Tennessee pet food registration

Firm license
$50
annual, due Jul 1

Per product
none

Tonnage
fee, $50 min
annual, due Jul 1

How to file
state_portal · TDA New Commercial Feed License Application

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

Details

Firm license fee	$50 Per facility per year: (tons distributed in TN previous calendar year ÷ 350) × Tier 2 fee ($50); never less than one Tier 2 fee ($50). A small-package pet-food brand with <350 tons pays the $50 minimum.
License late fee	Tier 2 late charge $25 (T.C.A. § 43-1-703(f)(2))
Tonnage note	No separate tonnage fee; tonnage (previous Jan 1–Dec 31) is self-reported with the annual license and drives the license fee (tons/350 × $50, $50 minimum). AAFCO: 'There is no tonnage fee anymore.'
Third-party filing	agent_signature: “Formstack 'TDA New Commercial Feed License Application' (no login; read in browser 2026-10-08) attestation above NAME (PRINT) / Signature / Date: 'Information reported in this application is correct and complete to the best of my information and belief. I am authorized to report this information and to seek regulatory licenses on behalf of Applicant.' plus separate 'Licensing Contact Name / Phone / Email' fields — the signer may be someone acting for the applicant; no agent login/account exists (form is public, no portal role).”
Mail to	Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Consumer and Industry Services – Attn: Ag Inputs Section, 440 Hogan Road, Nashville, TN 37220

How the online filing goes

Applicant
Facility Address *
Mailing Address *
Questions
Contacts
Certification and signature
Order of operations — submit the form, wait for the TDA invoice, then pay (never before)

Your packet lists every value for each screen. Nothing is paid in the form. TDA emails an invoice for the license fee (small-package brands under 350 tons pay the $50 minimum; late charge $25). Pay it in TDA's Trace First CoreOne LCP portal (tnlcp.lcp.tracefirst.com, sign up with the Licensing Contact Email) by credit card or eCheck — convenience fee not published — or mail a check payable to Tennessee Department of Agriculture with the business name, address and invoice number to P.O. Box 111359, Nashville, TN 37222-1359 (or the remit address printed on the invoice). Ag Inputs: 615-837-5148, AgInputs.Feed@tn.gov.

Forms

Good to know

No product registration at all — TN licenses the facility/guarantor, not products; no label pre-approval.
Fee is tonnage-banded (tons/350 × $50) but floors at $50, so small brands pay $50/facility/year.
Online application asks 'Are you producing pet treats/feed from your residence?' and 'Are you producing raw pet milk?'; has separate Stop Sale Contact and Licensing Contact name/phone/email fields (usable for an agent).
Application form collects no payment and no tonnage figure; 'Fees for the license are determined according to this self-reported data' — TDA invoices after review (invoices got 'a new look in 2023').
Retail-only sellers of feed labeled from a licensed guarantor are exempt.
All current TN commercial feed licenses expire July 1, 2026 (per application header read 2026-10-08; the header may lag).

Agency

Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Consumer and Industry Services, Ag Inputs Section (Feed)
https://www.tn.gov/agriculture/businesses/inputs/forms.html
615-837-5148 (program) / 615-837-5535 (Ag Inputs section, per application)

Sources: Feed Seed Fertilizer Grain Forms — TDA · TDA New Commercial Feed License Application (Formstack) · Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0080-05-05-.19 License fees and tonnage reports · T.C.A. § 43-1-703 fee tiers · T.C.A. § 44-6-104 License requirement · AAFCO — Tennessee. Verified 2026-10-08. Not legal advice; confirm with the state before paying.