Weights & Measures

Overview & Insight

When you make a purchase at a food store, fill your tank with gasoline at a service station, or buy any merchandise by weight or measurement, it may surprise you to know that a weights and measures official had already been there in order that you, the consumer, would not be cheated by that purchase.

The Department of Weights and Measures provides consumer-protection awareness throughout the sixteen towns, two cities and eight villages of Ontario County. The weights and measures inspector checks almost every weighing and measuring device that affects your pocketbook. They make sure that the consumer gets what they pay for, and that the weighing devices used are accurate.

Weight & Measurement Devices

The Department of Weights and Measures conducts thorough examinations of commercial and non-commercial weighing devices in over 650 locations throughout Ontario County, including:
  • Store merchandise scales to make sure they are weighing your purchases properly, and that you are getting the quantity of goods acquired.
  • Prescription counter scales to make sure you get the proper amounts of medication prescribed.
  • Gas station pumps to make sure the meters are accurate so you don't drive away with less gasoline, diesel or kerosene than you paid for.
  • Timing devices (such as dryers used in laundromats, car washes and air pumps). There should always be a sign posted stating how much time you get for your money. If the sign says 25 cents for ten minutes, You you should get 10 minutes of operation for your quarter.
  • Commodities (any packaged goods) to make sure the contents stated are accurate with respect to quantity.
  • Bulk milk tanks on farms to make sure that the dairies and the farmers are treated equally, eventually affecting the consumer.
  • Gasoline and diesel fuel to make sure they comply with the New York State DEC laws and the Federal Clean Air Act, and that the octane and cetane of the gasoline and diesel are posted accurately.
  • Linear devices and measures (rulers, tape, or rope items) to make sure that when you buy a yard of material you get a yard of material.
  • Retail pricing accuracy inspections regarding scanner systems, price lookup systems, and manual entry registers.

We also respond to any complaints consumers may have about an establishment regarding short measure, gas quality, proper methods of selling commodities, abnormal device operations, and use of non-approved devices.

Staff

Our staff consists of a full-time director, senior inspector, and inspector. We work in conjunction with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets for Weights and Measures, and provide the State with monthly and annual reports of our departmental activities.

The next time you are out shopping or getting gas in Ontario County, take an extra moment to notice the sticker on the gasoline pump or on the measurement devices in your local grocery store. When you see one, you can rest assured that you - the consumer - are getting your money's worth.