Florida fertilizer license, specialty registration and tonnage reporting

To sell fertilizer in Florida, the company named as guarantor on the label needs an annual fertilizer license from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Each specialty product, meaning home-and-garden fertilizer in packages of 49 lb or less, also needs its own annual registration. As of October 2026 each costs $200 and expires June 30. Every quarter, licensees report tonnage within 30 days and pay a per-ton inspection fee plus a nitrogen or phosphorus fee.

Who regulates fertilizer in Florida

Fertilizer is handled by the Fertilizer Section of FDACS's Bureau of Licensing and Enforcement, in the Division of Agricultural Environmental Services. The law is Chapter 576 of the Florida Statutes, and the rules are in Chapter 5E-1 of the Florida Administrative Code. Licenses, specialty registrations and tonnage reports are all filed on the FDACS Fertilizer Licensing and Regulatory Website at lims.flaes.org. Rule 5E-1.012 calls it the Feed, Seed, and Fertilizer Regulatory Website.

The fertilizer license

Under section 576.021, a company whose name and address appear on a fertilizer label as guarantor may not distribute that fertilizer to a nonlicensee until it has a license. A consumer is a nonlicensee, so if you are an out-of-state brand shipping a 4-lb bag of 10-10-10 from Shopify to a customer in Tampa, you need the license first.

• Fee: $200 a year as of October 2026. The statute sets a $100 license fee in section 576.021 and a further $100 in section 576.045. FDACS lists the combined $200. Under the current statute, the section 576.045 fees expire December 31, 2032.
• Expiry: Every license expires June 30, whenever it was issued. A license you get in May still expires that June 30.
• What must match: The licensee's name and address must appear on all labels, invoices and storage facilities for fertilizer it distributes in Florida.

Specialty product registration

What counts as specialty

Section 576.011 defines specialty fertilizer as fertilizer packaged, marketed and distributed for home and garden use, in containers or bags with a net weight of 49 lb or less. A 4-lb bag of lawn food is specialty. A 50-lb bag of the same formula is not, so it is not registered as a specialty product, but it is still covered by your license and your tonnage reports. Only specialty fertilizer needs product registration in Florida. For more on how states draw this line, see specialty vs commercial fertilizer.

Fee, term and what to submit

Registration is required for each brand and grade before you distribute it. As of October 2026 the fee is $200 per product per year: $100 under section 576.021 plus $100 under section 576.045. Registrations expire June 30, the same day as the license. Say your line has three products: a 10-10-10, a 16-4-8 and a houseplant food. That is three registrations, or $600 a year.

You file through the FDACS website or on a department form, and you include a label for each brand and grade. Section 576.021 requires each label to show:

• brand and grade
• guaranteed analysis
• the licensee's name and address
• net weight
• sources of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
• sources of secondary and micronutrients, if they are guaranteed, claimed or advertised

FDACS also publishes an Urban Turf Nitrogen and Phosphate Calculator for lawn products. See phosphorus and nitrogen lawn fertilizer laws and fertilizer label requirements.

Quarterly tonnage reports and fees

Section 576.041 requires every licensee to report the tonnage it sold in Florida each quarter and pay the inspection fee. Under Rule 5E-1.012 (amended January 27, 2026), each quarter involves two filings, both due on or before the 30th day after the quarter closes:

1. Report of Fertilizer Sold, FDACS-13239. This is the fee report: tons in each fee category, with payment.
2. Fertilizer Tonnage Reporting, FDACS-13238. This is the statistical detail, broken out by county, grade, package and use.

The rule and the forms say "quarter" without giving the dates. Check the quarters FDACS shows for your license in the portal.

Fee rates

As of October 2026, form FDACS-13239 lists these rates:

The 30-cent rate covers untreated phosphatic materials, gypsum, hydrated lime, limestone and dolomite sold or used for agricultural purposes. Packaged lawn and garden blends pay $1.00.

