Home kitchens
Can you sell dog treats from home without a license?
Verified September 7, 2026. Figures quoted from the statute, rule, fee page or form.
The federal answer and the state answer point in opposite directions, and that is why this question causes so much trouble. Federally, a private residence is not a facility, so a home kitchen does not register with FDA. At state level, every state verified so far applies its feed or pet food law to a home treat maker with no exemption for scale or revenue, and one of them does not issue its license to a residence at all.
What the federal rule really says
Food facility registration under 21 CFR 1.225 applies to a facility. The definition in 21 CFR 1.227 ends with a sentence that settles the point for a home baker: the private residence of an individual is not a facility. FDA prints the same conclusion in a table on its own start-a-business page, which marks the food facility registration requirement as no for an in-home business while adulteration, ingredients, labeling and state regulations all stay yes. AAFCO says it in one line: if you make your product in your own home, then you are exempt.
The preventive controls rule follows registration. Part 507 does not apply to establishments that are not required to register, so a home kitchen outside the facility definition is outside that rule too. The very small business dollar threshold inside part 507 is a threshold for registered facilities, not a general exemption from anything.
Why the state answer is different
Most state feed laws are not built on the facility concept. They are built on manufacture and distribution, and they reach a person, not a building. In the verified states the exemptions run to unmixed commodities such as whole grain, hay or a single chemical compound, feed a person makes for their own animals, a shop reselling a brand labeled by another licensed firm, and, in one state, a brand owner who contracts out every part of manufacture. None of those describes a maker baking or drying their own treats.
One verified state is the exception on premises. Its pet food processor license is issued to a facility, and its health department states that processed pet food, treats included, cannot be manufactured, packaged, labeled or stored in a residential home. A maker there works from an approved facility or through a co-packer. Another state goes the other way: its guide says the license applies to production in your own home as much as in a commercial facility, and it lowers the product fee, not the duty, for a company with gross annual sales of $5,000 or less. The table below shows each state in its own words.
One verified state answers the home question in its own words, in a guide written for home makers: the law does not stop you making pet food at home, but if you intend to distribute it you need the license, the product registration, the labeling and the manufacturing practices. That is the shape of the answer everywhere else too.
What the state does not tell you
Whether your kitchen counts as the facility on the form is a question some states do not answer in any text we could read. Where that is the case, the state page says so instead of guessing, and the honest next step is a phone call to the feed control office before you file.
The federal side, quoted
Facility means any establishment, structure, or structures under one ownership at one general physical location, or, in the case of a mobile facility, traveling to multiple locations, that manufactures/processes, packs, or holds food for consumption in the United States. [...] The private residence of an individual is not a facility.
Requirements that Apply to All Food Businesses In-home Business On-Farm Business Other Businesses/Industry Adulteration yes yes yes Ingredients and Additives yes yes yes Labeling and Marketing yes yes yes State Regulations yes yes yes Food Facility Registration Requirement no no yes
Is your product made in a commercial facility rather than your own home? If you make your product in your own home, then you are exempt. If you do any of the above, you must register your facility with the FDA in compliance with the Bioterrorism Act.
