An official website of the State of Maryland.

Maryland.gov Translate

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Maryland Department of Agriculture

Commercial Weighing & Measuring Device Registration

About commercial device registration

The Department of Agriculture registers commercial weighing and measuring devices used throughout Maryland to ensure that consumers receive the correct amounts of products they purchase. All scales and meters used during sales transactions where products are bought or sold must be registered each year. 

Authority

STATE: Agriculture Article 11-204.2 to 11-204.7; COMAR 15.03.08

Who needs to register

Types of businesses that may need to have devices registered include:

  • Gasoline stations
  • Grocery stores
  • Delis
  • Candy stores
  • Jewelry stores
  • Laundromats
  • Package shipping stores
  • Quarries
  • Hardware stores
  • Home heating oil companies
  • Propane distributors 
  • Other businesses that buy or sell commodities by weight, measure, or count

Requirements before registering

Pre-approval: An applicant calls (410) 841-5790 to notify the Department of Agriculture that a commercial weighing or measuring device, such as a scale, gasoline meter or grain moisture meter, has been placed into commercial service. Information required includes make, model, serial number and the number of devices installed.

All commercial weighing and measuring devices manufactured or installed in Maryland after October 1, 1992 must be approved by the National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) operated by the National Council on Weights & Measures.

How to register

An applicant submits the form provided by the Department of Agriculture and pays the appropriate fee.

Upon receipt of the application and fee, a certificate of registration is mailed to the applicant.

Average processing time is five days.

Weights & Measures Registration

Registration & renewal deadlines

  • Registrations are renewed annually by May 31. 
  • Renewals must be received prior to May 31.

Frequently asked questions for business owners

Most businesses are to some degree affected by weights and measures laws. This will vary on the type of business. In general if you will be using any type of weighing and measuring device (scale, gas pump, meter) you will be directly affected. If you will be packaging commodities you will need to know packaging and labeling, and net quantity requirements.