Weights & Measures inspectors test all commercial weighing and measuring devices such as scales used in grocery stores to weigh meat, produce and other commodities, scales used to weigh precious metals like gold and silver, large industrial scales used to weigh coal, concrete, chemicals and agricultural products, livestock scales, vehicle and railroad scales. Inspectors also test retail fuel meters at gasoline stations and truck stops and wholesale meters at fuel loading racks, on fuel delivery trucks and propane delivery trucks. Other retail meters include stationary propane used for filling tanks for grills and recreational vehicles, compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas vehicle dispensers.
If a commodity is sold in West Viriginia using a weighing or measuring device (1), the Weights & Measures section provides testing and oversight to ensure that accurate and fair measures are obtained, and that the device is suitable for its intended purpose.
A major aspect of the Device Testing program is the National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP). As a state who adopts the NTEP regulation, West Virginia requires that all new or newly installed weighing or measuring devices must have a NTEP Certificate of Conformance. This certificate indicates that devices are tested to ensure compliance to national standards prior to marketing. Before any new device is tested for accuracy in the field, our inspectors first determine that they meet the NTEP Certificate of Conformance requirements.
The specifications and tolerances that apply to field device inspection and testing are adopted in the WV State Code and Rule from the National Institute of Standards & Technology: Handbook 44, "Specifications and Tolerances for Weighing or Measuring Devices".
West Virginia is a member of the National Conference on Weights & Measures and the Southern Weights & Measures Association, which are the standard setting bodies for Weights & Measures issues in the United States. These important organizations are made up of all fifty states as well as numerous commodity and device manufacturers.
(1) Consumer natural gas, water or electric utility meters are regulated by the Public Service Commission of West Virginia and not by Weights & Measures.