North Carolina pet food registration

Firm license
none

Per product
$40
packages ≤5 lb · annual, due Dec 31

Tonnage
none for small packages
quarterly, due Jan 31 / Apr 30 / Jul 31 / Oct 31

How to file
email
Pay by check, credit card (Attachment A references 'single check or single credit card payment')

You sign, pay and submit We fill the forms, compute the fee and tell you where it goes.

Details

Product fee	$40 $40/product sold only in packages ≤5 lb (in lieu of inspection fee); $5/product sold in packages >5 lb (then $0.12/ton tonnage applies); $45/product sold in both; $12/product canned (hermetically sealed). One fee covers all package sizes of a product.
Renewal window	all registrations expire Dec 31 (G.S. 106-284.34(c)); AAFCO lists Jan 1; renewal paperwork is sent by the program with NC Brand IDs
Exempt	customer-formula feed
Tonnage note	Products distributed only in packages ≤5 lb pay the $40 annual registration fee in lieu of the inspection fee (G.S. 106-284.40(b)(4)). Products in >5 lb packages: $0.12/ton quarterly, minimum $10/quarter unless no feed sold that quarter; canned pet food $0.03 per carton of 48 cans. Tonnage reporters apply for a Tonnage Reporting Permit via Budget & Finance.
Third-party filing	agent_signature: “Instructions item 4: 'Agent Contact Information Form (optional): This contact information is only for a 3rd party that has been hired by the primary business (firm) to handle their registration. An agent authorization letter on the primary business letterhead must be signed and submitted by the primary business.' Form F_3004: 'This form is for AGENT information only, meaning if product registration is managed or submitted by a 3rd party agent, registrant, etc.' Attachment A F_3001: 'This form is to be used by an Agent submitting a single payment for multiple firms.' No portal/login exists (email/mail channel), so this is a paper agent block, not an agent account. — forms/NC/new-firm-new-product-instructions.pdf, agent-contact-information.pdf, renewal-attachment-a-payment-disbursement-2025.pdf (re-read 2026-10-08)”
Before you file	Agent authorization letter on the firm's letterhead, signed by the firm Firm must be a legal entity; supply articles of organization with new-firm registration New products submitted on the Excel 'NC New Brand Template Form' (must be .xlsx); labels via ShareFile folder, email, USB/CD or mail In-state manufacturers: 21 CFR 507 cGMP compliance and facility registration
Mail to	NC Food & Drug Protection Division, Animal Feed Program, 1070 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1070 (FedEx/UPS: 4400 Reedy Creek Road, Raleigh, NC 27607)

Forms

Good to know

Most agent-friendly of the seven: a dedicated Agent form, an authorization-letter rule, and a Payment Disbursement Form for an agent paying one check/card for multiple firms.
Product registration is submitted as an Excel spreadsheet (New Brand Template) emailed to ncfeed.registration@ncagr.gov — not a PDF form.
Threshold is 5 lb, not 10 lb; a treat brand selling a 4 oz and an 8 lb bag of the same product pays $45.
Renaming a product = cancel + register new (no extra fee) or register new + renew old (two fees) if both circulate.
Tonnage permits and payments run through the Budget & Finance Division, separate from the Feed Program.

Agency

NCDA&CS Food & Drug Protection Division, Animal Feed Program
https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/food-drug-protection/feed-program
(984) 236-4820 (registration desk); (919) 733-7366 (program)

Sources: Food & Drug – Feed Program — NCDA&CS · Feed Program – Forms · Instructions for New Firm Product Registration · New Agent Relationship Account Information Form F_3004 · Payment Disbursement Form F_3001 · G.S. 106-284.40 Inspection fees and reports · G.S. 106-284.34 Registration · AAFCO — North Carolina. Verified 2026-10-08. Not legal advice; confirm with the state before paying.