Selling homemade dog treats in Illinois: license, registration and fees (2026)

Allowed: Illinois's Department of Agriculture: “the Act does not prohibit the making of pet food in one’s home”. Product registration: $90/yr. License: $30 per firm/yr. Tonnage report: some products.

Calculate your Illinois fees Illinois pet food registration

Can you make dog treats in a home kitchen in Illinois?

Allowed Illinois's Department of Agriculture: “the Act does not prohibit the making of pet food in one’s home”. Condition: To distribute it you need the license, product registration and labeling, and must follow current good manufacturing practices. Giving pet food away counts as distribution.Source: agr.illinois.gov · IDOA, Pet Food as a Business: “Can I make pet food at home? Yes, the Act does not prohibit the making of pet food in one’s home, however, if you intend to distribute this pet food, you must be in compliance with Illinois Commercial Feed Act including a license, product registration, labeling and follow Current Good Manufacturing Practices.”

This is Illinois's published guidance, checked October 3, 2026. We don't judge whether any particular product or kitchen qualifies; that's for the agency, Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Illinois registration and license for dog treats

Product registration: $90/yr. License: $30 per firm/yr.

What's registered	Both: a firm license for whoever manufactures feed in Illinois or whose name is on the label, plus registration of each product before it is distributedSource: agr.illinois.gov · 505 ILCS 30/4(a).
Product registration fee	$90 per product per year for pet food or specialty pet food in packages of 10 lb or less. No product fee for packages over 10 lb or bulk (tonnage inspection fee instead).Source: agr.illinois.gov · The statute calls the $90 an annual fee paid in lieu of the inspection fee (505 ILCS 30/6(a)(4)); IDOA says Illinois has no separate registration fee for commercial feed.
Package-size rule	10 lb or less: $90 per product per year, in place of the tonnage inspection fee. Over 10 lb or bulk: no product fee; tonnage inspection fee. Sold both ways: $90 for the 10 lb-or-less packages, and the over-10 lb or bulk sales go through tonnage reporting.Source: agr.illinois.gov
License / firm fee	$30 per firm per year; other Illinois sites under the same firm name are covered at no extra feeSource: agr.illinois.gov · A facility operating under a name different from the home office needs its own firm license (8 Ill. Adm. Code 200.210).
Registration period	Calendar year; licenses and product registrations expire December 31Source: agr.illinois.gov · The statute says firm licenses expire December 31 but product registrations are permanent unless amended or cancelled (505 ILCS 30/4(a)); the $90 small-package fee is annual. IDOA's pages say registrations expire December 31 and the $90 is due each year on renewal.
Renewal due	By December 31 each year (license, and the $90 fee for each small-package product)Source: agr.illinois.gov
Form or portal	https://agr.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/agr/animals/animalfeed/documents/commercialfeedregistration.pdfSource: agr.illinois.gov · Paper Commercial Feed Registration Application. Mail it with a label for each product and a check payable to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 19281, Springfield, IL 62794-9281. IDOA's feed pages link only paper forms.
License / firm form	https://agr.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/agr/animals/animalfeed/documents/feed-distribution-manufacture-license.pdfSource: agr.illinois.gov · Commercial Feed License Application; list all additional Illinois sites on it.
What to send	Commercial Feed License Application with $30, and the Commercial Feed Registration Application listing each product, with a label for each product and $90 for each pet food in packages of 10 lb or less. Checks payable to the Illinois Department of Agriculture.Source: agr.illinois.gov

Tonnage report

Tonnage report required?	Yes, for pet food sold in packages over 10 lb or in bulk. Products sold only in packages of 10 lb or less are not included.Source: agr.illinois.gov
How often	Semi-annual (January-June and July-December); IDOA sends the report form to licenseesSource: agr.illinois.gov
Due	July 31 for January-June; January 31 for July-DecemberSource: agr.illinois.gov · 15-day grace period before a late fee (505 ILCS 30/6(c)(1)). Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency.

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.

Due dates

December 31: Illinois commercial feed license expires; renew ($30)Source: agr.illinois.gov
December 31: Illinois small-package pet food registrations expire; renew ($90 per product) (if you register products)Source: agr.illinois.gov
January 31, July 31: Illinois semi-annual tonnage report due (previous six months). Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency. (only if you have products under tonnage reporting)Source: agr.illinois.gov

Steps

Home kitchen. Illinois's Department of Agriculture: “the Act does not prohibit the making of pet food in one’s home”. To distribute it you need the license, product registration and labeling, and must follow current good manufacturing practices. Giving pet food away counts as distribution.Source: agr.illinois.gov · IDOA, Pet Food as a Business: “Can I make pet food at home? Yes, the Act does not prohibit the making of pet food in one’s home, however, if you intend to distribute this pet food, you must be in compliance with Illinois Commercial Feed Act including a license, product registration, labeling and follow Current Good Manufacturing Practices.”
License. Commercial feed license ($30/yr): $30 per firm/yr. License form or portal.Source: agr.illinois.gov
Register each product. $90 per product per year for pet food or specialty pet food in packages of 10 lb or less. No product fee for packages over 10 lb or bulk (tonnage inspection fee instead).. Registration form or portal.Source: agr.illinois.gov · The statute calls the $90 an annual fee paid in lieu of the inspection fee (505 ILCS 30/6(a)(4)); IDOA says Illinois has no separate registration fee for commercial feed.
What to send. Commercial Feed License Application with $30, and the Commercial Feed Registration Application listing each product, with a label for each product and $90 for each pet food in packages of 10 lb or less. Checks payable to the Illinois Department of Agriculture.Source: agr.illinois.gov
Labels. Moving to AAFCO's new label format? The Pet Nutrition Facts box generator formats the box from your own numbers. We don't review labels.
Tonnage report. Semi-annual (January-June and July-December); IDOA sends the report form to licensees. Due: July 31 for January-June; January 31 for July-DecemberSource: agr.illinois.gov · 15-day grace period before a late fee (505 ILCS 30/6(c)(1)). Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency. Tonnage reports by state.
Renew. By December 31 each year (license, and the $90 fee for each small-package product)Source: agr.illinois.gov
Shipping to other states? Each state you sell into has its own rules. Selling dog treats online · fee calculator.

Every Illinois fact, with sources: Illinois 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.

Other states

Nearby: Selling dog treats in Wisconsin · Selling dog treats in Indiana · Selling dog treats in Kentucky · Selling dog treats in Missouri · Selling dog treats in Iowa

Home kitchen, registration and license rules in all 50 states and DC