Weights and measures: inspection fees.

Existing law requires the sealer of a county to inspect and test weighing and measuring devices, as specified, that are used or sold in the county. Existing law also requires the sealer of a county to weigh or measure packages to determine whether they contain the amount represented, as provided. Existing law, until January 1, 2027, authorizes the board of supervisors of a county, by ordinance, to charge an annual registration fee, not to exceed the county's total cost of actually inspecting or testing weighing and measuring devices required of the county sealer, to recover the costs of the county sealer to perform these duties. Existing law, until January 1, 2027, requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to establish by regulation an annual administrative fee to recover reasonable administrative and enforcement costs incurred by the Department of Food and Agriculture for exercising supervision over and performing investigations in connection with the activities performed by county sealers described above and for other specified duties, and requires the administrative fee to be collected for every device registered with each county office of weights and measures and paid annually to the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund. This bill would extend the authority of the board of supervisors of a county to charge an annual registration fee to recover the costs of the county sealer, as provided, until January 1, 2029, and would extend certain other related provisions. The bill would also continue the annual administrative fee to recover the costs incurred by the department described above until January 1, 2029. Existing law specifies that the annual registration fee for a business that uses a commercial weighing or measuring device consists of, among other things, a business location fee and a device fee. Existing law generally prohibits the business location fee and device fee from exceeding $100 per business location, plus 100% of the maximum applicable device fee. This bill would instead prohibit the business location fee and device fee from exceeding $120 per business location, plus 100% of the maximum applicable device fee. The bill would increase the maximum device fee for water submeters and vapor submeters used under certain circumstances to $6 and $10, respectively, and would increase the maximum device fee for computing scales to $25. The bill would also apply the same device fee and other requirements applicable to computing scales to electronic counter scales interfaced with a cash register or any point-of-sale system. Existing law provides, that for computing scales, the portion of the annual registration fee consisting of the business location fee and the device fees shall not exceed $1,000 for each business location. This bill would increase the maximum annual registration fee described above to $1,200. Existing law provides, that for all other commercial weighing or measuring devices not specifically listed, the device fee shall not exceed $20 per device and the portion of the annual registration fee consisting of the business location fee and the device fees shall not exceed $1,000 for each business location. This bill would increase the maximum device fee to $26 for these devices and would increase the maximum annual registration fee described above to $1,200.