North Dakota Raw Milk Laws & Regulations

North Dakota widened its framework substantially in 2025. Farms may now sell not just raw milk but a full range of raw milk products directly to consumers, which puts the state ahead of most of its neighbours on product range and makes a single farm visit considerably more worthwhile.

Is raw milk legal in North Dakota?

Yes. House Bill 1131, signed by Governor Kelly Armstrong and in effect from 1 August 2025, allows a farm to sell raw milk or raw milk products directly to the end consumer for personal consumption.

What you can buy

The expansion to products is the significant part of the 2025 law. Alongside fluid milk, North Dakota farms may now sell raw yogurt, ice cream, butter and cheese direct to consumers. Very few states permit raw milk ice cream, and the inclusion of butter and cheese means a farm can offer a genuine range rather than milk alone.

Products are labelled as "raw milk" or "made with raw milk", so identifying them is straightforward.

The limits

Three boundaries define the framework, and all are in the statute. A farm may not sell to a wholesaler or retail store for mass consumption, so this is a farm-to-consumer channel only. Sales may not cross state lines or otherwise involve interstate commerce, which reflects the federal restriction at 21 CFR 1240.61 rather than a state policy choice. And the sale is for personal consumption by the end consumer.

How to find a producer

Buy directly from the farm. Producers operate across North Dakota's agricultural counties, serving Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, Jamestown and Dickinson from the surrounding countryside. The state has a substantial dairy base and a strong direct-marketing farm culture.

Because sale is lawful and the 2025 law was widely covered, producers can be approached openly. Farmers market contacts, local food directories, food cooperatives and community networks are the practical routes, and a number of farms added value-added products after the law changed, so it is worth asking what a producer offers beyond milk.

Crossing state lines

North Dakota is currently the strongest option in its immediate area for raw dairy products. South Dakota to the south permits farm purchase and producer delivery but is centred on fluid milk. Minnesota to the east allows purchase of milk, cream and skim milk at the farm of origin. Montana to the west runs the Local Food Choice Act, under which small dairies of up to five lactating cows may sell any raw dairy product with no licence at all, which is comparably broad. Federal law restricts interstate commerce in raw milk, though the FDA has stated it has never taken and does not intend to take enforcement action against an individual transporting raw milk across a state line solely for personal consumption. For the federal framework, see the United States raw milk laws overview.