Service Agents

Oregon does not require service company or service agent registration, certification, or licensing. Service companies operating in Oregon are required by OAR 603-027-0700 to ensure that any work done complies with Oregon Weights and Measures laws. Normally commercial weighing and measuring equipment in Oregon must;

• Have a valid NTEP Certificate of Conformance
• Conform to the specifications and tolerance in NIST Handbook 44
• Be suitable for the use intended
• Be installed in accordance with manufacturer instructions
• Be adjusted as close to zero as possible
• Be metrologically sealed (according to the instructions given on the NTEP certificate of conformance, i.e., lead and wire seals)

Place-in-service reports are required within 24 hours of installation for all new equipment instals whether new or to replace existing equipment.

NOTE: New equipment installs will require ODA licenses as a condition for use in commercial service. Replacements, however, do not require updates to existing licenses.

All tags (including stop use, and repair tags) issued by weights and measures require written notification when service work is complete and the tag is removed.

Placed-in-Service Reports

Placed-in-Service reports are required within 24 hours of installing commercial weighing or measuring equipment including gas pumps, fuel meters, propane meters, scales, automated weighing systems, mass flow meters, etc. Links to the forms are at the bottom of this page. The place-in-service report requirement applies for example when;

• New equipment has been installed.
• Used or reconditioned equipment has been installed.
• Equipment has been replaced.
• Previously unlicensed/unused equipment is placed into service.
• The metrological seal on the equipment has been broken in order to calibrate the equipment.

NOTE: an exception is made if recalibration was done in response to a weights and measures issued repair or stop use tag. In this case you must return the completed tag in lieu of the placed-in-service form). If the equipment is replaced in response to a tag then both the tag and the placed-in-service form must be submitted.

NOTE: A placed-in-service report may be submitted in the case where a repair or stop-use tag has been lost or destroyed. Note the tag number on the placed-in-service form so that the tag can be properly cleared upon receipt. This information can be found on the accompanying inspection report.

Repair / Stop Use Orders (Overview)

When a compliance issue is found during a weights and measures inspection then either a repair order in the form of a "blue" tag or a stop use order in the form of a "red" tag is issued. The tag is attached to the device and must remain until the compliance issue is addressed. Premature removal of the tag may result in loss of tag removal privileges and civil or criminal penatlties as are required by Oregon law. The repair tag includes the following information:

• A unique tag number beginning with the letter "R" or "S"
• The date it was issued
• The business name and location
• Identification information of the equipment
• A brief explanation of the issue

The blue repair tag allows the equipment a grace period to remain in service for a limited amount of time giving the owner the opportunity to service it while still using it. The initial timeframe will normally be 10 to 30 days depending on the issue. The red stop use tag removes the equipment from service immediately.

Continued use of equipment subject to a stop use order is a violation of Oregon law and may result in civil or criminal penalties. Continued use of equipment subject to a repair order after expiration of the grace period is a violation of Oregon law and may result in civil or criminal penalties.

NOTE: Extensions for the repair tag grace period may be granted by contacting the weights and measures main office or the issuing inspector. Contact information may be found on the accompanying inspection report.

BOTH REPAIR TAGS AND STOP USE TAGS MUST BE COMPLETED AND RETURNED TO OREGON WEIGHTS AND MEASURES WHEN REMOVED.

Removing Repair/Stop Use Tags

As the service agent it is your responsibility to completely address the issue(s) identified on the tag and ensure that the equipment is metrologically sealed per instructions found on the NTEP certificate of conformance (normally this requires the installation of a lead and wire seal to lock out a calibration switch or a calibration compartment).

Possible service agent responses to the tag are summarized as:

• Repair / Recalibration
• Replacement
• Removal From Service

Once the equipment is serviced and metrologically sealed you are authorized to remove the tag from the equipment.

Once the tag is removed:

• Complete the service information on the back side of the tag.
• Return the tag to Oregon Weights and Measures per the instructions printed on the tag.

NOTE: If you elect to email the tag then be certain to included images of both sides of the tag and make sure that the tag number is legible. The tag number may be found on the inspection report in the event the tag itself is damaged or otherwise illegible

Tags must be returned even if the equipment is simply removed from service.

