Ohio Department of Agriculture
Can you sell dog treats under the Ohio cottage food law?
Verified September 7, 2026. Figures quoted from the statute, rule, fee page or form.
No. The cottage food list in Ohio Admin. Code 901:3-20-04(A) is a closed list of twenty human food classes that does not include pet food or dog treats, and 901:3-20-05(E) bars a cottage food production operation from producing any item not expressly listed. What applies to a dog treat maker in Ohio 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 Ohio cottage food text says
What applies to a dog treat maker in Ohio instead
| Item | What Ohio says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| The instrument that applies | 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) |
| Home manufacturer | YesThe registration duty reaches every person who manufactures commercial feed, with no home, kitchen, hobby or volume carve-out anywhere in ORC 923.41 to 923.55 or Ohio Admin. Code ch. 901:5-7 | Ohio Rev. Code Sec. 923.42(A) (Registration) |
| Small or home exemption | NoNo home-producer, cottage, kitchen, hobby, gross-receipts or volume exemption; the only exemption power reaches unmixed agricultural commodities and unmixed individual chemical compounds | Ohio Rev. Code § 923.411(A) |
| Retail or direct sales carve-out | 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 |
| Product registration | NoOhio 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; the firm registration covers every product, and both sizes count only toward the tons reported under ORC 923.44 | ODA Application for Feed Registration (form plnt_4203-011), opening paragraph, the provision that would carry a product registration |
| Pet food is commercial feed | 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) |
More for Ohio
Ohio questions on this topic
Are dog treats cottage food in Ohio?
No. The cottage food list in Ohio Admin. Code 901:3-20-04(A) is a closed list of twenty human food classes that does not include pet food or dog treats, and 901:3-20-05(E) bars a cottage food production operation from producing any item not expressly listed. Source: Ohio Admin. Code 901:3-20-05(E) (Prohibitions), effective January 22, 2016.
Is there a home or small-scale exemption for dog treats in Ohio?
No. No home-producer, cottage, kitchen, hobby, gross-receipts or volume exemption; the only exemption power reaches unmixed agricultural commodities and unmixed individual chemical compounds. Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 923.411(A).
Does selling only at a farmers market change the Ohio answer?
It depends. The 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. Source: Ohio Rev. Code Sec. 923.42(A) (Registration), the licence trigger.
What does a dog treat maker need in Ohio instead?
Yes. Feed 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. Source: Ohio Rev. Code § 923.42(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.