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Rhode Island Scale Certification & Weights and Measures

✓ Sources checked July 11, 2026; office details updated September 22, 2026

In Rhode Island, day-to-day scale inspection is handled by municipal (city and town) sealers, with the state agency certifying sealers and providing oversight. If you operate a commercial scale in Rhode Island — 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 Rhode Island?

Municipally appointed sealers of weights and measures - trained, certified and overseen by DLT's Weights and Measures Section - inspect and calibrate commercial scales, gas pumps and other devices; DLT publishes the licensed sealer assigned to each of the 39 cities/towns and can assign certified sealers to municipalities without an active one. Owners contact their municipality's listed sealer or DLT at (401) 462-8570 option 6.

What Rhode Island requires of scale owners

Businesses must have commercial devices tested and sealed by the certified sealer serving their city/town, paying the sealer's statutory testing/sealing fees (R.I. Gen. Laws chs. 47-1, 47-2; 260-RICR-30-10-3); fuel/oil delivery truck meters must be tested and sealed at least annually and tank capacities every 3 years. There is no state device-registration portal; DLT separately licenses petroleum/oil dealers and certifies dealers/repairmen to test and seal fuel trucks.

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. Contact your municipal sealer (see DLT’s licensed sealers list) to confirm registration, fees, and inspection scheduling; the state program is the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training at (401) 462-8570, option 6.
  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 Rhode Island?

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

Find companies in Rhode Island
Sources: dlt.ri.gov/regulation-and-safety/occupational-safety | dlt.ri.gov/regulation-and-safety/licensed-sealers | rules.sos.ri.gov/regulations/part/260-30-10-3