MADE IN CALIFORNIA

The application will ask about three kinds of variable costs related to the specific product(s) you want to market using the Made in California label. Based on the answers you provide, we determine if your product meets the 51 percent threshold of “Substantially Made” required by the Program.

1. “Direct Labor Cost” means Salary paid to workers who are directly involved in the production of goods and whose efforts can be directly traced to the production of specific products, as well as supervisors or managers of those employees.Direct Labor Cost is assigned to a specific product, cost center, or work center.
2. “Direct Material Cost” means the cost of raw materials, standard and specialized parts, and components required to assemble, fabricate or manufacture a complete product and which can be easily identified with the complete product. Cost of packaging cannot be included.
3. “Fixed Overhead Cost” means expenses not directly related to active conversion of materials to a finished product. Allowable fixed overhead costs include, but are not limited to: rent, insurance premiums, and depreciation. Fixed overhead costs do not include Research and Development costs or packaging costs.

Program fees are waived through December 31, 2026.

After the waiver period, the two-year Certification Term fee is:

• $75 for businesses with fewer than 20 employees
• $250 for businesses with 20–500 employees
• $500 for businesses with more than 500 employees

Fees are nonrefundable once paid.

All fees are deposited in the Made in California Fund and used to support the administration of the program.

The Certification Term is two years from the date the Licensing Agreement is executed. A license may be renewed after the expiration date; fees may be applied for renewal applications.

A business may be ineligible if it:

• Does not manufacture, fabricate, produce, or assemble products in California
• Is primarily engaged in political or lobbying activities
• Engages in unlawful activity
• Submits incomplete, confusing, or misleading information

Your business does not need to be headquartered in California, but it must:

• Be legally authorized to do business in California
• Conduct qualifying manufacturing activity in California
• Manufacture products that meet Program requirements

Contract manufacturers take product specifications to produce goods on behalf of other companies.

Your products may be eligible if they are manufactured in California, sold as final goods and meet the “Substantially Made” threshold.

If your application is approved, you will be directed to pay any applicable fees (waived through December 31, 2026) and sign a Licensing Agreement with GO-Biz. Once the agreement is fully executed, you may use the Made in California Label for approved products, subject to Program requirements, the Licensing Agreement, and Brand Guidelines.

If your business or product information is determined to be ineligible for the Program, you will receive an email notification with instructions for reapplying if your eligibility changes. There is no appeals process, but you may reapply at any time if you later meet the eligibility criteria. You will not be charged any fees prior to being approved for the Program.

If you have questions about your Program status, contact: madeincalifornia@gobiz.ca.gov

Your Licensing Agreement obligates you to immediately inform GO-Biz of any changes to your business name, address, phone number, email or other information provided in the application.

You may update your account profile on the Made in California website or contact the Program at: madeincalifornia@gobiz.ca.gov to provide updated information.

Your right to use the Made in California Label ends in two years GO-Biz will notify you by email, and you must respond within 30 calendar days explaining how and when the label will be removed from packaging and promotional materials.

GO-Biz reserves the right to revoke licensing agreements if we determine that approval was based on misleading, inaccurate our outdated information. Likewise, GO-Biz reserves the right to decline to publish or remove any product or business information from the Product Directory that is misleading, inaccurate, profane, or inconsistent with Program purposes and objectives.

No.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines PII as information gathered by an agency that can be used to trace or distinguish a person, plus any other information that is linked or linkable to that person. The Made in California application will ask for some PII related to your business for verification purposes only. Any PII we collect is stored on an encrypted server and GO-Biz will never share any information nor payment information with any other state or federal agency.