Last reviewed
A note from Gideon
If it isn't legal in your state, it doesn't mean you can't get some in other ways.
Raw milk laws by state
✅ Legal⚠️ Limited or gray area❌ Not legal○ No law either way
| State | On the farm | Herdshare | Retail store | Key rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not legal | No law | Not legal | Pet milk only, with a commercial feed license. Only Grade A pasteurized milk may be sold for people. |
| Alaska | Legalannual DEC registration | Legalby statute | Legalproducer and store both register with DEC | Raw yogurt, kefir, cheese, ice cream, cream and butter are legal direct to consumers. Pet milk must be denatured or colored. |
| Arizona | Legaldairy permit | Not legalstate position | Legallicensed | Cream, butter, yogurt and kefir are also legal. Herds are tested before sales start and annually after. Milk is bottled on the farm and shelved separately. Restaurants may not sell it. |
| Arkansas | Legalno license | No law | Limited / gray area"natural food stores" (SB 464, 2025) | Changed in 2025: HB 1048 and SB 464 opened farmers markets, delivery and natural food stores. HB 1048 allows farmers markets, delivery and advertising, up to 500 gallons a month. Covers cow, goat and sheep milk. Warning label and contact number required. Off-farm buyers sign a risk acknowledgment. |
| California | Legal | LegalCDFA policy, if fully compliant | Legallicensed | Raw butter, cream and kefir are legal. Health warning label required. Raw Farm, the largest raw dairy, recalled raw cheddar in April 2026 during a CDC/FDA E. coli O157:H7 investigation. |
| Colorado | Not legal | Legalregistered with the state | Not legal | Herdshare milk must carry warning labels. Producers share sanitation and herd-testing information. Group pickup among co-owners is allowed. SB24-043, a sales bill, failed in 2024. One website claims a 2023 sales law exists, but the legislature's February 2026 memo says direct sales "remain illegal." |
| Connecticut | Legallicensed | Legalby statute | Legallicensed | Herds tested annually. Prominent warning label required. Rules vary with volume (above or below 250 lb a day). |
| Delaware | Legalwith permit (SB 273, signed Sept. 26, 2024) | Limited / gray areapermit only | Not legal | New program in 2025 under SB 273. Weekly testing and a food safety plan required. Off-farm sales only at locations approved by the Department of Agriculture. Warning sign required at point of sale. |
| Washington, D.C. | Not legal | No law | Not legal | No legal route. National brands sell raw pet dairy in stores. |
| Florida | Not legal | Not legal | Not legal | Pet milk only, with a feed registration. Raw pet milk is widely sold on farms. |
| Georgia | Legalwith permit | Not legalby rule | Not legal | Only fluid milk and cheese aged 60 days are legal for people. Pet milk requires a Commercial Feed Permit. Testing, inspections and labeling apply. |
| Hawaii | Not legal | No lawthe state claims illegal | Not legal | The health department seized raw pet milk in 2021. Effectively no access. |
| Idaho | Legalpermit or registration | Legalregistered | Legalpermitted | Any raw dairy product is legal. Herdshare animal limits were lifted in 2023. Small unpermitted non-retail sellers must register. FTCLDF notes an advertising restriction. |
| Illinois | Legaldairy farm permit + distribution point permit | Legal | Not legal | Milk and cream only, sold at the farm. Warning sign, transaction records and a recall plan required. |
| Indiana | Not legal | No lawgray area | Not legal | Pet milk only, labeled "not for human consumption" and sold in bulk from the farm. A 2026 Board of Animal Health advisory (reported secondhand) restated the ban on sales for people. |
| Iowa | Legalno permit, up to 10 lactating animals | Limited / gray areaFTCLDF reads the law as allowing them | Not legal | 2026: the farm-store expansion (HF 2444/2767) died, and SF 2112, a repeal bill, was introduced. Legal since 2023. Delivery and advertising allowed, and all raw products are covered. Requirements: warning label, monthly coliform counts, yearly vet checks, storage at 45°F or below, sale within 7 days. |
| Kansas | Legalno permit | No law | Not legal | Butter, cream, yogurt, kefir and unaged cheese are also legal at the farm. Advertising is now allowed after a court judgment (reported secondhand). |
| Kentucky | Limited / gray areagoat milk only, with permit + physician's written recommendation | No lawgray area | Not legal | 2026: the health cabinet reportedly stopped allowing raw pet milk sales. Pet milk needs a "NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION" warning under 12 KAR 3:012. |
| Louisiana | Not legalfor people | No law | Not legal | Act 699 (2024) allows raw milk only as animal feed. Requires a "NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION" warning, monthly salmonella tests and records kept 2 years. Sites calling it "legal for humans" are wrong. |
