Pet Food Registrationby Hundred Dollar Labs

Montana pet food & treat registration

Montana registers: per product: each pet food, specialty pet food and pet treat is registered every year by the manufacturer or guarantor. No firm license is needed to distribute only pet food. Product fee: $50/yr. License or firm fee: None. Tonnage report: no.

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The facts, with sources

Agency	Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA), Feed ProgramSource: agr.mt.gov
What's registered	Per product: each pet food, specialty pet food and pet treat is registered every year by the manufacturer or guarantor. No firm license is needed to distribute only pet food.Source: mca.legmt.gov · MCA 80-9-201(4)(b)(i) and (6)(a). MDA: “Manufacturers and guarantors of pet foods and specialty pet foods, including complete feed, treats and snacks, must register all products by January 1 of each year.” Pet food means commercial feed for pets (MCA 80-9-101(21)); treats are a type of pet food (80-9-101(22)(a)).
Product registration fee	$50 per product per yearSource: mca.legmt.gov · MCA 80-9-201(6)(a)(i). MDA's pet food pages and the registration form also show $50 per product. The statute lets MDA adjust it by rule to between $50 and $60; no rule raising it was found.
Package-size rule	No package-size rule. One $50 registration per product.Source: mca.legmt.gov · MCA 80-9-201(6) sets one fee per pet food or specialty pet food, whatever the package size.
License / firm fee	None for a firm that distributes only pet food or specialty pet foodSource: mca.legmt.gov · MCA 80-9-201(4)(b)(i). MDA: “Distributors of pet food do not require a dealer license.” A feed license ($100 new, $75 renewal per facility) is required of anyone who also makes or distributes other animal feed. Whether a Montana plant that manufactures only pet food needs a manufacturer license isn't fully clear; ask MDA.
Registration period	Calendar year: January 1 to December 31Source: mca.legmt.gov · MCA 80-9-201(6)(c).
Renewal due	By January 1 each yearSource: agr.mt.gov · New products can be added at any time.
Tonnage report required?	No. Pet food, specialty pet food and pet treats are exempt from the inspection fee and the annual tonnage statement.Source: mca.legmt.gov · MCA 80-9-206(1) and (3); ARM 4.12.218. MDA's tonnage form also says suppliers of pet food or specialty pet food only are exempt.
Tonnage report frequency	Not applicableSource: mca.legmt.gov
Tonnage report due	Not applicableSource: mca.legmt.gov
Form or portal	https://agr.mt.gov/_docs/feed-docs/InitialPetFoodRegistrationForm-Fillable.pdfSource: agr.mt.gov · Pet and Specialty Pet Food Registration Form (paper, check or money order). Existing companies can add products and renew online in MTPlants: https://mtplants.mt.gov/ (a free login.mt.gov account is needed).
License / firm form	NoneSource: agr.mt.gov · No license is needed to distribute only pet food or specialty pet food in Montana.
What to send	The Pet and Specialty Pet Food Registration Form listing each product's brand name and product name as it reads on the label, with $50 per product. Labels are reviewed on request; in MTPlants you upload a label with each new product.Source: agr.mt.gov · MCA 80-9-201(7) asks only for the applicant's name and address and a complete list of the products. Allow up to three weeks for paper forms.
Home-kitchen pet treats	No published rule No published rule found on selling pet treats made in a home kitchen; ask the Montana Department of Agriculture (feed program). Agency page.Source: agr.mt.gov · We read the agency's pet food and feed pages, its law and rules, and the state's cottage food rules, and found no statement either way on making pet treats in a home kitchen. Montana's cottage food program doesn't cover pet treats.Source: dphhs.mt.gov · Montana DPHHS Cottage Food FAQ (2024): “Do pet treats fall under Montana’s Cottage Food Act? A. No, pet treats are not included in Montana’s list of allowed cottage foods.” Selling homemade dog treats in Montana

Checked October 3, 2026 against the linked agency pages, forms and statutes.

Also see: AAFCO's Montana page. AAFCO's state pages show no update date.

Horse, livestock, poultry and wild-bird feed

Different rules Different. Montana registers only pet food, specialty pet food and pet treats. Other feed (horse, livestock, poultry, wild-bird) needs no product registration, but each facility that makes or distributes it, or the guarantor, needs an annual feed license ($100 new, $75 renewal) and files an annual tonnage report by January 31.Source: agr.mt.gov · MDA: “Other commercial feeds are not required to be registered but manufacturers must obtain a Feed License.” MCA 80-9-201(1)-(2) and 80-9-206.

For other animal feed in Montana: product fee None; license or firm fee $100 per facility/yr; tonnage report yes.

