Milk, cheese, yogurt and butter. Selling direct to consumers in Maine.
Milk dealersAnnual Milk Commission license
Raw milkLegal with a license
Eating placesNo raw milk sales
Town ordinancesNot state-recognized
What is covered
Covered by this path
Pasteurized milk sold by a licensed dealer or producer-dealer
Raw milk and raw milk products sold under a license, labeled as not pasteurized
Frozen desserts made under a Frozen Dessert Manufacturer license
Needs a different path
Raw milk sold without a license (small-producer exemption bills were proposed; none confirmed as law)
Raw milk at restaurants and other eating establishments
Sales under a town food sovereignty ordinance (state has not recognized these)
Three compliance steps
A
License as a dealer
The Maine Milk Commission licenses dealers, sub-dealers and producer-dealers by calendar year. A producer-dealer produces and packages milk and sells it somewhere other than the farm. The 2026 letter lists a $1.00 license fee.
B
License your facility
DACF licenses dairy and frozen dessert operations. A 2015 DACF release cited a $25 annual fee; confirm the current amount with DACF.
C
Label and sell lawfully
Label raw milk products as not pasteurized and sell only from the farm, a farmers' market or a licensed retailer. Raw milk is not allowed at eating establishments.
Quick reference
Item
Rule
Regulator
Milk dealers
Annual Milk Commission license; retailers may not buy fluid milk from an unlicensed dealer (7 MRSA sec. 2955)
Maine Milk Commission
Frozen desserts
Frozen Dessert Manufacturer license
DACF QA&R
Raw milk, licensed
Retail sale legal if licensed and labeled as not pasteurized
DACF
Raw milk, unlicensed
Exemption bills (under 20 gal/day, farm or market only) proposed; enactment not confirmed
Maine Legislature
Food sovereignty towns
Local exemption at the site of production; state said in 2015 it does not recognize these
Town / DACF
Frequently asked
Is raw milk illegal in Maine?
No. It can be sold under a license with labeling. Unlicensed sales are the legal risk.
Can my town exempt me?
A town ordinance does not clearly override state licensing. In 2015 the state sued a farmer operating under one, so get DACF's answer in writing first.