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STATE-RUN

Illinois Scale Certification & Weights and Measures

✓ Sources checked July 11, 2026; office details updated October 9, 2026
Start here: The Illinois Department of Agriculture handles commercial scales in most of the state. Inside Chicago, scales and gas pumps used to sell directly to consumers must be certified and sealed annually by the City of Chicago (BACP), (312) 746-4882. Other cities of 25,000+ may appoint their own sealer, so check with your city. Call (217) 785-8301

Illinois runs a state-managed weights and measures program — outside Chicago (and any other city that appoints its own sealer), commercial scale owners deal with the state agency directly. If you operate a commercial scale in Illinois — 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 Illinois?

State-run: 25+ state field inspectors perform regular unannounced inspections statewide (billed per the published fee schedule); cities of 25,000+ may appoint a city sealer who certifies devices locally. Inside Chicago, scales and gas pumps used to sell directly to consumers must be certified and sealed annually by the City of Chicago (BACP Weights & Measures, (312) 746-4882).

What Illinois requires of scale owners

Devices must be placed in service by a licensed Registered Serviceperson (anyone selling, installing, servicing, or repairing devices must register with IDOA) and pass periodic state inspection.

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 Illinois Department of Agriculture at (217) 785-8301 — or, inside Chicago, the City of Chicago BACP at (312) 746-4882 — 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 Illinois?

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

Find companies in Illinois
Sources: agr.illinois.gov/consumers/weightsmeasures.html | agr.illinois.gov/consumers/weightsmeasures/weights-a… | agr.illinois.gov/about/topics-directory.html | www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/bacp/supp_info/weights…