Texas pet food registration

Firm license
$75
permanent, due —

Per product
$50
packages ≤5 lb · annual, due Sep 1

Tonnage
none for small packages
quarterly, due Dec 31 / Mar 31 / Jul 1 / Oct 1

How to file
paper · OTSC 'Company Portal'
Pay by check

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

Details

Firm license fee	$75 One-time $75 facility/guarantor licensing fee (form LA 0198); one form per guarantor and per unlicensed feed facility. Guarantor (name on label) must be licensed; out-of-state co-packer facility must also be listed/licensed.
License late fee	$75 late fee if application received more than 30 days after the date on violation correspondence
Product fee	$50 $50 flat annual inspection fee per product distributed ONLY in containers of 5 lb or less (form PR 0196 'Small Package Registration'). If the same product is also sold in >5 lb containers, the flat fee does not apply and ALL sizes of that product are paid through the tonnage system.
Product late fee	Penalty $50 or 15% of the fee due, whichever is greater, for late inspection-fee reports/payment (Tex. Agric. Code §141.073); OTSC may cancel license if unpaid by the 61st day after quarter end
Renewal window	State fiscal year Sep 1 – Aug 31; fee due Sep 1 of each fiscal year
Exempt	Products distributed only in packages >5 lb are not registered — they are tonnage products
Tonnage note	$50/product/year flat rate for products sold only in ≤5 lb containers replaces tonnage. Tonnage products: $100 minimum annual inspection fee due with first quarterly report (quarter ending Nov 30), credited against 19¢/ton (covers first 526.32 tons); quarters end Nov 30 / Feb 28 / May 31 / Aug 31 and each report + payment is due 'on or before the 31st day following the last day of November, February, May, and August' (Tex. Agric. Code §141.072(c)) = Dec 31, Mar 31, Jul 1, Oct 1; facilities owing <$100/yr report annually, due 31 days after Aug 31 (Oct 1). Report forms are mailed ~10 days before quarter end; late = $50 or 15% (§141.073).
Third-party filing	agent_signature: “LA 0198 Section 6 Affidavit: 'The applicant affirms that: (1) he/she is authorized and empowered to act for the operation for whom the license application is made and all information submitted on and with this form is true and correct in every respect' — signed as 'Printed Name of Applicant / Applicant Signature'; no owner/officer requirement, so any person authorized to act for the firm may sign (forms/TX/LA-0198-feed-license-application.pdf). PR 0196 closes with 'Guarantor Name… By (Signature)'. No dedicated agent block and no public agent login (Company Portal is login-only, not fetched).”
Before you file	Federal Tax ID / SSN of the firm on LA 0198 Labels of all products distributed in Texas must accompany a new guarantor application; label for each product with PR 0196 Unique identifier (lot/batch code segment) for each manufacturing facility
Check payable to	Office of the Texas State Chemist
Mail to	Office of the Texas State Chemist, P.O. Box 3160, College Station, TX 77841-3160 (street: 445 Agronomy Road, 2114 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-2114)
Public registry	html_search

Forms

Office of the Texas State Chemist Feed License Application (LA 0198, Rev 5-3-11)fillable
Small Package Registration (5 lbs or less) — for products only distributed in packages of 5 lbs or less (PR 0196)fillable
4 Tex. Admin. Code Chapter 63 Pet Food Rules (amended Jan 2, 2017)

Good to know

Texas small-package threshold is 5 lb (not 10 lb). A product sold in both ≤5 lb and >5 lb sizes is a tonnage product for all sizes.
Facility license is permanent (one-time $75); only the per-product fee ($50) recurs each fiscal year (Sep 1).
Discontinued products still shelved >3 months into the next fiscal year owe the $50 again; otherwise must be recalled after Aug 31.
Guarantor pays all fees; co-packer facility must also hold a license (OTSC Active Feed Facility report lists them).
Label rules: 'Dog Food'/'Cat Food' on principal display panel; guaranteed analysis order protein/fat/fiber/moisture; caloric content statement (§63.9).
otsc.tamu.edu sits behind a CloudFront cookie wall — plain curl gets 403/302; needs a browser UA and cookie jar.

Agency

Office of the Texas State Chemist (OTSC) — Texas Feed and Fertilizer Control Service, Texas A&M AgriLife
https://otsc.tamu.edu/Forms-Fees/Fees.aspx
(979) 845-1121 / toll-free (800) 848-1121; fax (979) 845-1389

Sources: OTSC Commercial Feed and Fertilizer Fee Structures · OTSC Registration and Licensing Forms · LA 0198 Feed License Application · PR 0196 Small Package Registration · 4 TAC Chapter 63 Pet Food Rules (PDF) · AAFCO — Texas · Tex. Agric. Code §141.072 Quarterly Tonnage Reporting and Inspection Fee Payment · Tex. Agric. Code §141.073 Penalty for Late Filing or Payment. Verified 2026-10-08. Not legal advice; confirm with the state before paying.