MADE IN CALIFORNIA

​The Made in California Labeling & Marketing Program is administered by the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) through the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA). The Program is designed to strengthen California manufacturing by increasing the visibility, market reach, and competitiveness of eligible California-made products.

✔ Strengthen the state’s economy by enhancing the visibility of California’s manufacturing sector.
✔ Provide California manufacturers with an opportunity to elevate their brand presence statewide, nationally, and globally.
✔ Support California’s diverse manufacturing sector, from electronics and aerospace to food and beverage, medical equipment, clean technology, consumer goods, and more.

Find the Made in California Labeling & Marketing Program Regulations here.

Certain businesses may be ineligible, including businesses whose products are not manufactured, fabricated, produced, or assembled at a facility located in California; businesses primarily engaged in political or lobbying activities; businesses engaged in unlawful activity; businesses that restrict patronage for reasons other than capacity; and businesses with certain fraud, procurement, antitrust, embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification, false statement, or stolen property-related convictions, civil judgments, parole, probation, indictments, or charges within the timeframes described in the regulations. GO-Biz may also determine a business is ineligible because of incomplete, confusing, or misleading information submitted through the Application Form.

The Program is open to manufacturers of all sizes, including sole proprietors, corporations, partnerships, 501(c) nonprofits, and other business entities that are legally authorized to do business in California and whose products meet Program requirements.

Applicants may manufacture their own products or use a contract manufacturer, provided the product meets the Program’s eligibility requirements and the final assembly, manufacturing, fabrication, or production takes place at a manufacturing facility located in California.

A contract manufacturer is a company hired or contracted to produce goods or components, or package products, on behalf of another business. Contract manufacturers may transform raw materials or ingredients supplied by a client into finished products, often managing production and packaging to prepare products for sale.

Using a contract manufacturer does not automatically make a product ineligible. The product must still satisfy the Program’s California manufacturing and “Substantially Made” requirements.

“Substantially Made” means completing an act that adds at least 51 percent of a final product’s wholesale value by manufacture, assembly, fabrication, or production to create a final, recognizable product. Packaging alone does not qualify as “Substantially Made.”

A final, recognizable product is a physical good in its completed form that is ready for sale and identifiable by consumers or business buyers as a market-ready item.

• The product must be finished and ready for commercial sale, not a raw material, component, intermediate good, or partially finished good.
• The product must be distinct and identifiable, such as a packaged consumer product, assembled circuit board, custom industrial part, or private-label product.
• The product must be the version that enters the marketplace with labeling, packaging, or catalog reference – the form in which a buyer can recognize its purpose and purchase it.

Total value of a product based on the costs of production. Costs of production include costs of labor, raw materials,and production overhead incurred to produce the final recognizable product.

Self-Attestation means an Applicant signs a self-certification statement under penalty of perjury as part of the Application. The attestation confirms that the products entered in the Product Database and/or using the Made in California Label comply with Program requirements.

To be approved for a Licensing Agreement, the Applicant must attest that final assembly, manufacturing, fabrication, or production of each product takes place in a manufacturing facility located in California and satisfies the definition of “Substantially Made” in California.

Applicants must keep records supporting the attestation and provide those records to GO-Biz upon request. GO-Biz may request supplemental information to substantiate information provided in the Application.

• Companies looking to source California-made products and goods
• Consumers seeking authentic California-made products

Click here to apply.

Official Label Use: Approved Licensees may use the official Made in California Label on approved products, packaging, displays, and marketing.

Marketing Support: Participating companies may be featured in digital campaigns, statewide promotions, industry events, and partner marketing opportunities.

Marketplace Visibility: Approved companies and products may be included in the Made in California Product Database.

Buyer Connections: The Program is designed to help California manufacturers increase visibility with buyers, procurement officers, partner organizations, and consumers seeking California-made products.

Self-Attestation Process: Applicants self-attest to eligibility under penalty of perjury and must maintain supporting records that can be provided to GO-Biz upon request.

No. A company does not have to be headquartered in California to apply. To be eligible, the business must be legally authorized to do business in California, maintain qualifying manufacturing activity in California, and have products that meet the Program’s “Substantially Made” requirements.

“Substantially Made in California” meaning completing an act that adds at least 51 percent of a final product’s wholesale value by manufacture, assembly, fabrication, or production to create a final, recognizable product.

