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North Carolina Scale Certification & Weights and Measures

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

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

State-run: 39 Standards Division field inspectors test scales, fuel dispensers, scanners, and packaged goods statewide; annually-registered scale technicians may place devices back into service without waiting for a state inspector.

What North Carolina requires of scale owners

Commercial devices must pass Standards Division inspection (seal affixed); scale technicians must register annually (expires June 30), certify test weights annually, and file a service certificate for every installation or return-to-service.

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 North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services at (984) 236-4750 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 North Carolina?

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

Find companies in North Carolina
Sources: www.ncagr.gov/divisions/standards/standards-weights-… | www.ncagr.gov/divisions/standards/standards-licenses | www.ncagr.gov/divisions/standards/licenses/standards…