Oregon pet food registration

No state registration is required for dog and cat food in Oregon — no registration for plain dog and cat food - health-claim treats and Oregon-made products still file

ORS 633.006(4)(b)(C) excludes 'feed for dogs, cats, birds or fish maintained as household pets' from 'commercial feed', so the Oregon Department of Agriculture's feed facility license ($150-$750) and $40-per-formula product registration do not apply to dog and cat food or treats.
ODA's licensing page: 'Dog and cat products are exempt from commercial feed licensing and registration, but may qualify as Animal Remedies requiring Veterinary Product registration.'
Oregon has no tonnage reporting at all ('Oregon does not require periodic tonnage reporting outside of the registration fee'), so nothing is due on a schedule for plain dog and cat food.

What still applies to you in Oregon

ODA Veterinary Product registration - $100 per product per year if the label or website makes a health claim

ODA lists 'functional treats' and 'health and dietary supplements' as products that must register as Veterinary Products (animal remedies). 'A food can be converted into an animal remedy by virtue of the claims made on the labeling', and websites, pamphlets and ads count as labeling (OAR 603-012-0210). The food exemption covers only complete diets fed as the sole ration, so a treat that says 'supports joints', 'calming' or 'for healthy skin and coat' is in scope. Fee $100 per product (OAR 603-012-0230), license year July 1 - June 30, not prorated; package sizes of one formula are one product; new applicants file the paper Veterinary Product Registration Application (https://www.oregon.gov/oda/Documents/Publications/AnimalHealth/VetProductsApp.01.26.pdf) with a check or credit-card form - online renewals only via ODA MyLicense. Plain 'treat' with no claim: nothing to file. source

ODA Food Safety Pet Food Manufacturing License - only if the product is made in Oregon and contains meat

ODA Food Safety: 'If a treat or food made in Oregon contains raw or cooked meat, you need to obtain a Pet Food Manufacturing License from the Food Safety division.' Meat-free treats made in Oregon need no Food Safety license; products made outside Oregon and shipped in need nothing from Food Safety. source

Commercial feed license and registration still apply to other species

'Food for pets other than dogs and cats must be registered as Commercial Feed' (ODA). Horse, rabbit, chicken or livestock treats need the ODA commercial feed facility license ($150 for a distributor with under 5,000 tons) plus $40 per formula per calendar year. source

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (applies in Oregon as everywhere)

Pet food needs no FDA pre-market approval, but it must be safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, free of harmful substances and truthfully labeled; otherwise it is 'adulterated' or 'misbranded' (FD&C Act sections 402 and 403 cover food for animals). A disease claim ('treats arthritis') makes the product an unapproved animal drug under federal law as well as an Oregon animal remedy. source

FDA food facility registration (21 CFR 1.225) - free, renew Oct 1 - Dec 31 of every even year (2026 is a renewal year)

Any facility that manufactures, processes, packs or holds animal food must register with FDA. A private residence, a retail food establishment and a farm are not 'facilities' (21 CFR 1.227). If a co-packer makes your treats, the co-packer registers its plant. source

FSMA Preventive Controls for Animal Food (21 CFR 507) - very-small-business status

Under $2.5 million (inflation-adjusted; about $3.43M for 2023-2025) in average annual animal-food sales makes you a 'qualified facility': no written hazard analysis or preventive controls, but animal-food Current Good Manufacturing Practices (subpart B) still apply and the qualified-facility attestation (Form FDA 3942b) is filed with each registration renewal. source

Federal label content (21 CFR 501) and the AAFCO model label

Federal rules require product identity, net quantity, manufacturer/distributor name and address and an ingredient list by weight. Oregon retailers and the states you ship to (Washington and California both register and review) expect the eight AAFCO elements: product name, intended species, quantity statement, guaranteed analysis, ingredient statement, nutritional adequacy statement (treats: 'intermittent or supplemental feeding only'), feeding directions if required, and name/address. ODA's own pet-food page points makers to the AAFCO labeling guide. source

Keep your labels AAFCO-conformant anyway

One label that passes the strict states passes Oregon automatically, and keeping claims to nutrition, taste and aroma is also what keeps a treat out of the $100-per-product Veterinary Product program. Our label check flags claim words that would trigger it. source

Retailers and marketplaces may still ask for 'proof of registration'

Keep this page with your records and answer: 'Oregon excludes dog and cat food from commercial feed (ORS 633.006); our products make no health claims, so no Veterinary Product registration is required; federal FDA requirements apply.' If you do register a Veterinary Product, the ODA public search (mylicense.oda.state.or.us) shows it. source

We watch for changes

We re-read the ODA feed, Veterinary Product and Food Safety pet-food pages each season; a change to ORS 633.006 or the Veterinary Product rules would update this page or add Oregon to your packet.
Open item: ODA's working line between a plain treat and a 'functional treat' (does 'supports healthy skin and coat' trigger registration?) - we will ask Animal Health at 503-986-4680 and update this page.
If you add a health or wellness claim to any label or web page, a non-dog/cat species, or start making meat treats in Oregon, tell us - one of the three Oregon filings above then applies.

Plain dog/cat food and treats (nutrition only, no health claims): nothing to file with ODA; FDA rules apply, and Oregon-made product needs ODA Food Safety licensing.
'Functional Treats' and 'Health and dietary supplements' are listed by ODA as examples requiring Veterinary Product registration ($100/product/yr, Jul 1–Jun 30). 'A food can be converted into an animal remedy by virtue of the claims made on the labeling' and 'Websites, pamphlets, ads… are all part of a product's labeling' (OAR 603-012-0210).
ODA's vet-product 'food' exemption is narrow: only complete diets 'intended to be fed as the sole ration'. 'Products formulated to meet specific nutrient profiles but intended to be used as treats, supplements, etc, must be registered' — i.e. any treat with a health/wellness claim is in scope.
Dishonored payments incur a $35 administrative fee (ORS 30.701).

Sources: ODA Commercial Animal Feed Licensing · ODA Commercial Animal Feed · ORS 633.006 Definitions · ODA Veterinary Product Registration · OAR 603-012-0230 Fees · OAR 603-012-0210 Definitions · Veterinary Product Registration Application (Rev 1/26). Verified 2026-10-08. Not legal advice; confirm with the state before paying.