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

Allowed: Minnesota's Department of Agriculture says a commercial kitchen is not required: pet food can be made in the home if it is made in a way that keeps it safe. Product registration: $100/yr. License: $75 per location/yr. Tonnage report: some products.

Calculate your Minnesota fees Minnesota pet food registration

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

Allowed Minnesota's Department of Agriculture says a commercial kitchen is not required: pet food can be made in the home if it is made in a way that keeps it safe. Condition: Either the commercial feed license and product registration, or Minnesota's cottage food exemption for baked or dehydrated dog and cat treats made by a registered cottage food producer (below).Source: mda.state.mn.us · MDA, How to Start a Pet Food Business in Minnesota: “A commercial kitchen is not required to manufacture pet food in Minnesota. Pet food can be manufactured within the home if the food is manufactured in such a way that it remains safe.”
Minnesota's cottage food law does cover pet treats: home-processed dog and cat treats, baked or dehydrated, made by a person registered as a cottage food producer, are exempt from the commercial feed law.Source: revisor.mn.gov · Minn. Stat. 25.391: “The provisions of this chapter do not apply to a person who prepares and sells home-processed pet treats for dogs and cats, provided the following conditions are met”, including registration under section 28A.152, subdivision 4, and “the pet treats are baked or dehydrated”.

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

Minnesota registration and license for dog treats

Product registration: $100/yr. License: $75 per location/yr.

What's registered	Commercial feed license per guarantor or facility, plus per-product registration for pet food sold only in packages of 10 lb or lessSource: revisor.mn.gov · Minn. Stat. 25.341 subd. 1 and 25.39 subd. 1(b).
Product registration fee	$100 per product per year, for products sold only in packages of 10 lb or lessSource: revisor.mn.gov
Package-size rule	Only in packages of 10 lb or less: registered at $100/product. Packages over 10 lb: tonnage inspection fee instead.Source: revisor.mn.gov · For a product sold in both small and large packages the statute doesn't say clearly which applies; check with MDA.
License / firm fee	$75 per location per yearSource: revisor.mn.gov · MDA's page also lists a $5.00 surcharge.
Registration period	License: calendar year (expires December 31). Product registration: July 1 to June 30.Source: mda.state.mn.us
Renewal due	License by December 31; product registrations received or postmarked by June 30Source: revisor.mn.gov · Minn. Stat. 25.341 subd. 2 and 25.39 subd. 1(b).
Form or portal	https://www2.mda.state.mn.us/webapp/erenewal/apply.do?licenseTypeID=20Source: mda.state.mn.us · Online registration/renewal. Paper form: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/docs/2024-01/petfoodregistrationappag01368.pdf
License / firm form	https://www.mda.state.mn.us/license-registration-tonnage-new-renewalSource: mda.state.mn.us
What to send	License application with $75 (plus surcharge); product registration listing each small-package product with $100 each. Send a current label within five business days if MDA asks.Source: revisor.mn.gov

Tonnage report

Tonnage report required?	Yes, for products sold in packages over 10 lbSource: revisor.mn.gov
How often	Annual (calendar year)Source: revisor.mn.gov
Due	January 31 for the previous calendar yearSource: revisor.mn.gov · 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: Minnesota commercial feed license renewal due ($75 + surcharge; expires Dec 31)Source: revisor.mn.gov
June 30: Minnesota pet food product registrations due ($100 per product) (if you register products)Source: revisor.mn.gov
January 31: Minnesota annual tonnage statement due (previous calendar year). Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency. (only if you have products under tonnage reporting)Source: revisor.mn.gov

Steps

Home kitchen. Minnesota's Department of Agriculture says a commercial kitchen is not required: pet food can be made in the home if it is made in a way that keeps it safe. Either the commercial feed license and product registration, or Minnesota's cottage food exemption for baked or dehydrated dog and cat treats made by a registered cottage food producer (below).Source: mda.state.mn.us · MDA, How to Start a Pet Food Business in Minnesota: “A commercial kitchen is not required to manufacture pet food in Minnesota. Pet food can be manufactured within the home if the food is manufactured in such a way that it remains safe.”
License. Commercial feed license ($75/yr; MDA lists a $5 surcharge): $75 per location/yr. License form or portal.Source: revisor.mn.gov
Register each product. $100 per product per year, for products sold only in packages of 10 lb or less. Registration form or portal.Source: revisor.mn.gov
What to send. License application with $75 (plus surcharge); product registration listing each small-package product with $100 each. Send a current label within five business days if MDA asks.Source: revisor.mn.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. Annual (calendar year). Due: January 31 for the previous calendar yearSource: revisor.mn.gov · Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency. Tonnage reports by state.
Renew. License by December 31; product registrations received or postmarked by June 30Source: revisor.mn.gov · Minn. Stat. 25.341 subd. 2 and 25.39 subd. 1(b).
Shipping to other states? Each state you sell into has its own rules. Selling dog treats online · fee calculator.

Every Minnesota fact, with sources: Minnesota 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 Iowa · Selling dog treats in South Dakota · Selling dog treats in North Dakota

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