Trading Standards weights and measures fees and charges
The following fees and charges are for the financial year 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.
Read the Weights and Measures Act 1985.
General weights and measures
| Weights and measures | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
Testing and verification hourly rate (Except where fees are detailed below) | £100 | £20 (20%) | £120 |
Preparation time for weights and measures work including familiarisation with the equipment's notice and preparing testing equipment. | £100 | £20 (20%) | £120 |
| Cost of certificate detailing errors found during testing | £60 | £0 (0%) | £60 |
|
Public weighbridge operator training (per person)
Including operator pack and up to 1 hour training on site | £100 | £20 (20%) | £120 |
| Additional hourly rate for weighbridge operator training (after inclusive hour) charged in 30 minute intervals | £100 | £20 (20%) | £120 |
Weights and measures requests for testing
Under section 74(4) of The Weights and Measures Act 1985 we can:
- in disputes between buyer and seller, carry out a test on the equipment or goods
- issue reports on weighing or measuring of goods
- test the accuracy of weighing or measuring equipment.
| Section 74(4) request | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | £100 | £0 (0%) | £100 |
Weighing equipment
No VAT will be charged for initial verifications, re-verification work will be charged at 20% VAT.
Instruments that have remote displays or printers may require an additional officer to test, or a second series of tests by the same officer. In these cases the total charge will increase by 50%.
| Weighing instruments | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not exceeding 1 tonne | £100 | £20 (20%) | £120 |
| Exceeding 1 tonne but not 10 tonnes | £145 | £29 (20%) | £174 |
| Exceeding 10 tonnes | £210 | £42.40 (20%) | £252.40 |
We can provide a van and weights for platform machines up to 1 tonne capacity. This will not be needed if you can provide acceptable weights and equipment for the test.
You must provide a weighbridge testing unit for all weighing instruments over 1 tonne capacity.
| Van and weights | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| To supply van and test weights, per visit | £205 | £41 (20%) | £246 |
Measuring instruments for liquid, fuel and lubricants
No VAT will be charged for initial verifications, re-verifications will be charged at 20% VAT.
Two officers are needed to test measuring equipment unless the fitter is present and available to assist with testing.
| Liquid, fuel and lubricants | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
Liquid, fuel and lubricants dispenser hourly rate (per officer) Minimum charge is 1 hour at this rate, then charged in 30 minute intervals. Charges are calculated from the officer's time of arrival to departure from site. | £100 | £20 (20%) | £120 |
Petroleum spirit storage
Fees for keeping quantities of petroleum spirit are set by The Health and Safety and Nuclear (Fees) Regulations 2022.
- For a solid substance which requires a licence, the fee to be paid is calculated as if 1 kilogram were equal to 1 litre.
- The fee covers the cost of a licence plus 1 site visit.
- Fees may cover a period of less than a full year, but the fee is unchanged.
- You can renew your petroleum storage licence for between 1 and 10 years.
| Annual fees to keep petroleum spirit of a quantity | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not exceeding 2,500 litres | £48 | £0 (0%) | £48 |
| Exceeding 2,500 but not exceeding 50,000 litres | £65 | £0 (0%) | £65 |
| Exceeding 50,000 | £137 | £0 (0%) | £137 |
Environmental survey request, in relation to petroleum installations
Read the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
Each survey includes one hour of a Trading Standards Officer's time and a written response.
| Survey requests | Charge | VAT | Total charge |
|---|---|---|---|
Standard service (Report completed within 20 working days of payment) | £100 | £0 (0%) | £100 |
|
Express service
(Report completed within 5 working days of payment) | £145 | £0 (0%) | £145 |
| Any additional work, agreed in advance, will be charged at this hourly rate in 30 minute intervals | £100 | £0 (0%) | £100 |