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

Allowed: Maine law recognizes a home-based manufacturer of pet food: someone who makes 10 or fewer product names in their home and sells them directly to consumers. It pays one flat annual fee instead of a fee per product. Product registration: $100/yr. License: none. Tonnage report: no.

Calculate your Maine fees Maine pet food registration

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

Allowed Maine law recognizes a home-based manufacturer of pet food: someone who makes 10 or fewer product names in their home and sells them directly to consumers. It pays one flat annual fee instead of a fee per product. Condition: Every product is still registered each year; the home-based total is $80 plus the $20 surcharge.Source: legislature.maine.gov · 7 M.R.S. §714(1): “the total annual fee for a home-based manufacturer of pet food is $80”; §712(8-A) defines a home-based manufacturer of pet food as “a person who manufactures 10 or fewer product names in that person's home and sells the products directly to consumers.”

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

Maine registration and license for dog treats

Product registration: $100/yr. License: none.

What's registered	Per product: every pet food and treat product distributed in Maine is registered each year. No firm license.Source: legislature.maine.gov · 7 M.R.S. §714(1): “A person may not distribute in this State a commercial feed, except a customer-formula feed, that has not been registered.” DACF: “All pet foods/treats manufactured or distributed within Maine must be registered.”
Product registration fee	$100 per product per year for pet food ($80 registration fee plus a $20 surcharge). A home-based manufacturer of pet food pays $100 a year in total.Source: legislature.maine.gov · 7 M.R.S. §714(1) and (4). The surcharge funds the Companion Animal Sterilization Fund. A home-based manufacturer of pet food makes 10 or fewer product names in its home and sells them directly to consumers (§712(8-A)). DACF's application lists “$100 year - Pet Food Registration (per product)”.
Package-size rule	No package-size rule. Each product name is registered once.Source: legislature.maine.gov · 7 M.R.S. §714(1) sets the fee “per product name”.
License / firm fee	None (Maine has no firm license for feed or pet food)Source: maine.gov · DACF's application lists only per-product registration fees for feed and pet food.
Registration period	Calendar year; all registrations expire December 31. With the applicant's agreement DACF can issue a 2-year or 3-year registration at 2 or 3 times the annual fee.Source: legislature.maine.gov
Renewal due	By December 31 (all registrations expire then)Source: legislature.maine.gov
Form or portal	https://www.maine.gov/dacf/qar/permits_and_licenses/documents/BLANK_PRODUCT_APPLICATION_REPORT.pdfSource: maine.gov · Feed, Seed & Fertilizer Registration Application (PDF): tick “Pet Food”, fill in the Product Listing Addendum for new products, and mail it to DACF. We found no online filing option.
License / firm form	None. No firm license for pet food in Maine.Source: maine.gov · No firm license for pet food in Maine.
What to send	The Feed, Seed & Fertilizer Registration Application with the Product Listing Addendum, a complete set of labels for any new product, and the fee ($100 per pet food product); checks payable to “Treasurer, State of Maine”.Source: maine.gov

Tonnage report

Tonnage report required?	No. Maine's feed law has no tonnage report; DACF's tonnage forms are for fertilizer and lime only.Source: maine.gov · 7 M.R.S. §§711-724 (feeds) contain no tonnage or inspection fee.
How often	Not applicableSource: maine.gov
Due	Not applicableSource: maine.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.

Due dates

December 31: Maine pet food and feed registrations expire December 31: renew ($100 per pet food product, $80 per other feed product) (if you register products)Source: legislature.maine.gov

Steps

Home kitchen. Maine law recognizes a home-based manufacturer of pet food: someone who makes 10 or fewer product names in their home and sells them directly to consumers. It pays one flat annual fee instead of a fee per product. Every product is still registered each year; the home-based total is $80 plus the $20 surcharge.Source: legislature.maine.gov · 7 M.R.S. §714(1): “the total annual fee for a home-based manufacturer of pet food is $80”; §712(8-A) defines a home-based manufacturer of pet food as “a person who manufactures 10 or fewer product names in that person's home and sells the products directly to consumers.”
Register each product. $100 per product per year for pet food ($80 registration fee plus a $20 surcharge). A home-based manufacturer of pet food pays $100 a year in total.. Registration form or portal.Source: legislature.maine.gov · 7 M.R.S. §714(1) and (4). The surcharge funds the Companion Animal Sterilization Fund. A home-based manufacturer of pet food makes 10 or fewer product names in its home and sells them directly to consumers (§712(8-A)). DACF's application lists “$100 year - Pet Food Registration (per product)”.
What to send. The Feed, Seed & Fertilizer Registration Application with the Product Listing Addendum, a complete set of labels for any new product, and the fee ($100 per pet food product); checks payable to “Treasurer, State of Maine”.Source: maine.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.
Renew. By December 31 (all registrations expire then)Source: legislature.maine.gov
Shipping to other states? Each state you sell into has its own rules. Selling dog treats online · fee calculator.

Every Maine fact, with sources: Maine 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 New Hampshire · Selling dog treats in Vermont · Selling dog treats in Massachusetts

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