Obtaining a Dairy Food Processing Permit

Dairy processing permits are issued at the state level. In Pennsylvania, all dairy food processors who sell their products must obtain a permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, through the Milk Sanitation Program. Processors may download the Application for Permit to Sell Milk or Milk Products from the website, or call 717-787-4315 to obtain a paper copy. Questions may also be sent by email to RA-AGMILKPROGRAM@pa.gov. If you are outside of Pennsylvania, please contact your local Department of Agriculture or Department of Health to determine the requirements and procedures for your state.

Permits are issued annually and are valid from September 1 to August 31 of the following year. There is no cost for the permit, but the processor or raw milk provider is responsible for following all appropriate Pennsylvania and Federal regulations and is financially responsible for any testing required to meet regulations.

The application has check boxes to indicate what type of permit is being requested. The types of permits are:

• Raw Farm (plan to sell raw milk on the farm where it was produced)
• Raw Bottler (plan to bottle raw milk and sell off-farm)
• Milk Processor Grade A (plan to pasteurize Grade A milk/milk products)
• Milk Processor Non-Grade A (plan to pasteurize Non-grade A milk/milk products)
• Manufacturing Plant (plan to manufacture dairy products)
• Receiving Station
• Transfer Station
• Wash Station
• Single-service Container Manufacturer
• Distributor
• Bulk Tank Unit (BTU)
• Organic

Additionally, the type of operation you have must also be indicated on the permit application. These categories are:

• Produce Raw Milk – Cows
• Produce Raw Milk – Goats
• Produce Raw Milk – Sheep
• Raw Milk Sales/On Premises
• Raw Milk Sales/Off Premises
• MFG Frozen Desserts
• Manufacturing Grade Milk for Pasteurization (BTU)
• Grade A Milk for Pasteurization (BTU)
• Pasteurizes Grade A Milk – Cow
• Pasteurizes Grade A Milk – Goat
• Pasteurizes Grade A Milk – Sheep
• Grade A Ultrapasteurized Milk
• Grade A Aseptically Processed & Pasteurized Products
• Pasteurizes Milk – Cow (Non-A)
• Pasteurizes Milk – Goat  (Non-A)
• Pasteurizes Milk – Sheep (Non-A)
• Raw Aged Hard Cheese (Cow)
• Raw Aged Hard Cheese (Goat)
• Raw Aged Hard Cheese (Sheep)
• Pasteurized Cheese (Cow)
• Pasteurized Cheese (Goat)
• Pasteurized Cheese (Sheep)
• Grade A Yogurt
• Non-Grade A Yogurt
• Grade A Kefir
• Non-Grade A Kefir
• Cream
• Ice Cream
• Sour Cream
• Powdered Milk
• Butter
• Cream Cheese
• Wash Station
• Distributor Only
• Other Dairy Products

If you have questions about the permit application or the submission process, please contact your local PDA inspector or the main office at the email and phone number above. For more information about the Pennsylvania Milk Sanitation Program you can visit their website or see the PDA Milk Sanitation Program summary on the Penn State Extension Dairy Foods Processing website.