1. (a) The Secretary may classify and issue licenses to milk handlers to carry on dairy product handling businesses, including the purchase, distribution, storage, or sale of milk or milk products, processing or manufacturing of milk or milk products, including the pasteurization of frozen dessert mixes, transport of milk and milk products, bargaining and collecting for the sale of milk and milk products, and dealing in or brokering milk or milk products.

2. (b) A milk handler shall not transact business in the State unless the milk handler secures and holds a handler’s license from the Secretary. The license shall terminate September 1 each year and shall be procured by August 15 of each year. The Secretary shall furnish all forms for applications, licenses, and bonds. At the time the application is delivered to the Secretary, the milk handler shall pay a license application fee of $50.00 for an initial application and a license fee based on the following table. For a renewal application, only the fee in the table applies. Out-of-state firms shall use the company’s highest total pounds of milk or dairy products bought, sold, packaged, assembled, transported, stored, or processed per production day.

   Pounds of milk or dairy products bought, sold,	License
   packaged, assembled, transported, stored, or	handling
   processed per production day:	fee
   500 pounds or less	$ 60.00
   Over 500 but less than 10,000 pounds	$ 200.00
   10,000 to 50,000 pounds	$ 350.00
   Over 50,000 but less than 100,000 pounds	$ 750.00
   100,000 to 500,000 pounds	$1,000.00
   Over 500,000 pounds	$1,500.00
   Processor fee per pasteurizer	$ 75.00

3. (c) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of this section, the license handling fees only for the transportation of bulk milk shall be capped at $750.00 per year, and the license handling fees for milk producers who exclusively transport their own bulk milk shall be capped at $25.00 per year.

(Added 1965, No. 175, § 17; amended 1969, No. 73, § 3, eff. April 18, 1969; 1975, No. 220 (Adj. Sess.), § 12; 1977, No. 159 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 28, 1978; 1987, No. 217 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1989, No. 257 (Adj. Sess.), § 11; 2003, No. 42, § 2, eff. May 27, 2003; 2011, No. 33, § 7; 2011, No. 39, § 1, eff. May 19, 2011; 2015, No. 149 (Adj. Sess.), § 14; 2023, No. 141 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. July 1, 2024.)