If a product no longer qualifies, you must remove it from the program and cease all related claims or use of the logo. Program staff may follow up to confirm details, and applicants are legally responsible for the accuracy of submitted information.

CalOSBA reserves the right to reject or revoke participation if any information is found to be false or misleading.

A searchable online database of approved Made in California products is coming soon—making it source and connect with California-made excellence. Stay tuned!

1. Create an account in the online Application Portal and establish a login and password as instructed on the website.
2. Complete the Application Form with the required business, manufacturing, and product information.
3. Submit the required attestation and confirm that all statements are true and complete to the best of your knowledge.
4. The Made in California Program reviews your application for completeness, eligibility, and required attestation.
5. You will be notified of eligibility or ineligibility. GO-Biz may also request supplemental information or notify you of deficiencies, if appropriate.

To celebrate the launch of the Made in California Program, fees may be waived or discounted for a limited time as authorized by GO-Biz. After any applicable waiver or discount, the Fee is based on the number of employees and covers the two-year Certification Term of the Licensing Agreement:

• Fewer than 20 employees: $75
• 20 to 500 employees: $250
• More than 500 employees: $500

Fees are nonrefundable once paid. Prior Made in California Program participants previously administered by CMTC, Made in California Advisory Committee members, and approved in-kind contributors may qualify for a one-time waiver or discount for the first two-year term, subject to GO-Biz approval.

Applicants should be prepared to provide information such as:

• Legal entity business name, fictitious business name, contact name and title, primary business address in California, phone number, email address, and website.
• Company logo and company description.
• Retail store address, if applicable.
• Manufacturing industry and business entity type.
• Documentation showing the business is legally authorized to do business in California.
• Small business, microbusiness, SB-PW, or DVBE certification information, if applicable.
• DUNS number, applicable NAICS codes, and number of employees.
• Whether the Applicant manufactures its own products or uses a contract manufacturer.

Yes. An Applicant may revise or withdraw an Application through the website before submitting the Application.

If an Application is approved, the Applicant will be directed to sign a Licensing Agreement with GO-Biz. The Licensing Agreement sets forth the rights and limitations for using the Made in California Label. The Applicant will also be directed to pay any applicable Fee for the Certification Term of the Licensing Agreement, unless a waiver or discount applies.

A fully executed Licensing Agreement will be issued after payment of any applicable Fee. Once the Licensing Agreement is fully executed, the Licensee may use the Made in California Label and enter qualified products in the Product Database, subject to Program requirements, the Licensing Agreement, and Brand Guidelines.

Licensees must report changes to required Application information within 30 business days by updating their account profile on the website. GO-Biz reserves the right to approve changes before they are published on the website. Changes that are inconsistent with the executed Licensing Agreement may result in termination of the Licensing Agreement and require a new Application.

If an Application is rejected, the Applicant will receive an automatic email notification of the rejection. The email will provide instructions for reapplying for a License in the future if something changes that affects eligibility. There is no appeals process to eligibility decisions. An Applicant may reapply at any time if eligibility criteria are later met.

The Certification Term is two years beginning on the date the Licensing Agreement is executed. Once the Certification Term ends, the Licensing Agreement expires and the License becomes invalid. A License may be renewed by submitting an updated Application and paying any applicable recalculated Fee.

The program promotes companies through various channels, including social media, content marketing, press outreach, and partnerships with local and national media. The official label also boosts credibility and consumer trust in your products.

If a Licensing Agreement is terminated or expires for any reason, GO-Biz will notify the Licensee by email. The Licensee must respond in writing within 30 calendar days of the email timestamp explaining how and when the Made in California Label will be removed from all packaging and promotional materials associated with the products. All rights to the Made in California Label are withdrawn unless and until a new Application is submitted and approved.

Yes. Approved Licensees may use the Made in California Label for approved products, subject to the Licensing Agreement and Brand Guidelines. The Label may be used on approved products, product containers or packaging, point-of-purchase or other displays, and advertising. 

The Made in California Label may not be incorporated into a business, company, or product logo or label, and may not be used as its own mark or as the exclusive representation of a product. The logo must be used exactly as provided by GO-Biz and may not be recreated, redrawn, altered, distorted, stretched, compressed, rotated, recolored outside the approved palette, or placed on backgrounds that impair legibility.

Email us at miclabel@cmtc.com  with any questions. Stay in the loop—subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates and announcements!

Stay in the loop—subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates and announcements!