All states › Do I need a license to sell dog treats? › California
Commercial facility required: California doesn't allow processed pet food, including treats, to be made, packaged, labeled or stored in a home; it must come from an approved facility, such as a commercial kitchen. Product registration: none. License: $190 per facility/yr. Tonnage report: no.
Facility required California doesn't allow processed pet food, including treats, to be made, packaged, labeled or stored in a home; it must come from an approved facility, such as a commercial kitchen. Condition: A Pet Food Processor License for the approved facility. Raw meat and poultry pet food is licensed by CDFA instead.Source: cdph.ca.gov · CDPH Pet Food FAQ, Q5: “Can I make pet treats from home? A: No, processed pet food, including treats, cannot be manufactured, packaged, labeled, or stored in a residential home. All processed pet foods must be produced and distributed from an approved facility.”
California's Cottage Food Law doesn't cover pet food: processed pet food isn't on the approved list for cottage food operations.Source: cdph.ca.gov · CDPH, Procedures for Obtaining a Pet Food Processor License or Registration (rev. 8/2025), item 11: “processed pet food is not on the Approved Food Products List for Cottage Food Operations. Processed pet food must be prepared in a commercial kitchen, and not in a residence.”
This is California's published guidance, checked October 3, 2026. We don't judge whether any particular product or kitchen qualifies; that's for the agency, California Department of Public Health.
Product registration: none. License: $190 per facility/yr.
| What's registered | Per facility: a Pet Food Processor License (in California) or Registration (out of state) for each facility that manufactures, packs, labels or warehouses processed pet food. No per-product registration.Source: cdph.ca.gov |
|---|---|
| Product registration fee | None (labels are submitted with the facility application)Source: cdph.ca.gov |
| Package-size rule | No package-size ruleSource: cdph.ca.gov |
| License / firm fee | $190 per facility per yearSource: cdph.ca.gov · Raised from $166 to $190 on July 1, 2025. Also stated on application CDPH 8676 (7/2025) and in the FAQ. |
| Registration period | Valid for 1 year from issueSource: cdph.ca.gov |
| Renewal due | Annually, by the expiration date on your license (no fixed statewide date)Source: cdph.ca.gov |
| Form or portal | https://www.cdph.ca.gov/CDPH%20Document%20Library/ControlledForms/cdph8676.pdfSource: cdph.ca.gov |
| License / firm form | https://www.cdph.ca.gov/CDPH%20Document%20Library/ControlledForms/cdph8676.pdfSource: cdph.ca.gov |
| What to send | Application CDPH 8676, a representative label for each form of pet food, and the $190 fee by check. Out-of-state facilities also send a health permit/certificate for the facility and an ingredient list for each product.Source: cdph.ca.gov |
| Tonnage report required? | No. CDFA's commercial feed program, which collects feed tonnage, does not regulate food for domestic pets.Source: cdfa.ca.gov |
|---|---|
| How often | Not applicableSource: cdfa.ca.gov |
| Due | Not applicableSource: cdfa.ca.gov |
We show who files and when, not the fee: tonnage fees depend on how much you sell. What a tonnage report is, state by state.
Every California fact, with sources: California pet food & treat registration. Selling in several states? The free calculator adds up the fees, and the $49 Registration Pack turns them into a checklist and renewal calendar.
Nearby: Selling dog treats in Oregon · Selling dog treats in Nevada · Selling dog treats in Arizona
Home kitchen, registration and license rules in all 50 states and DC