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

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. Product registration: $100 per 2 yrs. License: none. Tonnage report: no.

Calculate your North Dakota fees North Dakota pet food registration

Can you make dog treats in a home kitchen in North Dakota?

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.”

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

North Dakota registration and license for dog treats

Product registration: $100 per 2 yrs. License: none.

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.
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	None. No license for pet food in North Dakota.Source: 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.

Tonnage report

Tonnage report required?	No. NDDA: pet foods and specialty pet foods “are not subject to inspection (tonnage fees).”Source: ndda.nd.gov
How often	Not applicableSource: ndda.nd.gov
Due	Not applicableSource: ndda.nd.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

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) (if you register products)Source: ndda.nd.gov

Steps

Home kitchen. 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. 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.”
Register each product. $100 per product made outside North Dakota; $50 per product made in North Dakota. Each fee covers the two-year registration period.. Registration form or portal.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.
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.
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 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.
Shipping to other states? Each state you sell into has its own rules. Selling dog treats online · fee calculator.

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

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