What's registered	Commercial feed license for each facility that manufactures or distributes feed in or into Montana, and for each guarantor. No product registration.Source: mca.legmt.gov · MCA 80-9-201(1)-(2). MDA: each place of business, manufacturing facility, distribution point or point of invoicing must have a license.
Product registration fee	None (Montana registers only pet food, specialty pet food and pet treats)Source: agr.mt.gov
Package-size rule	No package-size ruleSource: mca.legmt.gov
License / firm fee	$100 per facility for a new license; $75 per license for renewals received before January 1; $25 late penalty after January 1. Annual.Source: mca.legmt.gov · MCA 80-9-201(2)(b) and (4)(a). The license application form also shows $100 for a new applicant or location.
Registration period	Calendar year; licenses expire December 31Source: mca.legmt.gov · MCA 80-9-201(4)(a).
Renewal due	Before January 1 each yearSource: agr.mt.gov
Tonnage report required?	Yes. In-state manufacturers or guarantors, and suppliers shipping into Montana, file an annual tonnage statement and pay an inspection fee of 18 cents a ton. Dealers who only resell feed made or guaranteed by others don't file unless they are the supplier.Source: mca.legmt.gov · MCA 80-9-206; ARM 4.12.218; MDA's tonnage form. Fees of $5 or less a year need not be paid. Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency.
Tonnage report frequency	Annual (previous calendar year)Source: mca.legmt.gov
Tonnage report due	January 31Source: mca.legmt.gov · Late: 10% or $25, whichever is more. Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency.
Form or portal	https://agr.mt.gov/_docs/feed-docs/InitialFeedLicenseApplication-Fillable.pdfSource: agr.mt.gov · Commercial Feed License Application - Initial. Renewals and tonnage reports can be done online in MTPlants: https://mtplants.mt.gov/
License / firm form	https://agr.mt.gov/_docs/feed-docs/InitialFeedLicenseApplication-Fillable.pdfSource: agr.mt.gov
What to send	The Commercial Feed License Application with $100 per facility; then each year the Annual Commercial Feed Tonnage Reporting Form with the inspection fee, by January 31.Source: agr.mt.gov · Tonnage form: https://agr.mt.gov/_docs/feed-docs/FeedTonnageAnnualReport.pdf

Calculate Montana fees for other animal feed · Montana commercial feed license · All 50 states and DC for feed

Selling pet or horse supplements? What Montana's feed law says, word for word.

Due dates

January 1: Montana pet food registrations expire December 31; register or renew by January 1 ($50 per product) (pet food only) (if you register products)Source: agr.mt.gov
January 1: Montana commercial feed license renewal due before January 1 ($75 per license; $25 late penalty after January 1) (other animal feed only)Source: mca.legmt.gov
January 31: Montana annual commercial feed tonnage report and inspection fee due (previous calendar year). Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency. (other animal feed only)Source: mca.legmt.gov

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Good to know

Reduced fees for Montana-made cat and dog treats: treats made in Montana, for cats or dogs only, with no medication, drug, meat, poultry, fish or their byproducts, and total treat sales under $25,000 a year. These makers need no feed license, and registration is $25 for up to 20 products (MDA says an additional $10 if more than 20). A guaranteed analysis is not required on their labels.Source: agr.mt.gov · MCA 80-9-101(22)(b), 80-9-201(4)(b)(ii) and (6)(a)(ii). The statute says $25 for each set of up to 20 treat products; MDA's page says $25 for the first 20 and an additional $10 for more than 20. Ask MDA.
Registration must be made by the manufacturer or the guarantor (the firm named on the label).Source: mca.legmt.gov · MCA 80-9-201(6)(a).
Pet food labels must follow the AAFCO model pet food regulations, which Montana adopts by rule.Source: law.cornell.edu · ARM 4.12.219 (2018 AAFCO Official Publication). Administrative Rules of Montana, read on law.cornell.edu because the official rules site (rules.mt.gov) is a script-only application that returns no rule text to automated requests.
Hemp seed, hemp seed meal and hemp seed oil (no more than 0.3% THC) are allowed in pet, specialty pet and horse feed. CBD and other added cannabinoids are not allowed in any animal feed. MDA's policy also says hemp-derived feed ingredients should not be distributed through interstate commerce, so this applies to sales within Montana.Source: agr.mt.gov · MDA Hemp and Cannabidiol Policy (May 2021): https://agr.mt.gov/_docs/feed-docs/MT_Hemp_Feed_Policy.pdf
Montana: “pet” means any domesticated animal normally maintained in or near the household of its owner. The law doesn't say whether treats for backyard hens, or for a horse kept at home, count as pet food; the calculator treats them as other animal feed. Ask MDA before you rely on it.Source: mca.legmt.gov · MCA 80-9-101(20). If they are pet food, the $50 registration applies instead of the feed license and tonnage report.
No late fee for pet food registration was found in the statute or on MDA's pages. The $25 late penalty in the law applies to feed license renewals received after January 1.Source: mca.legmt.gov · MCA 80-9-201(4)(a).

Selling in more than one state?

The free calculator adds up product and license fees across states and flags the tonnage-report states. The $49 Registration Pack turns it into a per-product, per-state checklist with form links and a renewal calendar.

Making treats at home? Selling homemade dog treats in Montana · Do I need a license to sell dog treats? · Selling online · Tonnage reports by state

Nearby states

Idaho pet food registration (product fee $40/yr; license none)
Wyoming pet food registration (product fee $40/yr; license none)
South Dakota pet food registration (product fee $99/yr; license $50 per location per 2 yrs)
North Dakota pet food registration (product fee $100 per 2 yrs; license none)

Other states: Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · District of Columbia · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming