Small packages
What is the small package rule for dog treats?
Verified September 7, 2026. Figures quoted from the statute, rule, fee page or form.
Feed inspection fees were built for trucks of livestock feed and are charged by the ton. A bag of dog biscuits weighs ounces, so states created a second track: pet food sold only in small packages pays a flat fee per product each year instead of a per-ton fee. The threshold is five pounds in some states and ten pounds in others, and the way a state handles a product sold in both small and large packages is the detail that catches people.
How the two tracks fit together
A product sold only in packages at or under the threshold is registered or listed and pays the flat fee. A product sold only above the threshold pays tonnage on what is shipped. A product sold in both sizes is where the states split: some register the product once and charge tonnage on the larger bag as well, others take the product out of the flat-fee track entirely and put every size onto tonnage. The table prints each state's wording so you can see which rule you are under.
Two verified states have no per-product track at all, so the threshold does not exist for them, and one state uses the small package idea differently, as a lower firm fee for a firm whose every container is small. Package size there changes the firm fee, not a product fee.
What the flat fee buys
The flat fee stands in for the inspection fee. It does not stand in for the label rules, the firm license or the product listing itself. A label still goes in with the filing in most states, and the product still renews every year on the state's calendar. The fee is per product, and states count a product by brand and product name, so two flavors are two fees and two sizes of one flavor are usually one.
The threshold and the both-sizes rule
| State | What the state says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | YesIndividual containers of five pounds or less; the flat-rate product fee is available only where the product is distributed solely in that size, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag is a tonnage product | Tex. Agric. Code Sec. 141.071(c) (Inspection Fee) |
| Florida | NoneFlorida has no small-package registration or weight threshold, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag is treated alike | Fla. Stat. 580.041(1)(b), the fee schedule that would carry a small-package threshold |
| Ohio | NoneOhio has no small-package concept and no package-weight threshold, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag is treated alike; both sizes count toward the same tonnage | Ohio Rev. Code Sec. 923.44(A)(1) (Inspection fee), the fee provision that would carry a package threshold |
| Illinois | YesPackages of 10 pounds or less, tested package by package rather than by business, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag pays the $90 annual fee on the small package and tonnage on the larger one | 505 ILCS 30/6(a)(4) (Inspection fees and reports) |
| Michigan | DependsContainers of 5 pounds or less, and on the MDARD application the reduced license fee tier is available only if the firm distributes in containers of ONLY 5 lbs or less, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag leaves the firm on the $100 tier; the license itself and the tonnage inspection fee are unaffected by package size | MCL 287.524(3)(a) |
| Iowa | YesPackages of ten pounds or less, tested package by package, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag is registered on the small package and, if it is also sold in a package over ten pounds, that larger package pays tonnage as well | Iowa Code § 198.9(1)(b) (Inspection fees and reports) |
| Missouri | YesTen pounds or less for pet food and one pound or less for specialty pet food, and the statute reaches only a product distributed in the state exclusively in that size, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag stays inside registration while a recipe also sold above ten pounds leaves it and pays tonnage on every size | Mo. Rev. Stat. Sec. 266.190.1(5) (Inspection fees) |
| Indiana | YesPackages of ten pounds or less, tested package by package, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag pays the $50 annual small-package fee on the small bag and the tonnage fee on the larger one | IC 15-19-7-30(b), inside the section 30 fee run |
| California | Not statedThe statute delegates small-package exemptions to department regulation, and the section that would carry them, 17 CCR 19015 Exemptions, is not in the snapshot | Cal. Health & Safety Code Sec. 113095 (Misbranding), delegation of small-package exemptions |
| Georgia | YesPackages of ten pounds or less, tested package by package, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag is registered on the small package while the larger package is unregistered and its tonnage counts toward the license fee band | O.C.G.A. Sec. 2-13-6(d) |
The flat fee
| State | What the state says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | Yes$50 per product per state fiscal year (September 1 to August 31, due September 1), available only where the product is distributed solely in containers of five pounds or less | Tex. Agric. Code §141.071(c) (Inspection Fee) |
| Florida | NoneThere is no small-package flat fee; a maker of small packages simply falls into the lowest annual master registration band | Fla. Stat. 580.041(1)(b), the fee schedule that would carry a small-package fee |
| Ohio | NoneNo small-package flat fee exists; a maker of small packages pays the same $50 annual firm registration as anyone else | Ohio Rev. Code Sec. 923.42(A), the fee provision that would carry a small-package alternative |
| Illinois | Yes$90 per product per year in lieu of the inspection fee (calendar year, due on registration and on each renewal) | IDOA Feed Frequently Asked Questions, Q7 'What is the inspection fee for pet/specialty pet foods packaged in containers of 10 lbs. or less?' |
| Michigan | Depends$25 per license per year in place of $100 where the firm distributes in containers of only 5 pounds or less (license year July 1 to June 30); there is no separate per-package or per-product small-package fee of the Illinois kind | MCL 287.524(3)(a)-(b) |
| Iowa | Yes$50 per product per year in lieu of the per ton rate (calendar year, due January 1) | Iowa Code § 198.9(1)(b) (Inspection fees and reports) |
| Missouri | Yes$90 per product per year (calendar year, due January 1); for pet food only, $25 per product where the company total gross annual sales do not exceed $5,000, subject to documentation and MDA approval; specialty pet food is a flat $90 with no reduced rate | Mo. Rev. Stat. Sec. 266.190.1(5) (Inspection fees), the pet food limb with the reduced rate |
| Indiana | Yes$50 per product per calendar year in place of the tonnage inspection fee, for pet food and specialty pet food distributed in packages of ten pounds or less | IC 15-19-7-30(b) (amount and substitution) |
| California | NoneThe license fee is flat, with no small-package tier, so the same recipe sold in a two pound bag and a six pound bag changes nothing about the money | CDPH 8676 (7/2025), fee block items 25 to 28, the closed fee list that would carry a small-package tier |
| Georgia | Yes$40 per product per year (calendar year, due January 1), the same money as product.fee_per_product, capped with the license fee at $2,000 per annum | GDA "Feed Licenses and Product Registrations" page, "Fees and License Period" |
What gets registered
| 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) |
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
Is the threshold measured by the bag or by the business?
By the package, in every verified state that runs the rule. A business is not a small package business; a product is a small package product if every package of it is at or under the threshold. The both-sizes rule then decides what happens when one product is sold in a small bag and a large one, and the state table prints that rule.
Do I pay the small package fee and a tonnage fee?
For the same product in the same package, no. The flat fee is charged in lieu of the per-ton inspection fee for that package. You can owe both when you sell one product in a small package and another product, or the same product, in a large package, because the large package is on the tonnage track. Some states also charge a minimum per tonnage report once you file one.
Does a 5 lb bag count as 5 lb or less?
Yes. The thresholds are written as five pounds or less and ten pounds or less, so a package at exactly the threshold weight sits inside the small package track. The declared net weight on the label is the figure the state reads.
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.
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