Alison Wilkinson
Weights & Measures, Program Manager
- [email protected]
- Main
- 410-841-5790
- Fax
- 410-841-2765
Weights & Measures Information for Consumers
The MDA Weights and Measures program directly benefits all Marylanders by ensuring the fairness and equity of all commercial transactions involving determinations of quantity.
This includes such day-to-day activities as:
- the sale of food that is weighed by a scale in a supermarket
- the sale of gasoline through a gasoline pump
- the sale of fuel oil through a truck-mounted meter
Frequently asked questions
Weights & Measures Consumer FAQs
This is a term that we use to describe equipment or devices such as scales, gas pumps, or meters that weigh or measure commodities in the course of trade or business.
The "stickers" you refer to are known as "Approval Seals". They are placed there by a weights and measures official after the gas pump has been tested and found to be accurate and in compliance with all weights and measures requirements. The seal is an indication that weights and measures officials are ensuring customers are getting the gas they are paying for. There are many other weighing and measuring devices (scales, home heating oil meters, propane meters) that are tested by weights and measures officials and are "sealed."
All weights and measures are certified by the state metrology laboratory. This lab is charged as the official keeper of the state standards. Periodically the state standards are sent to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to be evaluated. Additionally, NIST sends standards to all the labs in the country for comparison tests.
To make an anonymous complaint, submit a complaint form online.
Contact the Comptroller of the Treasury at 410-260-7388. Their Investigative Services Unit deals with this type of problem and will take immediate steps to correct the situation.
There may or may not be anything wrong. Sometimes manufacturers change the size of the tank in a particular car and the owner’s manual is not updated. Check with the dealer. The gas tank rating listed in your owner’s manual lists a capacity that is the usable space of the tank. The usable space does not include the space within the filler pipe or the vapor head space in the tank that allows for expansion of product. When you combine the usable space and this additional space, the amount of product that can be put in the tank is greater than the tanks stated volume in the owner's manual.
To report your concern to weights and measures, submit a Weights and Measures Consumer Complaint Form.
No. You should only be charged for the product you are purchasing. This is called "net weight." Anything in a package other than the actual product is called "tare," and it's weight must be deducted from the total weight of the package.
Immediately contact the Weights & Measures program and explain the problems you are having, give the name of the business and the products you suspect are short weight. An inspector will conduct an inspection at the location and take action to correct any discrepancies that are found.
First, contact the manager of the store with your receipts and give him a chance to correct the problem. Second, contact the Weights & Measures program who will inspect the store to determine the extent of the problem and take any necessary action to ensure accurate pricing.
While the Weights & Measures program attempts to test and certify all devices on a routine basis, some devices are occasionally overlooked. Your call may alert us to the problem which will result in the device being tested, certified and sealed by a state inspector. The Weights & Measures approval seal is your assurance that the device is accurate and correct.
Yes, if the candy is pre-packaged prior to sale. Candy of this type must be sold by net weight, not by the "piece." The Weights & Measures program will be able to furnish you with detailed information on the labeling requirements for specific packaged commodities.