by Hundred Dollar Labs

All states › Do I need a license to sell dog treats? › Tennessee

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

No published rule found on selling pet treats made in a home kitchen; ask the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (feed program). Product registration: none. License: Check with the agency. Tonnage report: yes.

Calculate your Tennessee fees Tennessee pet food registration

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

No published rule No published rule found on selling pet treats made in a home kitchen; ask the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (feed program). Agency page. Condition: Tennessee's feed license application asks “Are you producing pet treats/feed from your residence?”, but no published rule says what follows from the answer.Source: stateoftennessee.formstack.com · We read the agency's pet food and feed pages, its law and rules, and the state's cottage food rules, and found no statement either way on making pet treats in a home kitchen.

Checked October 3, 2026 against Tennessee Department of Agriculture's published pages and Tennessee's law. We don't judge whether any particular product or kitchen qualifies; that's for the agency, Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

Tennessee registration and license for dog treats

Product registration: none. License: Check with the agency.

What's registeredPer facility: a commercial feed license for each facility that manufactures or distributes feed in or into Tennessee, including the guarantor named on the label. Covers pet food and pet treats. No product registration.Source: publications.tnsosfiles.com · T.C.A. 44-6-104(a) as rewritten by 2015 Pub. Ch. 485, sec. 16. TDA's feed forms page lists only the license application, no product registration form.
Product registration feeNone (Tennessee licenses facilities, not products)Source: tn.gov
Package-size ruleNo package-size ruleSource: publications.tnsosfiles.com · Rule 0080-05-05-.19 sets the license fee by tons distributed, with no package-size distinction.
License / firm feePer facility per year, set by the tons you distributed in Tennessee the previous calendar year (tons ÷ 350 × a "Tier 2" fee), never less than one Tier 2 fee. 2015 Pub. Ch. 485 set the Tier 2 fee at $50; we could not confirm the current amount, so check with TDA.Source: publications.tnsosfiles.com · Rule 0080-05-05-.19(2). Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency. Tier 2 amount from T.C.A. 43-1-703(f) as set by 2015 Pub. Ch. 485: https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/109/pub/pc0485.pdf
Registration periodAnnual; each license expires July 1Source: publications.tnsosfiles.com · T.C.A. 44-6-104(b) as rewritten by 2015 Pub. Ch. 485.
Renewal dueJuly 1 each yearSource: stateoftennessee.formstack.com · The TDA application states that all current licenses expire July 1, 2026; the statute sets July 1 expiry.
Form or portalhttps://stateoftennessee.formstack.com/forms/tda_new_commercial_feed_license_applicationSource: tn.gov · Online New Commercial Feed License Application. Questions: AgInputs.Feed@tn.gov or 615-837-5148.
License / firm formhttps://stateoftennessee.formstack.com/forms/tda_new_commercial_feed_license_applicationSource: tn.gov
What to sendThe Commercial Feed License Application for each facility (company, facility and mailing addresses, stop-sale and licensing contacts), then the annual tonnage statement and the license fee set from it.Source: stateoftennessee.formstack.com

Tonnage report

Tonnage report required?Yes, every licensee files an annual statement of net tons distributed in TennesseeSource: publications.tnsosfiles.com
How oftenAnnual (previous calendar year, January 1 to December 31)Source: publications.tnsosfiles.com
DueOn or before July 1Source: publications.tnsosfiles.com · Rule 0080-05-05-.19(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

Steps

  1. Ask about home kitchens first. We found no published rule on pet treats made in a home kitchen in Tennessee. Ask the agency, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, before you start.Source: stateoftennessee.formstack.com · We read the agency's pet food and feed pages, its law and rules, and the state's cottage food rules, and found no statement either way on making pet treats in a home kitchen.
  2. License. Commercial feed license (set from your tonnage; minimum one Tier 2 fee, $50 under the 2015 act): Check with the agency. License form or portal.Source: publications.tnsosfiles.com
  3. What to send. The Commercial Feed License Application for each facility (company, facility and mailing addresses, stop-sale and licensing contacts), then the annual tonnage statement and the license fee set from it.Source: stateoftennessee.formstack.com
  4. 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.
  5. Tonnage report. Annual (previous calendar year, January 1 to December 31). Due: On or before July 1Source: publications.tnsosfiles.com · Rule 0080-05-05-.19(1). Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency. Tonnage reports by state.
  6. Renew. July 1 each yearSource: stateoftennessee.formstack.com · The TDA application states that all current licenses expire July 1, 2026; the statute sets July 1 expiry.
  7. Shipping to other states? Each state you sell into has its own rules. Selling dog treats online · fee calculator.

Every Tennessee fact, with sources: Tennessee 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 Kentucky · Selling dog treats in North Carolina · Selling dog treats in Georgia · Selling dog treats in Alabama · Selling dog treats in Mississippi

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