The nitrogen fee is charged once per ton of product that contains nitrogen. It is not charged once per nutrient. The phosphorus fee applies only when the product has no nitrogen. Some examples:

• 3 tons of 10-10-10: $3.00 inspection + $1.50 nitrogen = $4.50
• 2 tons of 0-20-20: $2.00 inspection + $1.00 phosphorus = $3.00
• 1 ton of 0-0-60: $1.00 inspection, with no nitrogen or phosphorus fee

The detail FDACS wants on form 13238

Each line of the statistical report needs:

• Destination county code. Rule 5E-1.012 requires the five-digit EPA FIPS code (state plus county), not just the county name.
• Material code, for single materials only. Mixed fertilizers don't need one.
• N-P-K guaranteed analysis for mixed grades.
• Package type: 1 bag, 2 bulk, 3 liquid.
• Use code, from the table below.
• Tons.

Houseplant food has no code of its own, so ask FDACS which one to use. Selling direct to consumers means you need the county for every Florida order, so export full ship-to addresses.

Two details are worth asking FDACS about before your first filing. Rule 5E-1.012 says the statistical report covers movements other than wholesale, in lots of one or more tons. Form 13238 also says "Enter one (1) ton or more" but doesn't say whether that applies per line or per report.

Zero reports and the sub-ton carry-forward

Rule 5E-1.012 requires a zero report for any quarter with no sales. If a quarter's sales do not exceed one ton, you also file a zero report and carry that tonnage forward. It is added to later quarters until the running total exceeds one ton, and then it gets reported. For example:

• Quarter 1: you sell 600 lb (0.3 ton). File a zero report.
• Quarter 2: you sell 900 lb. The running total is 1,500 lb (0.75 ton), so you file another zero report.
• Quarter 3: you sell 800 lb. The running total is 2,300 lb (1.15 tons), which is over one ton, so it gets reported.

The rule says the cumulative amount is reported "on the next quarter's report." Confirm with FDACS which report that means for your account, and keep a running ledger so carried tonnage doesn't get lost. Tonnage reports explained covers how other states handle small volumes.

Signing, filing and paying

• Online: The FDACS website (lims.flaes.org) handles the license, specialty registrations, and reporting and paying tonnage. FDACS says copies of earlier reports can be requested from AESCares@FDACS.gov.
• On paper: Make the check or money order for form 13239 payable to FDACS, and send it to the Revenue Processing Section, 407 S. Calhoun Street, Room 121, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0800. The total fees on the form should equal the amount of the payment. Form 13238 goes to the Bureau of Licensing and Enforcement, 3125 Conner Blvd., Bldg. 8, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1650.
• Signature: On form 13239, the signer prints their name and the business name, signs on behalf of the business, and certifies that the information "is true and correct." Form 13238 asks for a contact person, telephone number and email.

Penalties

Section 576.041 sets the penalties:

• Late payment: 1.5 percent for each month or part of a month that the fee goes unpaid.
• Missed deadline or false tonnage: if the report isn't filed and the fee isn't paid by the due date, or if the reported tonnage is false, the fee due carries a penalty of 10 percent or $25, whichever is greater.
• Inaccurate reports or unpaid fees: these are grounds for revoking the license and canceling all of the licensee's registrations.

If you have already been selling without a license, see sold fertilizer without registering.

Common mistakes

• Getting only half of it. You need both a license for the company and a registration for each specialty product.
• Assuming a full year. A license or registration issued in spring still expires June 30.
• Skipping zero reports. They are required for quarters with no sales and for quarters at or under one ton.
• Losing carried tonnage. Sub-ton amounts have to be tracked from quarter to quarter until they are reported.
• Doubling the nitrogen fee. It is $0.50 per ton of nitrogen-containing product, not per nutrient. N-P-K blends do not also pay the phosphorus fee.
• Missing county detail. Direct-to-consumer orders need a FIPS county code for each line of form 13238.

All figures here are as of October 2026. Confirm current fees and dates with FDACS before you file. For how Florida compares with other states, see how to register fertilizer in every state.

Sources

• FDACS: Fertilizer Licensing and Tonnage Reporting
• Florida Statutes §576.011, Definitions
• Florida Statutes §576.021, Registration and licensing
• Florida Statutes §576.041, Inspection fees; records
• Florida Statutes §576.045, Nitrogen and phosphorus fees
• Rule 5E-1.012, F.A.C., Reports and Inspection Fee Payment
• FDACS-13239, Report of Fertilizer Sold in the State of Florida (Rev. 10/25)
• FDACS-13238, Fertilizer Tonnage Reporting (Rev. 10/25)