§ 21-2-8. Issuance of permits. (a) General Requirements. The director shall issue a permit as required in § 21-2-7 of any type or kind only after receipt by him or her of a written application upon a form furnished by the director and setting forth any information concerning the applicant and his or her operation and facilities that the director may by regulation require. No permit shall be issued except on the basis of an inspection of the applicant's operation and facilities by a milk inspector of the department of health, if the applicant's place of business or operation is located in the state of Rhode Island, or if located outside the state, upon the basis of an inspection by a milk inspector of the department or by some person or agency outside of the state of Rhode Island but qualified and approved by the director to make inspections of the type required in the state where the applicant's operation or facilities are located. The permit shall issue only after the foregoing conditions and those special conditions, if any, as may be required in the case of any particular type of permit provided in this chapter, shall have been complied with. Every permit shall be granted upon the express condition that the applicant shall at all times conduct his or her operations and maintain his or her facilities in accordance with: (1) the requirements of this chapter, (2) all regulations of the director promulgated in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, and (3) the terms of § 21-4.1-6.

(b) Rhode Island milk producer's permit. A milk producer's permit shall issue only after the director shall have ascertained that, according to the records of the department, the applicant is currently complying with the provisions of chapters 4 - 7 of title 4.

(c) Distributor's permit. No distributor's permit shall be required in the case of retail stores purchasing milk finally bottled or packaged from a permittee under this statute for resale at retail to the ultimate consumer within the state of Rhode Island, but it shall be unlawful for any distributor to sell milk or have milk in his or her possession to sell which has not been processed by a person holding a permit from the director.

(d)(1) Out-of-state milk plant permit. An out-of-state milk plant permit shall be issued by the director only after he or she has received from the applicant for a milk plant permit a statement in writing in an approved form that the applicant agrees, as a condition precedent to the issuance of the permit, that his or her milk plant may be inspected at any time by the director or by milk inspectors of the state of Rhode Island and/or by any other inspectors approved by the director under the provisions of this chapter to make inspections in the state where the milk plant may be located, and that the director and his or her designated agents and representatives may at all reasonable times have access to the books and records of the milk plant for the purpose of enforcing compliance on the part of the applicant with the provisions of this chapter.

(2) Out-of-state milk plants shall meet the provisions of the regulations established by the director to sell, continue to sell, or offer for sale grade A milk or milk products in the state of Rhode Island. The regulations shall be consistent with the Federal Pasteurized Milk Ordinance.

History of Section. (P.L. 1931, ch. 1777, §§ 2, 3, 5, 10; P.L. 1932, ch. 1865, § 1; P.L. 1933, ch. 2035, § 1; P.L. 1933, ch. 2036, § 1; P.L. 1936, ch. 2355, §§ 1, 3; P.L. 1937, ch. 2534, § 1; G.L. 1938, ch. 217, §§ 2 to 4, 9; G.L. 1956, §§ 21-2-2 to 21-2-4, 21-2-6, 21-2-11; G.L. 1956, § 21-2-8, P.L. 1962, ch. 80, § 1; P.L. 1968, ch. 158, § 1; P.L. 1989, ch. 205, § 3; P.L. 1992, ch. 320, § 2.)