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Tennessee Scale Certification & Weights and Measures

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

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

State-run: TDA's Weights and Measures Section inspectors test commercial measuring devices statewide (fuel pumps, scales, LPG meters) and perform package check-weighing and UPC price verification. Owners contact the section at weights.measures@tn.gov / 615-837-5109.

What Tennessee requires of scale owners

Tennessee publishes no device-registration program for scale owners; under Tenn. Code Ann. 47-26-907 all commercial devices must meet NIST Handbook 44/130 technical requirements and NTEP type evaluation. Persons who service/repair devices must hold Service Person/Service Agency licenses and file a Placed In Service Report; public weighing requires a Certified Public Weigher or Weighmaster license.

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 Tennessee Department of Agriculture at (615) 837-5109 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 Tennessee?

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

Find companies in Tennessee
Sources: www.tn.gov/agriculture/consumers/standards.html | www.tn.gov/agriculture/consumers/standards/weights-a… | www.tn.gov/agriculture/consumers/standards/metrology…