States where Raw Milk is Legal 2024

	Alabama	Prohibited
	Alaska	Prohibited
	Arizona	Permitted within state regulations
	Arkansas	Prohibited with exception
	California	Permitted
	Colorado	Prohibited
	Connecticut	Permitted within state regulations
	Delaware	Prohibited
	Florida	Prohibited
	Georgia	Prohibited
	Hawaii	Prohibited
	Idaho	Permitted within state regulations
	Illinois	Permitted within state regulations
	Indiana	Prohibited
	Iowa	Prohibited
	Kansas	Permitted within state regulations
	Kentucky	Prohibited with exception
	Louisiana	Prohibited
	Maine	Permitted
	Maryland	Prohibited
	Massachusetts	Permitted within state regulations
	Michigan	Prohibited
	Minnesota	Permitted within state regulations
	Mississippi	Permitted within state regulations
	Missouri	Permitted within state regulations
	Montana	Prohibited
	Nebraska	Permitted within state regulations
	Nevada	Permitted
	New Hampshire	Permitted
	New Jersey	Prohibited
	New Mexico	Permitted within state regulations
	New York	Permitted within state regulations
	North Carolina	Prohibited
	North Dakota	Prohibited
	Ohio	Prohibited
	Oklahoma	Permitted within state regulations
	Oregon	Permitted within state regulations
	Pennsylvania	Permitted
	Rhode Island	Prohibited with exception
	South Carolina	Permitted
	South Dakota	Permitted within state regulations
	Tennessee	Prohibited
	Texas	Permitted within state regulations
	Utah	Permitted within state regulations
	Vermont	Permitted within state regulations
	Virginia	Prohibited
	Washington	Permitted
	West Virginia	Permitted within state regulations
	Wisconsin	Prohibited
	Wyoming	Prohibited

Introduction

Popular, controversial, and at times difficult to understand, the state-by-state legality of selling raw milk in the United States is a complex tapestry woven by a combination of consumer demand, health concerns, and regulatory oversight. Due to these factors, the laws regulating raw milk sales for human consumption vary widely across the nation, prompting an intriguing analysis of the restrictions and permissions state by state. Key findings are as follows:

Of all 50 states, only eight — California, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington — allow unrestricted retail sale of raw milk. This is the least regulatory regime, making raw milk readily accessible in these states.
An additional thirteen states permit retail sale of raw milk with some level of state regulations. Five of these states — Utah and Oregon, for example — require that the selling retail outlet own the source farm, adding an extra level of oversight.
On-farm purchasing forms the backbone of raw milk sales in 29 states. Of these, twelve states allow direct farm sales without requiring a license. The rest, including Missouri, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming, require a license yet also allow delivery directly from the farm to the consumer—a boon for raw milk aficionados who prefer home delivery.
Herd share or cow share programs, which involve consumers purchasing a share in an animal's upkeep and thus a share in its milk production, are an alternative method. Though nine states have deemed these programs illegal, the remaining allow for them, presenting an intriguing acquisition method for raw milk.
Despite the prevalence of the raw milk community, there are still states where raw milk sales are completely prohibited. These include Alabama, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, Louisiana, Iowa, and numerous others.

By Region

Alabama

See Less

Metric

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Alaska

Metric

Value

Rank

Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Arizona

Metric

Value

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Arkansas

Metric

Value

Rank

Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited with exception

California

Metric

Value

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted

Colorado

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Connecticut

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Delaware

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Florida

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Georgia

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Hawaii

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Idaho

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Illinois

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Indiana

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Iowa

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Kansas

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Kentucky

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited with exception

Louisiana

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Maine

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted

Maryland

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Massachusetts

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Michigan

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Minnesota

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Mississippi

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Missouri

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Montana

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Nebraska

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Nevada

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted

New Hampshire

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted

New Jersey

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

New Mexico

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

New York

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

North Carolina

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

North Dakota

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Ohio

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Oklahoma

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Rank

Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Oregon

Metric

Value

Rank

Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Pennsylvania

Metric

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted

Rhode Island

Metric

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited with exception

South Carolina

Metric

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Rank

Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted

South Dakota

Metric

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Tennessee

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Value

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Texas

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Value

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Utah

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Vermont

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Virginia

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Washington

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Value

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted

West Virginia

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Value

Rank

Milk Human Consumption Laws

Permitted within state regulations

Wisconsin

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Value

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Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Wyoming

Metric

Value

Rank

Milk Human Consumption Laws

Prohibited

Additional Legality Datasets

States where Raw Milk is Legal

Introduction

By Region

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

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