North Dakota pet food & treat registration

North Dakota registers: per product: each pet food and specialty pet food product is registered before it is sold in North Dakota. No license for pet food makers or distributors. Product fee: $100 per 2 yrs. License or firm fee: None. Tonnage report: no.

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The facts, with sources

Agency	North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA), Grain & Livestock Division: Pet Food ProgramSource: ndda.nd.gov
What's registered	Per product: each pet food and specialty pet food product is registered before it is sold in North Dakota. No license for pet food makers or distributors.Source: ndda.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-05(1); the manufacturer's license in 4.1-41-02(1) “does not apply to a person that manufactures or guarantees pet food or specialty pet food.” NDDA: “Licenses for manufacturing or distributing pet foods and specialty pet foods are not required in North Dakota.”
Product registration fee	$100 per product made outside North Dakota; $50 per product made in North Dakota. Each fee covers the two-year registration period.Source: legis.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-05(2). NDDA's Pet Food Program page and its August 2025 guidelines show the same $100 and $50.
Package-size rule	No package-size rule: every pet food and specialty pet food product registers, whatever the package sizeSource: legis.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-05(1).
License / firm fee	None (no license for pet food or specialty pet food makers or distributors)Source: ndda.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-02(1)(c) and (2). NDDA's guidelines: “A feed manufactures license is NOT needed to register pet food in North Dakota.”
Registration period	Two years: January 1 of an even-numbered year to December 31 of the next odd-numbered year (the current period ends December 31, 2027)Source: legis.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-05(3).
Renewal due	By January 31 after the registration expires (next: January 31, 2028). Renewals open in LARS in November of odd-numbered years. Products not renewed by January 31 are cancelled and must be registered again as new.Source: ndda.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-05(4): a registration not renewed “within thirty-one days of its expiration” must apply as an initial registration.
Tonnage report required?	No. NDDA: pet foods and specialty pet foods “are not subject to inspection (tonnage fees).”Source: ndda.nd.gov
Tonnage report frequency	Not applicableSource: ndda.nd.gov
Tonnage report due	Not applicableSource: ndda.nd.gov
Form or portal	https://lars.ndda.nd.gov/webapps/loginSource: ndda.nd.gov · NDDA's License Application & Renewal Services (LARS). Paper applications are no longer accepted. Step-by-step guide: https://www.ndda.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/files/Registering%20Pet%20Food%20Products.pdf. Contacts: Angela Rittmiller, 701-328-1497, arittmiller@nd.gov; Jamie Good, 701-226-7337, jgood@nd.gov.
License / firm form	NoneSource: ndda.nd.gov · No license for pet food in North Dakota.
What to send	In LARS, as an authorized entity: the product information and the whole label for each product (PDF preferred), with $100 per product made outside North Dakota or $50 per product made in North Dakota. Pay once NDDA approves the labels; then print the certificate of registration.Source: ndda.nd.gov · Steps and label format from NDDA's LARS guide: https://www.ndda.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/files/Registering%20Pet%20Food%20Products.pdf. NDDA may also ask for spec sheets, facility permits or licenses, or inspection reports as part of label review.
Home-kitchen pet treats	Allowed North Dakota exempts pet food made in a noncommercial kitchen from registration if the maker is a North Dakota resident, sells directly to the end consumer at a community event or farmers market, and uses no meat, poultry, fish or their byproducts. Condition: All four conditions must be met; otherwise each product is registered before it is sold.Source: legis.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-05(7): “A person is exempt from this section if the person: a. Is a resident of this state; b. Produces pet food in a noncommercial kitchen; c. Sells the pet food directly to the end consumer at a community event or farmer's market; and d. Does not use meat, poultry, fish, or their byproducts as an ingredient in the product.” Selling homemade dog treats in North Dakota

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

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

Where AAFCO's page differs

AAFCO's page lists “Commercial feed products are to be registered prior to distribution. There are no registration fees.”; North Dakota Century Code 4.1-41-05 says “To register and renew pet food and specialty pet food, a person shall submit: a. An application form at the time and in the manner required by the commissioner; b. A fee in the amount of one hundred dollars per product manufactured out-of-state; and c. A fee in the amount of fifty dollars per product manufactured in the state.”Source: legis.nd.gov
AAFCO's page lists “Registrations need to be renewed annually.”; North Dakota Century Code 4.1-41-05 says “A registration issued under this section is valid during the period beginning on January first of an even-numbered year and ending on December thirty-first of the ensuing odd-numbered year.”Source: legis.nd.gov

The facts above follow the state's source. Compared October 4, 2026.

Horse, livestock, poultry and wild-bird feed

Different rules Different. Other feed (horse, livestock, backyard poultry, wild-bird) needs a commercial feed manufacturer's license for each location ($120 new, $100 renewal, two years), free product registration, and an annual tonnage report due February 15.Source: ndda.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-02, 4.1-41-03, 4.1-41-08 and 4.1-41-09.

