Chews
Are rawhide, bones and chews regulated like dog treats?
Verified September 7, 2026. Figures quoted from the statute, rule, fee page or form.
Chews made from animal parts sit in a gray zone that AAFCO itself has described: hide, hooves, ears, pizzles and similar products are outside registration and labeling while no nutritional claim is made about them, and a jerky-type meat treat is full pet food that must be labeled and registered. Two verified states repeat a version of that line in their own guidance. The rest are silent, and silence in a feed law means the general rule applies.
What the carve-out actually says
The AAFCO statement is about claims. A plain rawhide or a smoked bone with a product name, a net weight and a company name on the bag is treated as outside registration and labeling in the states that follow the statement. The moment the bag carries feeding directions, a guaranteed analysis, an ingredient list or any nutritional value claim, or combines an exempt item with a non-exempt one such as a filling, the product is a pet treat and is registered, labeled and fee-paid like any other.
AAFCO also says, in the same breath, that all pet foods including snacks, treats, cookies, chews and rawhides are regulated by the states under their feed laws. The carve-out is an enforcement position, not a statutory exemption, and the state pages mark it as agency guidance wherever a state has written it down.
What to do with a chew in a silent state
Treat it as commercial feed until the feed control office says otherwise in writing. That means the firm instrument, the label items and, in a product-registration state, the product fee for a chew in a small package. Where a state has adopted the carve-out in its own guidance, keep a copy of that guidance in the file and keep the bag free of the claims that end it.
Registration, and where a state names chews
| State | What the state says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | DependsEach brand and product name of a pet food distributed in individual containers of five pounds or less must be registered before it may be distributed (4 TAC 63.8(a)); the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag is still a registered product, but it loses the flat-rate small-package fee and pays inspection fees on all sizes through the tonnage system (4 TAC 61.31(d)); a product distributed only in containers larger than five pounds needs no product registration | 4 TAC Sec. 63.8(a) (Registration of Pet Foods in Packages of Five Pounds or Less) |
| Florida | 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) |
| Ohio | 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 |
| Illinois | YesEach commercial feed is registered before distribution, customer-formula feed excepted, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag is one registered product either way; the package size changes only the money, the 10 pound or less package paying the $90 annual fee in lieu of tonnage and the larger package paying tonnage | 505 ILCS 30/4(a) (Product Registration and Firm License) |
| Michigan | NoMichigan has no per-product 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; package size matters only to the firm license fee tier, where distributing in containers of only 5 pounds or less buys the $25 tier and packing both sizes puts the firm back on $100 | MDARD Commercial Animal Feed Tonnage page, "Inspection Fees" section |
| Iowa | DependsEach pet food or specialty pet food product distributed in packages of ten pounds or less must be registered, at $50 per product, in lieu of the per ton rate, while the same product distributed in packages of more than ten pounds pays the inspection fee instead, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag is registered once and, if it is also sold above ten pounds, pays both; IDALS separately exempts plain bones, chews, rawhides, hooves, ears, animal ears, ligaments and snouts, and chews or toys made of animal skin, hide, wood or man-made material, from registration whether flavored or unflavored, until the label claims the product is animal food, carries feeding directions or a guaranteed analysis, claims nutritional value, or combines an exempt item with a non-exempt one | Iowa Code Sec. 198.9(1)(b) (Inspection fees and reports) |
| Missouri | DependsRegistration is required for pet food distributed in Missouri only in packages of ten pounds or less, and for specialty pet food only in packages of one pound or less, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag is registered while the same recipe sold in both a small package and a package over ten pounds falls out of registration and pays tonnage on all of it; MDA separately treats rawhides and bones as exempt from registration and from state labeling requirements unless the label or advertising lists feed ingredients or claims nutritional value | Mo. Rev. Stat. Sec. 266.190.1(5) (Inspection fees) |
| Indiana | 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) |
| California | NoCalifornia has no product 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; what the applicant files instead is the label that would be attached to the container of each type of processed pet food, with the ingredient list in order of predominance by weight, submitted with the firm application | Cal. Health & Safety Code § 113070(c) (conditions of issuance of the annual license or registration certificate) |
| Georgia | DependsEvery pet food or specialty pet food distributed in packages of ten pounds or less must be registered before distribution, at $40 per product, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag is registered once; a product distributed only in packages over ten pounds needs no registration, and its tonnage instead feeds the license fee band | O.C.G.A. Sec. 2-13-6(d) |
How each state defines a treat, if it does
| State | What the state says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | Not statedNo definition of treat or snack in Tex. Agric. Code ch. 141, 4 TAC ch. 61 or 4 TAC ch. 63; the definitions rule adopts AAFCO Official Publication terms by reference and no Official Publication is in the snapshot; the phrase snack or treat is used without definition at 4 TAC 63.2(o) | 4 TAC Sec. 61.1 (Definitions), introductory paragraph, the definitions list that would carry the term |
| Florida | YesTreats includes products identified as Snacks, Chews, Biscuits, Cookies or Bones that are intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only and which are not intended or represented to serve as the primary source of nutrients in an animal diet; pet treats are treats prepared and distributed for consumption by dogs or cats | Fla. Admin. Code 5E-3.003(1)(i) |
| Ohio | Not statedNeither ORC ch. 923 nor Ohio Admin. Code ch. 901:5-7 defines treat or snack; a definition may sit in chapters 4 to 6 of the AAFCO Official Publication 2024 adopted by 901:5-7-01(A)(1), and that publication is not in the snapshot; ODA guidance treats treats and biscuits as a type of pet food | Ohio Admin. Code 901:5-7-01(A), the incorporation that would carry the definition |
| Illinois | Not statedNeither 505 ILCS 30 nor 8 Ill. Adm. Code Part 200 defines treat or snack; the phrase prominently identified as a snack or treat is used once, at 200.130(o), without definition, and 505 ILCS 30/10(b) adopts the AAFCO official feed terms by reference while no AAFCO Official Publication is in the snapshot | 505 ILCS 30/10(b) (Rules and regulations), the incorporation that would carry the term |
| Michigan | Not statedNo definition of treat or snack in the Feed Law (MCL 287.521 to 287.539) or in Regulation No. 635; the phrase Pet Treat is defined only in the glossary block of the MDARD license application form, which is agency wording and not statute, as a commercial feed provided to an animal as a reward or snack and not intended as pet food; the act and the rules adopt AAFCO official feed terms by reference and no AAFCO Official Publication is in the snapshot | Mich. Admin. Code R 285.635.1(2) (Definitions and terms), the incorporation that would carry the term |
| Iowa | Not statedNo definition of treat or snack in Iowa Code 198.3 or in either rule chapter; the phrase prominently identified as a snack or treat is used at rule 42.2(14) without definition, and the rules adopt the AAFCO official feed terms by reference while no AAFCO Official Publication is in the snapshot | Iowa Admin. Code 21.41.1(198), subrule 41.1(1) (Definitions and terms), the incorporation that would carry the term |
| Missouri | Not statedNo Missouri definition of treat or snack in Mo. Rev. Stat. ch. 266 or in either CSR chapter; the phrase prominently identified as a snack or treat is used at 2 CSR 70-31.020(15) without definition, and 2 CSR 70-30.010(1) and 70-30.015(1) adopt the AAFCO official feed terms by reference while no AAFCO Official Publication is in the snapshot; MDA separately draws a working line between pet food, pet treat and pet toy | 2 CSR 70-31.020(15) (Pet Food Label Format and Labeling), first physical line of the three-column reprint, use of the undefined phrase |
| Indiana | NoneInd. Code ch. 15-19-7 defines no term for treat or snack, and the phrase snack or treat is used at IC 15-19-7-25.7(c) without definition; the OISC Form F-1 Instructions glossary, which is agency wording and not statute, states that a pet treat means a commercial feed provided to a pet as a reward or snack and not intended as complete feed | OISC Form F-1 Instructions (Rev 08-2026), "Definitions (See Also IC 15-19-7)" |
| California | NoneCalifornia defines no separate term for treat or snack; treats and candy for pets sit inside the definition of processed pet food | Cal. Health & Safety Code § 113025 (Art. 1, Definitions), second sentence |
| Georgia | Not statedNo definition of treat or snack in O.C.G.A. ch. 2-13 or in Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. ch. 40-5; the phrase prominently identified as a snack or treat is used at r. 40-5-8-.02(15) without definition, and both the statute and the rules adopt AAFCO definitions by reference while no AAFCO Official Publication is in the snapshot; GDA regulates dog treats as pet food | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 40-5-8-.02(15), use of the undefined phrase |
What AAFCO and FDA say about chews
AAFCO states animal-part chews (hide, hooves, ears, pizzles, etc.) are exempt from registration and labeling unless nutritional claims are made, while jerky-type meat treats must be fully labeled and registered in states requiring small-package listing.
Such products are composed of poultry flesh and do not meet the snack, treat or chew exemptions described above. They must be fully-labeled in all U.S. jurisdictions and registered in states requiring small-package product listing .
AAFCO states all pet foods including snacks, treats, cookies, chews and rawhides are regulated by the states under the state feed law and pet food regulations.
All pet foods, including snacks, treats, cookies, chews, rawhides, supplements, and complete and balanced products are regulated by the states under the state’s feed law and pet food regulations, if the state has adopted such legislation.
CPG 690.800 lists pet treats or chews (dog biscuits, rawhide, pig ears) among pet foods covered.
Pet treats or chews (e.g., dog biscuits, rawhide, pig ears) Vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional supplements intended for dogs, cats, and other pets Pet food ingredients such as animal products, plant protein products, grain products, vitamin and mineral products.
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
Do I register a rawhide in a product-registration state?
In the two verified states that have written the carve-out into their own guidance, a plain rawhide without feeding directions, a guaranteed analysis or a nutritional claim is exempt from registration until the label makes one. In the other verified states the text we read carves nothing out, so the general registration rule applies to a chew sold in a small package.
Does a flavored chew lose the carve-out?
Flavoring alone does not in the guidance we read; one state says flavored or unflavored. What ends the carve-out is a claim: feeding directions, a guaranteed analysis, a nutritional value statement, or combining an exempt item with a non-exempt one such as a stuffed bone. Those are the lines the state pages quote.
Are pig ears treats or chews?
FDA lists pig ears among pet treats and chews covered by its Salmonella policy, and AAFCO puts ears among the animal-part chews outside registration while no nutritional claim is made. So a plain pig ear may be outside state registration in a state that follows the carve-out while still being subject to the federal adulteration standard. The raw and jerky guide on this site covers the federal side.
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.