NOTE: To remove equipment from service meaningful action must be taken to discourage continued use. Examples:

NOTE: Failure to return a stop use or repair tag will result in official letters to your customer. These letters are the delinquent 10 day (D10) letter and the “On Notice" letter. If such a letter is received by your customer then a written response is required to clear the tag(s) identified on the letter. Instructions for response are included in the letter. Failure to respond to these notices may result in additional civil or criminal actions as required by Oregon law.

Additional information regarding tags may be found at:

Repair Tags

Missing or Damaged Tags

In the event that a tag is either missing or otherwise illegible due to damage then a placed-in-service report may be submitted to clear the tag. Be sure to include the tag number on the placed-in-service report when submitting it to ensure the tag is properly cleared. (original tag number(s) may be found on the inspection report; copies are available from Oregon weights and measures)

Returning Equipment to Service

Once the stop use or repair tag is removed from the equipment your customer may resume normal use of the equipment immediately. You do not need to wait for a re-inspection by a weights and measures inspector. Once the returned tag is received by the Salem office, it will be logged, cleared, and ultimately returned to the issuing inspector. The inspector will then determine if a follow-up inspection if necessary.

A placed-in-service report is not always required when responding to a tag. A placed-in-service report is required when;

• equipment is replaced in response to the tag
• the stop use or repair tag is missing or otherwise damaged. Include the tag number on the placed-in-service report to ensure the tag is properly cleared.

If the existing equipment is repaired or recalibrated in response to the tag then you are only required to return the completed tag upon its removal from the equipment.

Oregon Weights and Measures Licensing Requirements

As the service agent you are not the responsible party when it comes to meeting the licensing requirements. It is the equipment owner or operator who is responsible for obtaining the necessary licenses to use their equipment in commerce. This information is provided to help you better advise your customers as may be needed.

The following types of weighing or measuring equipment require licenses in Oregon:

• All commercially used scales
• All commercially used mass flow meters
• All commercially used propane meters
• All commercially used motor fuel dispensers (1 license per product offered per face of the dispenser: A cabinet with regular, mid-grade, and premium on both sides requires 6 meter licenses)
• All commercially used meters used to sell motor fuels (including but not limited to gasoline, diesel, and aviation gasoline)
• All commercially used propane vapor meters

Commercial use in Oregon generally means that the scale or meter is used either directly or indirectly to assess charges in any way in a business to business or business to consumer transaction.

NOTE: the standard for commercial use is very broad and is not limited to direct sales. If the product or commodity is measured as a part of the transaction then the application is commercial.

Possible exception to the licensing requirements may include:

• Weighing or measuring equipment used solely to portion components of a recipe and are not used to determine the net weight of the finished product
• Weighing equipment used solely to assess the weight of a vehicle for compliance with motor carrier highway weight restrictions
• Weighing or measuring equipment used exclusively for internal business process controls
• Weighing or measuring equipment used exclusively within the business (i.e., a motor fuel dispenser may not need to be licensed if it is exclusively used to fuel vehicles owned by the same business)
• Positive displacement meters used to measure products other than motor fuels (i.e., water, oil, etc.)

Please contact Oregon weights and measures to discuss situations where the licensing requirements are unclear. Oregon weights and measures staff are always happy to help explain the weights and measures requirements.

License application forms are available at: License a Scale or Meter

FAQ's

License Application Forms

• License Renewal Form (Current Year, 2024-25)
• License Renewal Form (Prior Year, 2022-23)
• License Renewal Form (Prior Year, 2023-24)

Small Scale Placed in Service Report Forms

• Placed in service report form — small scales (< 1,160 lb capacity)
• Placed in Service Report Form - Cannabis — Small Scales (Cannabis < 1,160 lb (526 kg) capacity)
• Placed in Service Report Form - Hemp - Small Scales (Hemp < 1,160 lb capacity)
• Placed in Service Report Form - Psilocybin- Small Scales (Psilocybin < 1,160 lb capacity)

Placed in Service Report Forms for Large Scales

• Placed in service report form — large scales > 1,160 lb capacity

Placed in Service Instructions / FAQs

• Placed in service report information
  A question and answer format for information on Placed in Service Reports as well as their requirements in Oregon Administrative Rule.