| Maine | Legallicensed | No law | Legallicensed | Raw butter, cream, yogurt and kefir are legal. Unlicensed direct sales are allowed in towns with food sovereignty ordinances. |
| Maryland | Not legal | Not legalby regulation | Not legal | Pet milk from registered producers only. |
| Massachusetts | Legalcertificate of registration | Limited / gray areaonly if registered | Not legal | On-farm sales only, with inspection. |
| Michigan | Not legal | LegalMDARD Policy 1.40 | Not legal | Pending: HB 5217-5219 (farm stands, farmers markets, warning labels) await a House floor vote. Herdshares need a written contract and milk from a single farm. The policy covers milk and cream, and a court ruling also allowed butter. |
| Minnesota | Legal"occasional" on-farm, no permit | No law | Not legal | Pending: HF 537/SF 490 would allow small registered farms to sell at farmers markets. Milk and cream only; buyers often bring their own containers. |
| Mississippi | Limited / gray areagoat only, up to 9 lactating goats | No law | Not legal | Incidental sales only; no advertising. |
| Missouri | Legalno permit | No law | Not legal | Delivery allowed. Farmers markets and farm stands require a Retail Raw Milk Permit. Raw cream is legal. |
| Montana | LegalLocal Food Choice Act | Limited / gray areaneeds a state securities exemption | Not legal | Small herds only: up to 5 cows, 10 goats or 10 sheep. Delivery from the farm allowed. Testing required, and buyers must be told the milk is uninspected. |
| Nebraska | Legalno permit | No law | Not legal | Milk and cream sold at the farm are exempt from the Milk Act. |
| Nevada | Limited / gray areaon paper - de facto no | No law | Limited / gray areaon paper - de facto no | Sales need approval from a county milk commission. Only Nye County has one, and it has approved no one. Pet milk must be dyed. |
| New Hampshire | Legal | No law | Legallicensed | Small producers are unlicensed up to 20 quarts a day (FTCLDF) or 20 gallons a day (Real Milk) - a conflict to verify. Raw butter, cream, yogurt, kefir and ice cream are legal. |
| New Jersey | Not legal | Not legal | Not legal | Pet milk with a state permit only. |
| New Mexico | Legalpermitted | No law | Legalpermitted | Raw cream is legal. Health warning label required, herds tested yearly, milk bottled on the farm and shelved separately. |
| New York | Legalwith permit | Limited / gray areapermit appears required | Not legal | Fluid milk only. Signage required at point of sale. |
| North Carolina | Not legal | Legalby statute | Not legal | Any raw dairy product through herdshares. Pet milk labels must be submitted to the state. |
| North Dakota | Legalno license | Legalby statute | Not legal | HB 1131 (2025) added yogurt, butter, cheese and ice cream. Sales allowed anywhere direct to consumers: farm, delivery, farmers markets. Requires a yearly vet exam per animal, cold storage, labels, and sale within 7 days. |
| Ohio | Not legal | Legalcourt ruling + policy | Not legal | HB 406 (2025), a permitted-sales bill, was stopped. Commercial feed permit required for pet milk. |
| Oklahoma | Legalunlicensed, up to 1,500 gal/month | No law | Not legal | Changed May 7, 2026 (SB 2028): the on-farm cap rose to 1,500 gallons a month, and advertising is allowed. Advertising allowed and all raw products covered. A state-approved warning label must say the product "may contain harmful bacteria." Off-farm sales require a permit. |
| Oregon | Legalunlicensed, up to 3 cows / 9 goats / 9 sheep | No law | Limited / gray areagoat and sheep milk only (licensed) | Raw cream is legal. Milk must be bottled on the farm. |
| Pennsylvania | Legalpermitted | Limited / gray areasources disagree on herdshares | Legalpermitted | New since May 23, 2026: raw butter permits, with enforcement for existing permit holders starting May 23, 2027. More than 100 permitted dairies. Retail bottles must be mechanically capped; on-farm buyers may bring their own containers. |
| Rhode Island | Limited / gray areagoat milk with prescription | No law | Not legal | Otherwise illegal. |
| South Carolina | Legalpermitted | No law | Legalpermitted | Same inspection and herd testing as Grade A dairies. Raw cream and buttermilk rules were proposed in 2020. |
| South Dakota | Legallicensed | No law | Not legal | Delivery from the farm allowed. Producers must take an education course, label containers and keep buyer records 90 days. Raw cream is legal. |
| Tennessee | Not legalpet only | Legalby statute | Not legal | Value-added products are allowed through herdshares. Raw butter requires a dairy plant permit. |
| Texas | Legalwith state permit | Legalby regulation | Not legal | Delivery to the final consumer allowed. Cream, yogurt, kefir and buttermilk are legal. |
