About Weights and Measures

The Division of Weights and Measures is the county regulatory agency charged with  enforcing California's weights and measures laws at the county level.  Weights and measures manages this at the direction of and in  partnership with California's Division of Measurement Standards (DMS), a division of California's Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). 

Historically, weights and measures inspected legal for trade devices used to buy and sell commodities commonly used in agriculture.  This included field crops, feeds, grains and livestock.  Today traditional commodities have increased to include new products such as petroleum products, water, electricity and natural gas used daily by local residents.  Additional services based on a measure of distance or time, such as a taxi ride, are also bough and sold daily in the local economy.

In addition to traditional commodities, weights and measures now also inspects retail motor fuel products, fuel advertisement as well as commodity price accuracy for products sold in local businesses.

The Division of Weights and Measures accomplishes this through the following programs and services.

Technology and developing commodities are changing and challenging weights and measures inspectors facing new ways of how business transactions and services are being bought and sold.

Network Ride-sharing Services 

Developing cell phone technologies that us network services and global positioning services (GPS) are redefining the traditional taxi services.  

Alternative Motor Fuels

Newer motor fuels are being brought to the market place do to petroleum motor fuel pressures such as fuel prices and carbon omissions.  Electricity has been categorized as a motor fuel and is now on the motor as a motor fuel.  It is up to the weights and measures inspectors to determine if this commodity is being sold correctly, safely and accurately.

Hydrogen and compressed natural gas has also been brought on line as a alternative fuels.

Water Utility Metering Services

Because of the increasing costs to potable drinking water and periodic droughts in California, there is a concerted effort to implement water conservation efforts.  This includes metering for water use in new residential constructions such as apartments.  Throughout California, existing apartments are being retrofitted with water sub-meters in order accurately measure and bill tenants for their water use, while at the same time encouraging conservation of water as higher water use results in higher water fees.