Kentucky Raw Milk Laws & Regulations

Kentucky allows raw goat milk sales under KRS 217C.090, enacted in 1988, which directs the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to permit the sale of unpasteurized goat milk upon the written recommendation of a physician. The rules are set out in 902 KAR 50:120. A producer must hold a permit from the Cabinet and may sell only on the farm. Each buyer needs a written recommendation from a physician for that specific person, which the producer keeps on file for one year. Permitted producers test monthly for bacteria count, somatic cell count, antibiotics, added water and temperature, and test for pathogens every two months. The regulation was last amended in December 2020. Kentucky has no comparable pathway for raw cow milk.

Consumers with a physician's recommendation can buy raw goat milk directly from permitted farms. Neighboring states offer broader access, including West Virginia, where raw milk sales have been legal since 2024, and Virginia, where herdshares operate. In 2025, HB 86 proposed that the sale of unpasteurized milk to consumers not be prohibited and would have replaced the goat milk statute; it was referred to the House Agriculture Committee and did not advance.