Office of the Texas State Chemist
How much does it cost to sell dog treats in Texas?
Verified September 7, 2026. Figures quoted from the statute, rule, fee page or form.
Texas charges $75 one time for the firm instrument, which is the Feed License plus Small Package Registration. Each product in 5 lb or less packages adds $50 per product per year. The first table adds up the first year for one to ten products from the printed figures. The second table shows every figure with the citation it was read from. Laboratory work, packaging, a sales tax permit and a business filing are separate costs from separate agencies and are not counted.
First year in Texas, added up
| Products | Every package 5 lb or less | Some packages over 5 lb |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $125 | $75 plus tonnage |
| 2 | $175 | $75 plus tonnage |
| 3 | $225 | $75 plus tonnage |
| 5 | $325 | $75 plus tonnage |
| 10 | $575 | $75 plus tonnage |
Where a row says plus tonnage, the per-ton inspection fee depends on how much you ship and is not added up here. Laboratory work for the guaranteed analysis, packaging, a sales tax permit and a business entity filing are separate costs from separate agencies.
Every Texas fee, with its citation
| Item | What Texas says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Firm fee | 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 |
| Firm fee period | YesPermanent, no renewal, unless the service revokes, suspends, annuls or amends the license, the licensee withdraws or cancels it, the licensee report indicates no activity for one year, or the service requires a new license; the service must also cancel the license of a licensee who does not pay a delinquent inspection fee and penalty in time | Tex. Agric. Code Sec. 141.023 (Term of License) |
| Fee per product | Yes$50 per product per state fiscal year (September 1 to August 31, due September 1) | Form PR 0196 Small Package Registration (5 lbs or less), Instructions item 4 |
| Product registration period | YesAnnual, state fiscal year September 1 to August 31, fee due September 1 | OTSC Fees.aspx, 'Commercial Feed Inspection Fees' table, row 'Product Annual Inspection Fees (5 pounds or less) per product per year' (cell text) |
| Small package threshold | 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) |
| Small package fee | 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) |
| Tonnage rate | Yes$0.19 per ton of commercial feed distributed, the rate published by the Service as of June 19, 2007; the statutory base rate is 15 cents per ton, which the director may move in increments of 1 cent | OTSC Fees.aspx, 'Commercial Feed Inspection Fees' table, row 'Feed Tonnage fee as of June 19, 2007' (cell text; Cost cell '19¢/ton') |
| Tonnage minimum | Yes$100 per licensee per state fiscal year (September 1 to August 31), paid in advance and credited against the first tonnage inspection fee owed in that fiscal year | Tex. Agric. Code §141.071(d) (Inspection Fee) |
| Tonnage reporting | DependsA facility generating $100 or more in tonnage fees during a license year files a quarterly sworn report with payment, due on or before the 31st day following the last day of November, February, May and August; a facility producing less than $100 a license year files one annual sworn report, due on or before the 31st day following the last day of August; a report is due even when no tonnage was distributed | Tex. Agric. Code Sec. 141.072(a) (Quarterly Tonnage Reporting and Inspection Fee Payment) |
| Penalties and late charges | YesA violation is a Class C misdemeanor and a Class B misdemeanor after a previous conviction (Tex. Agric. Code 141.141); the fine ranges for those classes sit in the Texas Penal Code, which is not in this snapshot, so the monetary consequences that can be evidenced here are the late tonnage penalty of 15 percent of the inspection fee due or $50, whichever is greater, and cancellation of the license if the penalty and delinquent fee are not paid before the 61st day (141.073) | Tex. Agric. Code §141.141(a)-(b) (General Penalty), OTSC reprint |
More for Texas
Texas questions on this topic
What does one flavor cost in Texas in the first year?
$125 in state fees for the first year. The lines: Firm fee (one time per facility): $75; 1 product (per product per year) (1 × $50): $50. Every figure is multiplied out from the values quoted in the fee table on this page, and nothing else is added.
Does the fee change with more flavors in Texas?
Yes. Each product in 5 lb or less packages adds $50 per product per year. Ten flavors in small packages come to $575 in the first year against $125 for one, and the difference is the product fee times nine.
When does the firm instrument renew in Texas?
Yes. Permanent, no renewal, unless the service revokes, suspends, annuls or amends the license, the licensee withdraws or cancels it, the licensee report indicates no activity for one year, or the service requires a new license; the service must also cancel the license of a licensee who does not pay a delinquent inspection fee and penalty in time. Source: Tex. Agric. Code Sec. 141.023 (Term of License).
What if my bags are larger than 5 lb in Texas?
It depends. Yes for pet food distributed in containers larger than five pounds, and for a product distributed in both a small and a larger container size; no for a product distributed only in containers of five pounds or less, which pays the flat product fee instead. Source: Form LA 0198 Instructions, Section 3: License Class.
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.