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District of Columbia Scale Certification & Weights and Measures

✓ Sources checked July 11, 2026; office details updated October 9, 2026

District of Columbia runs a state-managed weights and measures program — commercial scale owners deal with the state agency directly. If you operate a commercial scale in District of Columbia — at a warehouse, farm, recycling yard, retail store, or truck stop — here is who regulates it, what the law requires, and exactly who to contact.

Who inspects commercial scales in District of Columbia?

District-level (state-equivalent) program: DLCP's Office of Weights and Measures registers and inspects all commercially used weighing and measuring devices in DC, inspecting thousands of devices twice every year; there is no county/municipal layer. Owners deal directly with DLCP OWM at (202) 698-2130.

What District of Columbia requires of scale owners

Every commercially used weighing, measuring and scanning device (retail scales, fuel meters, vehicle scales, pharmaceutical balances, UPC scanners, scales used in dialysis clinics and others) must be registered with DLCP before it is placed into service; registration and renewal are done online through the Business One Stop Solution (BOSS, boss.dc.gov). Per-device fees range from $25 (UPC scanner) and $75 (scales 0-100 lb, max $900 per location) to $1,500 (vehicle scales). DLCP states that businesses operating an unregistered or uninspected commercial device may be subject to enforcement action and applicable fines.

Devices used to buy or sell by weight must comply with NIST Handbook 44 — in practice this means an NTEP-certified, legal-for-trade scale. Confirm requirements for your device class with the office listed here.

Getting a scale into service — 4 steps

  1. Buy a legal-for-trade (NTEP-certified) scale appropriate for your application and capacity.
  2. Confirm registration and licensing requirements with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection at (202) 698-2130 before the scale enters commercial use.
  3. Arrange compliant installation and calibration. Where required, placing-in-service must be done by a licensed or registered service company.
  4. Stay compliant. Pass required inspections, keep calibration current, retain service records.

Common questions

What is NTEP certification?
NTEP (the National Type Evaluation Program, administered by the National Council on Weights and Measures) evaluates a scale model's design against NIST Handbook 44 requirements and issues a Certificate of Conformance. Nearly every state requires an NTEP-certified device for commercial (legal-for-trade) weighing; confirm the rules for your device with the office listed on this page.
Where do I find official forms and fees?
Use the licensing and forms links in the office panel, or contact the office directly — fee schedules change and some are published only in application documents.

Need calibration, repair, or installation in the District of Columbia?

Browse companies listed as serving the District of Columbia in the ScaleRegistry directory and contact them directly, and check the official licensing and registration information for the District of Columbia. Listings are not ranked or endorsed, and ScaleRegistry does not route requests to any company.

Find companies in the District of Columbia
Sources: dlcp.dc.gov/page/office-weights-and-measures | dlcp.dc.gov/page/weights-measures-information