About the Milk Program

Raw milk and the law

Our role

• We monitor milk and milk products produced in Colorado. Regulations are based on the federal Grade “A” Pasteurized Milk Ordinance.
• We regularly perform inspections and sample products at all dairy farms, dairy plants and milk plants.
• We also check milk and dairy plant pasteurizers and pasteurization procedures.

Manufacturing and sale of ice cream | Keeping your milk fresh | Veterinary drugs in food-producing animals | Manufacture-grade dairy farms | Marketing dairy products | Cheese requirements | Grade A milk plant requirements | Grade A dairy farm requirements | License requirements

Manufacturing and sale of ice cream

• To manufacture ice cream for sale from a premade, pasteurized mix, you must get the blend from an approved source.
  • You can’t add ingredients such as pasteurized creams, powders and sugars, etc.
  • You can add colorings, flavorings or items such as fruits or nuts.
• To open an ice cream operation that will be part of a retail food establishment, where the product will be eaten on the premises or served over the counter to customers, you must notify your local health department.
• All ice cream freezers must be an approved commercial type.
• If your business will only be a manufacturing operation and not part of a retail food establishment, you must tell us about your plans for production:

303-854-7096

Keeping your milk fresh

• Refrigerate milk promptly after purchase and after each use.
• Storing milk at cooler temperatures keeps it fresh longer.
• Retail stores must keep their dairy cases at 45 degrees Fahrenheit or lower to help promote the products’ safety and shelf life.
• Consumers who follow similar handling, storage and temperature guidelines can expect their milk to last 14-21 days after it was packaged.
  • This date is indicated on containers by a "sell by" or "use by" date. However, all code dating is voluntary, and a few milk processors start from the date the milk was first produced rather than when it was packaged.

Veterinary drugs in food-producing animals

Manufacture-grade dairy farms

Marketing dairy products

• All products marketed in Colorado must be from approved sources, but you don’t need a permit to sell the products.
• If you want to sell products manufactured by a Colorado-based operation, the operation must have a manufacturer’s license. All such products must be from sources that have been inspected by our staff.
• If you're an out-of-state manufacturer planning to market dairy products in Colorado, the plant where the products will be manufactured must be listed with Interstate Milk Shippers (IMS) for Grade A products. Additionally,you must send us a letter including specific information about:
  • The plant where the products will be manufactured.
  • The kinds of products that will be marketed.
  • The locations of any Colorado warehouses where the products will be stored.

Send the letter to:

Cheese requirements

• Regulations about producing cheese from cow, goat or sheep milk are in the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, in particular items 1p through 22p. These are the same as the Colorado Grade A Pasteurized Fluid Milk and Milk Product Regulations. These apply to:
  • 1 percent, 2 percent, skim and whole milk.
  • Cottage cheese.
  • Half-and-half.
  • Sour cream.
  • Whipping cream.
  • Yogurt.
  • Frozen desserts.
  • Hard and soft cheeses made from pasteurized milk.
  • Properly aged cheeses made from raw milk.
• All Grade A milk and milk products must be packaged and produced in a Grade A milk plant approved by us.
• The raw milk supply for Grade A milk plants must be from dairy farms approved by us.
• If the raw milk must be transported to the plant for processing, an approved milk tanker must be used.
• Cheese processors must comply with requirements for:
  • Aging rooms.
  • Approved cheese molds and vats.
  • Dry storage, labeling and packaging equipment.
• We must approve aging practices for certain types of cheeses.

Grade A milk plant requirements

• Regulations about Grade A milk plants can be found in the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, in particular items 1p through 22p. These apply to:
  • 1 percent, 2 percent, skim and whole milk.
  • Cottage cheese.
  • Half-and-half.
  • Sour cream.
  • Whipping cream.
  • Yogurt.
• All Grade A milk and milk products must be packaged and produced in a Grade A milk plant approved by the division.
• The raw milk supply for Grade A milk plants must be from dairy farms approved by us.
• If the raw milk must be transported to the plant for processing, an approved milk tanker must be used.
• All Grade A milk plants must include proper:
  • Cleaning facilities.
  • Containers.
  • Hand-washing facilities.
  • Lighting.
  • Pipelines.
  • Refrigeration.
  • Storage tanks.
  • Ventilation.
  • Waste disposal.
  • Water supply.
• The pasteurization process must use an approved pasteurizer, equipped with an indicating and recording thermometer.
• Batch pasteurizers also must have an air space thermometer and a properly designed outlet valve with stops.

Grade A dairy farm requirements

• Regulations about Grade A dairy farms can be found in the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, in particular items 1p through 22p. 
• These apply to 1 percent, 2 percent, skim and whole milk, cottage cheese, half-and-half, sour cream, whipping cream, and yogurt.
• All Grade A milk and milk products must be packaged and produced in a Grade A milk plant approved by us.
• The raw milk supply for Grade A milk plants must be from dairy farms approved by us.
• If the raw milk must be transported to the plant for processing, an approved milk tanker must be used.

License requirements

• Dairy Plant License (non-Grade A milk manufacturing).
• Grade A Dairy Farm License.
• Grade A Milk Plant License.
• Milk Hauler’s License.
• Milk Receiving Station License.
• Milk Sampler and/or Tester License.

To apply for a license, call 303-854-7096.