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

Allowed: Virginia's feed program publishes a guide for home-manufactured pet treats: the Virginia Commercial Feed Law does not require an on-site inspection of the kitchen before you sell. Product registration: $50/yr. License: $50 per license/yr. Tonnage report: some products.

Calculate your Virginia fees Virginia pet food registration

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

Allowed Virginia's feed program publishes a guide for home-manufactured pet treats: the Virginia Commercial Feed Law does not require an on-site inspection of the kitchen before you sell. Condition: Commercial feed license, product registration and an approved label first. Good Manufacturing Practices must be followed, and VDACS inspectors may inspect and sample your products at any time.Source: vdacs.virginia.gov · VDACS, “Home Manufactured Pet Foods/Treats: What You Need To Know”: “The Virginia Commercial Feed Law does not require on-site inspections of kitchens or processing facilities being used for a home-manufactured pet feed/treat business prior to the sale of your products. However, Good Manufacturing Practices must be followed”.

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

Virginia registration and license for dog treats

Product registration: $50/yr. License: $50 per license/yr.

What's registered	Both: a commercial feed license for each manufacturer or guarantor (one per manufacturing facility), plus per-product registration for pet food in packages of 10 lb or less and for canned pet foodSource: vdacs.virginia.gov · Va. Code 3.2-4803 and 3.2-4804. Pet food in packages over 10 lb needs only the license plus tonnage reporting.
Product registration fee	$50 per product per year for pet food sold in packages of 10 lb or less, and for canned pet foodSource: vdacs.virginia.gov · The small-package fee is set in Va. Code 3.2-4804(D). The statute does not mention canned food separately; the VDACS packet lists canned food at $50 in all sizes.
Package-size rule	10 lb or less (and all canned): $50 per product, in place of the inspection fee for that size. Over 10 lb: no product registration; tonnage report and inspection fee instead. A product sold in both pays $50 and reports tonnage on the packages over 10 lb.Source: law.lis.virginia.gov · Va. Code 3.2-4804(D) and 3.2-4805(D).
License / firm fee	$50 per year for each manufacturer or guarantor, and for each manufacturing facility that distributes feed in VirginiaSource: law.lis.virginia.gov
Registration period	Calendar year (January 1 to December 31) for both the license and product registrationsSource: law.lis.virginia.gov · Va. Code 3.2-4803(A) and 3.2-4804(B).
Renewal due	File renewals on or before December 31 (they then stay valid through January 31); product registration fees are due by January 1Source: law.lis.virginia.gov · Va. Code 3.2-4803(A), 3.2-4804(B)-(D). VDACS mails renewals to license holders each year.
Form or portal	https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pdf/reg-feed.pdfSource: vdacs.virginia.gov · License and Product Registration Packet for Commercial Feed (paper; mail with check and labels to VDACS, P.O. Box 526, Richmond, VA 23218).
License / firm form	https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pdf/reg-feed.pdfSource: vdacs.virginia.gov · The Virginia Feed License Application is in the same packet.
What to send	Feed License Application with $50, the New Product Registration application (pages 1 and 2) listing each product, the fee for each product, and a full label for every product. Checks payable to Treasurer of Virginia.Source: vdacs.virginia.gov

Tonnage report

Tonnage report required?	Yes, for pet food sold in packages over 10 lb. Products registered as small packages (10 lb or less) pay the registration fee instead of the inspection fee for that size.Source: law.lis.virginia.gov · Va. Code 3.2-4805(D) and 3.2-4804(D).
How often	Annual (calendar year)Source: law.lis.virginia.gov
Due	February 1 for the previous calendar yearSource: law.lis.virginia.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: Virginia commercial feed license renewal due ($50; expires Dec 31)Source: law.lis.virginia.gov
December 31: Virginia pet food product registration renewals due ($50 per product; fees due by Jan 1) (if you register products)Source: law.lis.virginia.gov
February 1: Virginia annual tonnage statement due (previous calendar year). Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency. (only if you have products under tonnage reporting)Source: law.lis.virginia.gov

Steps

Home kitchen. Virginia's feed program publishes a guide for home-manufactured pet treats: the Virginia Commercial Feed Law does not require an on-site inspection of the kitchen before you sell. Commercial feed license, product registration and an approved label first. Good Manufacturing Practices must be followed, and VDACS inspectors may inspect and sample your products at any time.Source: vdacs.virginia.gov · VDACS, “Home Manufactured Pet Foods/Treats: What You Need To Know”: “The Virginia Commercial Feed Law does not require on-site inspections of kitchens or processing facilities being used for a home-manufactured pet feed/treat business prior to the sale of your products. However, Good Manufacturing Practices must be followed”.
License. Commercial feed license ($50/yr): $50 per license/yr. License form or portal.Source: law.lis.virginia.gov
Register each product. $50 per product per year for pet food sold in packages of 10 lb or less, and for canned pet food. Registration form or portal.Source: vdacs.virginia.gov · The small-package fee is set in Va. Code 3.2-4804(D). The statute does not mention canned food separately; the VDACS packet lists canned food at $50 in all sizes.
What to send. Feed License Application with $50, the New Product Registration application (pages 1 and 2) listing each product, the fee for each product, and a full label for every product. Checks payable to Treasurer of Virginia.Source: vdacs.virginia.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: February 1 for the previous calendar yearSource: law.lis.virginia.gov · Fee depends on tonnage; see the agency. Tonnage reports by state.
Renew. File renewals on or before December 31 (they then stay valid through January 31); product registration fees are due by January 1Source: law.lis.virginia.gov · Va. Code 3.2-4803(A), 3.2-4804(B)-(D). VDACS mails renewals to license holders each year.
Shipping to other states? Each state you sell into has its own rules. Selling dog treats online · fee calculator.

Every Virginia fact, with sources: Virginia 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 Maryland · Selling dog treats in North Carolina · Selling dog treats in West Virginia · Selling dog treats in Tennessee · Selling dog treats in Kentucky

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