For other animal feed in North Dakota: product fee None; license or firm fee $120 per location per 2 yrs; tonnage report yes.

What's registered	Both: a commercial feed manufacturer's license for each location (also needed by anyone whose name is on the label as guarantor), plus registration of each feed product (no fee)Source: ndda.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-02(1) and 4.1-41-03.
Product registration fee	None: commercial feed product registration is freeSource: ndda.nd.gov · NDDA: “Commercial Feed Product Registration is free of charge.” NDDA sends an annual renewal or cancellation notice in LARS each November.
Package-size rule	No package-size rule: all of it goes in the annual tonnage reportSource: legis.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-08.
License / firm fee	$120 per location for a new license; $100 to renew. Each license covers the two-year period.Source: legis.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-02(2)(a) and (3)(a). NDDA's feed program page shows the same $120 and $100.
Registration period	License: two years, January 1 of an even-numbered year to December 31 of the next odd-numbered year (the current period ends December 31, 2027)Source: legis.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-02(4).
Renewal due	License renewal ($100) due by January 31 after it expires (next: January 31, 2028). Renewals open in LARS in November of odd-numbered years. A license not renewed by January 31 is cancelled and you must apply again.Source: ndda.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-02(6).
Tonnage report required?	Yes. Inspection fees are owed for each active feed manufacturer license.Source: ndda.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-08 and 4.1-41-09. Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency.
Tonnage report frequency	Annual (previous calendar year)Source: legis.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-09(2).
Tonnage report due	February 15, for the previous calendar yearSource: legis.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-09(2). Late: 10% of the amount owed, at least $10 and at most $250 (NDDA); the statute also allows 6% interest. Rate: 20 cents per ton, $10 minimum. Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency. Report in LARS (open each December).
License / firm form	https://lars.ndda.nd.gov/webapps/loginSource: ndda.nd.gov · New licenses, renewals, product registrations and tonnage reports are all online in LARS. NDDA's guide: https://www.ndda.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/files/Applying%20for%20a%20Feed%20License.pdf
What to send	In LARS: the feed manufacturer's license application with $120 per location, then each product's label for free registration, and the annual tonnage report and fee by February 15Source: ndda.nd.gov

A store that sells feed other than pet food at retail needs a commercial feed retailer license for each location: $60 new, $50 renewal, same two-year cycle. A licensed manufacturer doesn't also need it at that location.Source: ndda.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-02(2) and (3).
North Dakota “pet food” means feed for dogs or cats; “specialty pet food” is for animals normally kept in a cage or tank. The law doesn't say whether treats for backyard hens, or for a horse kept at home, are pet food; the calculator treats them as other animal feed. Ask NDDA before you rely on it.Source: legis.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-01(16) and (19).

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

Selling pet or horse supplements? North Dakota also registers animal remedies: North Dakota animal remedy registration.

Due dates

January 31 (even-numbered years): North Dakota pet food registration renewal and fees due (registrations expire December 31 of odd-numbered years; products not renewed are cancelled; $100 per product, $50 if made in North Dakota) (pet food only) (if you register products)Source: ndda.nd.gov
January 31 (even-numbered years): North Dakota commercial feed manufacturer's license renewal due ($100; licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years) (other animal feed only)Source: ndda.nd.gov
February 15: North Dakota annual feed tonnage report and inspection fee due (previous calendar year). Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency. (other animal feed only)Source: legis.nd.gov

See all states' renewal dates

Good to know

Registration is by the manufacturer or the person whose name is on the label. A distributor doesn't register a product someone else has registered.Source: legis.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-05(1); NDDA's Pet Food Program page says the same.
Selling an unregistered product carries a penalty of $25 for each product that must be registered.Source: legis.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-05(6).
Home-kitchen exemption: no registration is needed if you are a North Dakota resident, make the pet food in a noncommercial kitchen, sell it directly to the end consumer at a community event or farmers market, and use no meat, poultry, fish or their byproducts.Source: legis.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-05(7); repeated on NDDA's Pet Food Program page.
Specialty pet food is for pets kept in a cage or tank, such as caged birds, reptiles, small animals and fish. NDDA says registration also covers treats and other products fed to pets that are not a complete diet.Source: ndda.nd.gov · N.D.C.C. 4.1-41-01(16) and (19).
Since July 1, 2024, North Dakota's pet food rules require a “Pet Nutrition Facts” box (or “Specialty Pet Nutrition Facts”) on the label of all pet foods, including treats, food supplements, veterinary diets and food mixers.Source: ndlegis.gov · N.D.A.C. 7-17-13-01.

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 North Dakota · Do I need a license to sell dog treats? · Selling online · Tonnage reports by state

Nearby states

Minnesota pet food registration (product fee $100/yr; license $75 per location/yr)
South Dakota pet food registration (product fee $99/yr; license $50 per location per 2 yrs)
Montana pet food registration (product fee $50/yr; license none)

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