This part does not apply to establishments, including “farms” (as defined in § 1.227 of this chapter ), that are not required to register under section 415 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Does the state instrument reach a home maker
| State | Applies to a home manufacturer | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | YesNo home, hobby, volume or premises exemption; the license duty reaches every person who manufactures or distributes commercial feed in Texas | Tex. Agric. Code Sec. 141.021(a) (License Required), first sentence |
| Florida | 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) |
| Ohio | 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) |
| Illinois | YesThe Act does not prohibit making pet food at home, but a home maker who distributes it needs the firm license, product registration, compliant labeling and current good manufacturing practices | IDOA, Pet Food as a Business, FAQ 'Can I make pet food at home?' |
| Michigan | YesA license is required to sell pet food or treats, and the four statutory exemptions turn on retail resale, on-farm mixing, integrated operations and diversion to a licensee, none of them on volume or home production | MDARD Pet Food and Treats page, answer to 'Do I need to be licensed to sell pet food or treats?' |
| Iowa | YesIDALS states that bakeries, homemakers and farmers market sellers must license, register and label according to state and federal law, with no exception in the law; Iowa Code ch. 198 carries no small-producer or home-producer exemption | IDALS 'Pet Food Registration in Iowa', item 6.E (Registration Variations) |
| Missouri | YesAnyone who manufactures, distributes or labels pet food or treats within or into Missouri must obtain a Missouri Commercial Feed License, and MDA states this applies to production in the maker own home as much as in a commercial facility | MDA "Guide to Making and Selling Pet Food & Pet Treats", Missouri Commercial Feed License slide |
| Indiana | 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" |
| California | DependsA license is required of every person who manufactures processed pet food in California, and CDPH will not accept a residence as the facility, so processed pet food including treats cannot be manufactured, packaged, labeled or stored in a residential home and must come from an approved facility | Cal. Health & Safety Code Sec. 113060 (Licenses and Registration Certificates), the licence trigger |
| Georgia | YesAny person who manufactures a commercial feed in Georgia, and any person whose name appears on the label as guarantor, must obtain a commercial feed license; the only exemption is feed made for the maker own domestic animals, livestock or poultry | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 40-5-5-.01(a)-(c) |
Small or home exemptions, state by state
| State | Small or home exemption | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | NoNo size, revenue, premises or home-kitchen exemption; the only carve-outs are the commodity exclusions of Tex. Agric. Code 141.002(c), including a feed product produced and sold by a farmer | 4 TAC §61.1(11) (Definitions) |
| Florida | 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) |
| Ohio | 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) |
| Illinois | NoNo size, revenue, premises or home-kitchen exemption; the only carve-outs are the three commodity exceptions in 505 ILCS 30/3(d)(1)-(3), customer-formula feed from registration in 30/4(a) and the tonnage exceptions in 30/6(a)(1)-(3) | IDOA, Pet Food as a Business — A Regulatory Guide for the Cottage Industry (intro paragraph) |
| Michigan | NoThe four license exemptions turn on retail resale, on-farm mixing, integrated operations and diversion to a licensee, and none of them turns on volume, revenue or home production | MCL 287.524(2)(a)-(d) (persons not required to obtain a license) |
| Iowa | NoIowa Code ch. 198 contains no volume, revenue or home-producer exemption, and IDALS states there are no exceptions in Iowa law in the fees or with label compliance | IDALS 'Pet Food Registration in Iowa', item 1.C |
| Missouri | NoNo volume, revenue or home-scale exemption from the license; MDA states that the license requirement applies to anyone producing pet food or treats in their own home as much as in a commercial facility | MDA 'Guide to Making and Selling Pet Food & Pet Treats', page 1 scope statement |
| Indiana | 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) |
| California | NoNo volume, revenue or home-scale exemption anywhere in Cal. Health & Safety Code ch. 10, and CDPH bars production in a residence; failure to obtain a license is itself a prohibited act under Sec. 113075(h) | CDPH, Frequently Asked Questions for Pet Food Processor Registration, Q5 |
| Georgia | NoNo size, revenue, premises or home-kitchen exemption; the only exemption is feed manufactured or produced for the maker own domestic animals, livestock or poultry | O.C.G.A. § 2-13-22(a) |
What it costs a home maker
| State | Firm fee | 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
Can I make dog treats in my home kitchen and sell them?
Nothing in the federal text stops you making them at home, and in nine of the ten verified states nothing in the state text does either. The exception is the one state whose health department does not accept a residence as the licensed facility; its page says so in the first paragraph. Everywhere else, what the state texts do is attach a license or registration, a label and in some states a per-product filing to distributing them. One state department writes the answer out in that order, and the rest reach it through their definitions of manufacture and distribute.
Do I have to register my kitchen with the FDA?
Not for the kitchen itself. 21 CFR 1.227 says the private residence of an individual is not a facility, and FDA own guidance chart marks food facility registration as no for an in-home business. Adulteration, ingredient, labeling and state requirements are all still marked yes in that same chart.
Is there a sales threshold below which no license is needed?
Not in any state verified so far. We read each statute and rule chapter looking for one, and the exemptions we found were about the kind of material, not about how much of it you sell. One state lowers its per-product fee for a company with gross annual sales of $5,000 or less, but the license and the registration still apply. Where a state does run a dollar or volume threshold, it is printed on that state page with the terms.
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.