The Division’s primary mission is to promote equity and fairness in Arizona commerce involving weighing or measuring for commercial purposes by regulating and supporting businesses in a manner that protects both the buyer's and sellers' interests. The Division carries out its mission by maintaining the State standards of weight and measure based on national standards maintained by the Federal government, licensing weighing and measuring devices used in Arizona, conducting a wide variety of inspection programs to protect the marketplace, and auditing measuring devices and enforcing the statutes, rules, and regulations governing their use.
To protect the integrity of Arizona’s marketplace by ensuring that equity and accuracy are preserved in commerce through fair and evident regulation and the effective communication of weight and measurement standards.
The Weights and Measures Services Division’s overall objective is to protect businesses and consumers via uniform inspection and test procedures, proper licensing of measuring devices, knowledgeable and well-trained state investigators, and precise operation of a metrology lab that provides accurate measurements and calibrations for industry to Federal standards. The Division plays a critical role in Arizona's marketplace by protecting consumers and retailers from unfair business practices. The Division provides a coordinated system to follow up with inspection and procedural guidelines adopted by the National Council on Weights and Measures (“NCWM”).
The Division also offers guidance, assistance, and education programs to encourage the public and private sectors to be efficient and compliant. As part of this effort, the Division regularly inspects regulated facilities and responds to citizen complaints. The Division also pursues informal and formal enforcement actions against regulated facilities to ensure compliance with weights and measures laws.
Preserve and defend the measurement standards upon which all commerce is built to deliver fair competition in the Arizona marketplace.
Maintain the state's primary standards (those measurements upon which all other measurement is based).
Ensure that commercial devices (scales, gasoline dispensers, liquid petroleum gas meters, etc.) used to sell commodities by weight, measure, or count are licensed and accurate.
Conduct regular inspections of commercial devices, retail packaging and labeling, and method of sale, and perform investigations of potential fraud to prevent unfair practices when buying or selling by weight, measure, or count.
Ensure that accurate prices are posted and items ring up at the posted price by conducting regular inspections to ensure compliance by retail businesses.
License Public Weighmasters who are responsible for weight certification.