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ODA proposes raising weights and measures fee caps to sustain program that inspects 60,000 devices a year
Summary
The Department of Agriculture asked lawmakers to increase statutory fee caps for weights and measures by up to 30% and to retain 3% annual authority; the agency also asked temporary flexibility to raise fees further in 2026–27 to catch up after several years when increases were not taken.
Jonathan Sandow, deputy director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, told the House Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water that House Bill 2806 would increase statutory fee caps for ODA’s weights and measures program and give the agency limited additional authority in the next two licensing years.
Sandow said the weights and measures program inspects about 60,000 devices annually — retail scales, fuel dispensers and other meters that sell goods by weight or volume. HB 2806 would raise the statutory maximum fee caps for devices by 30 percent and retain a 3 percent annual adjustment authority. The bill also includes a provision allowing up to an additional 7 percent increase in licensing years 2026 and 2027 — together a possible 10 percent flexibility in those years — to help the agency “catch up” after not raising fees during 2020–2022.
Sandow emphasized the program is fully fee supported and said the proposed changes are not automatic increases but would provide rulemaking authority ODA would use only after an open process with stakeholders. The deputy director said the program’s work supports fair commerce in Oregon and noted the program also runs the state’s fuel quality checks when inspectors visit fueling stations.
Committee members raised operational questions, including how complaints are handled and whether ODA contracts with Department of Justice for legal services; Sandow confirmed weights and measures responds to complaints and that ODA uses DOJ for legal counsel. Representatives asked for a one‑page fee schedule that shows how different fee models affect a variety of licensees; agency staff agreed to provide that.
Why it matters: The weights and measures program underpins commercial fairness — buyers and sellers rely on accurate scales and meters. ODA told the committee that without fee adjustments the program could have difficulty maintaining statewide inspection capacity.
