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

Allowed: South Carolina's Department of Agriculture allows pet food and treats to be made in a home kitchen “at this time”, but doesn't recommend it. Product registration: $20/yr. License: none. Tonnage report: no.

Calculate your South Carolina fees South Carolina pet food registration

Can you make dog treats in a home kitchen in South Carolina?

Allowed South Carolina's Department of Agriculture allows pet food and treats to be made in a home kitchen “at this time”, but doesn't recommend it. Condition: Register each product, including for online sales. A consumer complaint can lead to an inspection of the home kitchen.Source: agriculture.sc.gov · SCDA Feed Registration FAQ (9/20/21), question 9: “although SCDA allows firms to make pet food or treats in your home kitchen at this time, it is not recommended. If SCDA received a complaint about your products from a consumer, you may be subject to a complaint follow-up and inspection of your home kitchen.”
South Carolina's home-based food production (cottage food) law applies only to food for people and doesn't cover pet treats; they fall under the Commercial Feed Act.Source: agriculture.sc.gov · South Carolina Home-based Food Production Law Guidance (July 2025), Foods NOT Allowed: “The Cottage Food Law only applies to products intended for Human consumption and does not cover the production of pet treats for dogs, cats, or other animals.”

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

South Carolina registration and license for dog treats

Product registration: $20/yr. License: none.

What's registered	Per product: every commercial feed product, including pet food and pet treats, is registered and renewed each year before it is sold in South Carolina. No firm license.Source: agriculture.sc.gov · S.C. Code §46-27-210. SCDA's FAQ: “Currently, the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) does not require tonnage reporting or license fees.”
Product registration fee	$20 per product per year ($15 registration fee plus a $5 technology processing cost)Source: agriculture.sc.gov · The feed act itself sets no fee. The $15 comes from budget proviso 44.7 of the FY 2026-27 Appropriations Act, which lets SCDA require annual registration of feed labels and charge $15; the $5 technology cost is SCDA's. Provisos are renewed in each year's budget. Proviso text: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/appropriations2026/tap1b.htm
Package-size rule	No package-size rule. One registration covers all package sizes of the same formula.Source: agriculture.sc.gov · SCDA FAQ question 7.
License / firm fee	None (South Carolina has no firm license for feed or pet food)Source: agriculture.sc.gov · SCDA FAQ question 2.
Registration period	Calendar year; all registrations expire December 31Source: agriculture.sc.gov
Renewal due	Renewals are due January 1; a $10 late fee per product applies to products registered after January 15Source: agriculture.sc.gov
Form or portal	https://feedregistration.agriculture.sc.gov/RegistrationSource: agriculture.sc.gov · SCDA's online Feed Registration portal (create an account). Paper option: South Carolina Feed Registration Application, CPD Form #1000 (rev. 10/21/25), https://agriculture.sc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/FeedRegistrationApplication2025.pdf (for up to 30 products; use the portal for more).
License / firm form	None. No firm license for pet food in South Carolina.Source: agriculture.sc.gov · No firm license for pet food in South Carolina.
What to send	Online: submit each product with a PDF of its label in SCDA's portal; after the Feed Registration Specialist approves it, SCDA emails a payment link for $20 per product. Paper: the Feed Registration Application listing each product's complete brand name and type (pet food, pet treat, specialty pet, etc.), a label for each product, and a check for $20 per product payable to South Carolina Department of Agriculture.Source: agriculture.sc.gov · SCDA returns forms and checks sent without product labels. A certificate of registered products is emailed or mailed to you. Online payment steps are in SCDA FAQ question 13.

Tonnage report

Tonnage report required?	No. SCDA does not require tonnage reporting.Source: agriculture.sc.gov · SCDA FAQ question 2.
How often	Not applicableSource: agriculture.sc.gov
Due	Not applicableSource: agriculture.sc.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 1: South Carolina feed and pet food registrations expire December 31; renew by January 1 ($20 per product; $10 late fee per product after January 15) (if you register products)Source: agriculture.sc.gov

Steps

Home kitchen. South Carolina's Department of Agriculture allows pet food and treats to be made in a home kitchen “at this time”, but doesn't recommend it. Register each product, including for online sales. A consumer complaint can lead to an inspection of the home kitchen.Source: agriculture.sc.gov · SCDA Feed Registration FAQ (9/20/21), question 9: “although SCDA allows firms to make pet food or treats in your home kitchen at this time, it is not recommended. If SCDA received a complaint about your products from a consumer, you may be subject to a complaint follow-up and inspection of your home kitchen.”
Register each product. $20 per product per year ($15 registration fee plus a $5 technology processing cost). Registration form or portal.Source: agriculture.sc.gov · The feed act itself sets no fee. The $15 comes from budget proviso 44.7 of the FY 2026-27 Appropriations Act, which lets SCDA require annual registration of feed labels and charge $15; the $5 technology cost is SCDA's. Provisos are renewed in each year's budget. Proviso text: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025-2026/appropriations2026/tap1b.htm
What to send. Online: submit each product with a PDF of its label in SCDA's portal; after the Feed Registration Specialist approves it, SCDA emails a payment link for $20 per product. Paper: the Feed Registration Application listing each product's complete brand name and type (pet food, pet treat, specialty pet, etc.), a label for each product, and a check for $20 per product payable to South Carolina Department of Agriculture.Source: agriculture.sc.gov · SCDA returns forms and checks sent without product labels. A certificate of registered products is emailed or mailed to you. Online payment steps are in SCDA FAQ question 13.
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. Renewals are due January 1; a $10 late fee per product applies to products registered after January 15Source: agriculture.sc.gov
Shipping to other states? Each state you sell into has its own rules. Selling dog treats online · fee calculator.

Every South Carolina fact, with sources: South Carolina 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 North Carolina · Selling dog treats in Georgia · Selling dog treats in Florida

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