Scale Inspections at Certified Farmers' Markets Procedure Change
Author: Martin Settevendemie
Date: 12/9/2016 12:09 PM
Scale Inspections at Certified Farmers' Markets Procedure Change
December 9, 2016
The San Luis Obispo County Department of Weights and Measures has traditionally conducted scale inspections at Certified Farmers' Markets (CFM's). This approach is no longer feasible with the current registration fees of $20 per scale assessed on scale owners. With the unpredictable availability of the producers and sellers at the CFM's along with the limited resources of our Weights and Measures staff, the new procedural change outlined below will support scale owners in meeting the applicable requirements of inspection and sealing provisions of their scales.
Beginning January 2017, the Department requests that all scales used for commercial transactions at CFM's be delivered to one of our offices listed below for their annual mandated inspections. To expedite the inspection process, scale users are encouraged to contact one of our offices listed below to speak with a Weights and Measures official to schedule an inspection at one of our offices. Scales may be required to be held for more than one day at one of our offices for inspection. Producers and sellers should plan accordingly.
2156 Sierra Way
Suite A
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 781-5910
Office Hours: 8am - 5pm
350 N. Main Street
Suite A
Templeton, CA 93465
(805) 434-5950
Office Hours: 8am - 4pm
The Department would also like to take this opportunity to remind scale owners that the annual registration fees are mandated fees collected for registration purposes only. They are not intended as "inspection fees" or "service fees", and as such should not be considered as payment for an inspector to complete an inspection at the CFM. Ultimately, it is the scale owner's responsibility to ensure that scales used in commercial transactions are in compliance. We hope to minimize any impact to scale owners while providing the needed scale inspection services through one of our offices in a timely manner. Weights and Measures and Agricultural officials will continue their presence at CFM's providing regulatory oversight. However, the testing of scales at CFM's will no longer be conducted.
