Governor Hogan Proclaims March 1-7 Maryland Weights and Measures Week

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan has issued a proclamation declaring March 1–7 as Maryland Weights and Measures Week in recognition of the dedicated public servants who serve the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s (MDA’s) Weights and Measures Section.

“Whether you are getting fuel at a gas station or weighing your produce at a grocery store, the department’s Weights and Measures inspectors are there working hard behind the scenes to ensure you are protected and getting exactly what you paid for,” said Agriculture Secretary Joseph Bartenfelder. “Weights and Measures Week is a great time to highlight the important work of our inspectors and to thank them for all they do to ensure fairness in the marketplace.”

MDA’s Weights and Measures Section is responsible for verifying that all scales, meters, and other devices used to calculate price in Maryland are accurate and operating correctly – safeguarding the consumer from unfair and incorrect pricing. Everyday, MDA’s Weights and Measures staff work to test the accuracy of gasoline pumps, meters used to measure home fuel oil deliveries, and thousands of scales – from the grocery store to highway truck scales – providing an important service to Marylanders. 

Maryland Weights and Measures Week coincides with National Weights and Measures Week, which commemorates President John Adams’ signing of the first U.S. weights and measures law in 1799. This year’s theme is “Measuring Up to the New Normal” and emphasizes how weights and measures inspectors across the country are keeping pace with the rapidly advancing technologies and changes in the marketplace.

Maryland’s Weights and Measures staff inspects 60,727 weighing and measuring devices in commercial use at 7,788 businesses around the state. In FY20, field staff conducted 16,876 inspections of commercial weighing and measuring devices, including: cash registers, deli scales, shipping scales, large truck scales, fuel pumps, meters to measure home heating oil and propane, and many other devices. The department also inspected 1,163 individual lots of pre-packaged commodities offered for sale and investigated 257 consumer complaints, the majority of which were related to gasoline sales.

For more information on MDA’s Weights and Measures Section or to submit a complaint, visit the department’s website. MDA’s Weights and Measures Section can also be reached by calling (410) 841-5790 or emailing weights.measures@maryland.gov.  

For more resources, visit:

• National Conference on Weights and Measures: Getting What You Pay For at the Supermarket
• Maryland Department of Agriculture Photos: Weights and Measures – Then and Now
• Maryland Department of Agriculture: Weights and Measures AgBrief

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