| Utah | Legalnotify the state (no permit) | Legalby statute (up to 2 cows, 10 goats, 10 sheep) | Legalany inspected store (HB 179, 2026) | Changed 2026: HB 179 was signed March 26 and took effect in May 2026 - raw milk in any state-inspected grocery store. Third-party agents can deliver. Producers test monthly for pathogens. Labels must show a warning, sell-by date and species. Pet milk must be denatured. |
| Vermont | LegalTier I unlicensed, about 87.5 gal/week | No law | Not legal | Tier II (licensed, up to 350 gal/week) may deliver prepaid orders and sell at farmers markets. Frozen samples kept 2 weeks; customer records and labels required. |
| Virginia | Not legal | Legalstate agriculture department policy | Not legal | Pet milk under a feed license, labeled "not for human consumption," confirmed by the state in June 2024. |
| Washington | Legallicensed | Legallicensed | Legalmilk and cream | Requires a producer license plus a processing plant license. Restaurants may serve it. Raw butter reportedly not allowed. Pet milk must be colored. |
| West Virginia | Legal | No lawthe state still honors herdshares | Limited / gray areaFTCLDF: yes; Real Milk: direct sales | 2024 law (HB 4911) opened sales. Sales allowed with a label reading "unpasteurized raw milk" plus the seller's name and production date. A 2025 law sets pet milk rules. |
| Wisconsin | Limited / gray area"incidental" only | Not legalbut bona fide farm ownership is allowed | Not legal | Active litigation: DATCP suspended Grassway Organics' license April 21, 2026, and a court denied a restraining order Oct. 7, 2026. A full hearing is set for May 2027. Wisconsin's "bona fide ownership" model is being tested in court. |
| Wyoming | Legalunregulated (Food Freedom Act) | Legalby regulation | Legalthrough a designated agent or store | Any location the producer and an informed buyer agree on. Buyers must be told the product is uninspected. |
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- Utah - HB 179, signed March 26, 2026: raw milk in any state-inspected grocery store.
- Oklahoma - SB 2028, signed May 7, 2026: on-farm cap raised to 1,500 gallons a month, and advertising allowed.
- Pennsylvania - raw butter permits published May 23, 2026.
- Arkansas - HB 1048 and SB 464 (2025): farmers markets, delivery and natural food stores.
- North Dakota - HB 1131 (2025) added raw dairy products.
- Delaware - SB 273 (signed 2024) set up a permitted program in 2025.
- Still pending or failed: Michigan HB 5217-5219 (awaiting a House floor vote), Iowa's farm-store expansion (died in 2026), Minnesota HF 537/SF 490. Wisconsin's leading enforcement case is in court.
Different ways to get raw milk
Straight from the farm
The most common way. In many states you can get raw milk right at the farm or homestead - sometimes with a permit, sometimes with limits on how much a farm can sell. Find a farm near you and see if they are accepting new members.
Public stores
In about 13 states, licensed farms can sell raw milk in stores publicly. This milk usually comes from big producers, so quality could be questionable - and most times you can find small farms that are grass-fed and take health seriously.
Herdshares
You buy a share of a herd - or of a single cow or goat - and pay the farmer a boarding fee to care for it. Because you part-own the animals, the milk is yours. Herdshares are the main way to get raw milk in states like Colorado, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.
Private Membership Associations (PMAs)
A private membership association is a group whose members agree to share food among themselves rather than selling to the public. Members sign an agreement and pay dues, and the farm provides food to its members. How PMAs are treated varies from state to state, so ask the farm how its association works before you join.
Ministries and non-profits
Some farms share raw milk through a ministry or non-profit setup. Ministries offer the food in exchange for a gift amount, so members and beneficiaries support the work and receive food as part of their membership. Getting food this way can be very easy and convenient.
As pet food
In many states, raw milk can be sold as pet food, labeled "not for human consumption." Some farms add a note like "Same standards as we use for milk for human consumption." But be a little careful, because some states require it to be dyed or colored.
Buyers' clubs, drop points and delivery
In many states, farms or clubs offer raw milk through small community groups, at farmers markets, or at pickup points. So pretty much anywhere you live in the US, you can get raw milk. Sometimes you'll need to drive pretty far - but you can stock up and freeze it, and connect with local raw milk communities.
Find raw milk near you
Search the Milk Finder by ZIP, town or state.
This is a plain-language summary for families, not legal advice. Laws change and sources sometimes disagree - before you buy, check the farm’s permit, test results and labels with the state’s department of agriculture.