat product as a product capable of use as human food and produce as what is grown for human consumption, and the Indiana Department of Health states that the home based vendor rule is limited to human foods with all pet treats and food regulated by the Office of Indiana State Chemist. Source: IC 16-42-5.4-2 ("Meat product"), Chapter 5.4 Regulation of Community Producers, 2026 Indiana Code Title 16.
Is there a home or small-scale exemption for dog treats in Indiana?
No. Ind. Code ch. 15-19-7 contains no size, revenue, premises or home-kitchen exemption from the license duty at IC 15-19-7-24(a), and OISC states that everyone must be licensed regardless of company size or amount distributed. Source: IC 15-19-7-24(a) (Distributors; commercial feed licenses).
Does selling only at a farmers market change the Indiana answer?
It depends. The 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. Source: IC 15-19-7-24(a) (Distributors; commercial feed licenses), the licence trigger.
What does a dog treat maker need in Indiana instead?
Yes. Commercial feed license issued by the state chemist, applied for on Form F-1, one per Indiana manufacturing location. Source: IC 15-19-7-24(a) (Distributors; commercial feed licenses).
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.