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Hawaii Scale Certification & Weights and Measures

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

Hawaii runs a state-managed weights and measures program — commercial scale owners deal with the state agency directly. If you operate a commercial scale in Hawaii — 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 Hawaii?

State model: the Measurement Standards Branch's Standards and Trade Practices Enforcement inspectors test commercial measuring devices (scales, gas pumps, taximeters, odometers), packages, labeling and pricing statewide under HRS ch. 486; there is no county weights and measures system. Owners deal directly with the branch in Honolulu.

What Hawaii requires of scale owners

Commercial devices must pass branch inspection and bear the Measurement Standards Branch seal of approval - the site states a device with no seal 'is being used illegally.' Owners should contact the branch at (808) 832-0690 to arrange device testing; no online device registration form or fee schedule is published.

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 Hawai'i Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity at (808) 832-0690 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 Hawaii?

Browse companies listed as serving Hawaii in the ScaleRegistry directory and contact them directly, and check the official weights and measures program site for Hawaii. Listings are not ranked or endorsed, and ScaleRegistry does not route requests to any company.

Find companies in Hawaii