Article 2.

Powers and Duties of Commissioner.

§ 81A‑15.  General duties.

The Commissioner shall:

(1) Have and keep general supervision of commercial weighing and measuring devices offered for sale, sold or used in the State.

(2) Upon written request from any person or educational institution in the State test or cause to be tested, or calibrate, weights, measures and weighing and measuring devices used as standards in the State.

(3) Enforce all the provisions of this Chapter.

(4) Conduct investigations to insure compliance with this Chapter.

(5) Inspect and test weights and measures kept, offered, or exposed for sale.

(6) Inspect, and test to ascertain if they are correct, weights and measures commercially used (i) in determining the weight, measure, or count of commodities or things sold, or offered or exposed for sale, on the basis of weight, measure or count or (ii) in computing the basic charge or payment for services rendered on the basis of weight, measure or count.

(7) Approve for use, and may mark, such weights and measures and weighing and measuring devices as he finds to be correct, and shall reject and mark as rejected such weights and measures as he finds incorrect. Weights and measures and weighing and measuring devices that have been rejected may be seized if not corrected within 10 days, or if used or disposed of in a manner not specifically authorized. Weights and measures found to be incorrect that are not capable of being made correct shall be condemned and may be seized by the Commissioner without any court order or other legal process.

(8) Weigh, measure, or inspect packaged commodities kept, offered, or exposed for sale, sold or in the process of delivery, to determine whether they contain the amounts represented and whether they are kept, offered, or exposed for sale in accordance with this Chapter or regulations promulgated pursuant thereto. In carrying out the provisions of this section, recognized sampling procedures shall be used.

(9) Allow reasonable variations from the stated quantity of contents, which shall include those caused by loss or gain of moisture during the course of good distribution practice or by unavoidable deviations in good manufacturing practice only after the commodity has entered intrastate commerce.

(10) Delegate to authorized agents any of these responsibilities for the proper administration of this Chapter. (1927, c. 261, s. 10; 1949, c. 984; 1975, c. 544; 1991, c. 636, s. 24.)

 

§ 81A‑16.  Police powers.

When necessary for the enforcement of this Chapter or regulations promulgated pursuant thereto the Commissioner or his authorized agent is:

(1) Authorized to enter any commercial premises during normal business hours, except that in the event such premises are not open to the public, he shall first present his credentials and obtain consent before making entry thereto, unless a search warrant has previously been obtained.

(2) Empowered to issue stop‑use, hold, and removal orders with respect to any weights and measures commercially used, and stop‑sale, hold, and removal orders with respect to any packaged commodities or bulk commodities kept, offered, or exposed for sale.

(3) Empowered to seize, for use as evidence, without warrant or other legal writ, any incorrect or unapproved weight, measure, package, or commodity found to be used, retained, offered, or exposed for sale or sold in violation of the provisions of this Chapter or regulations promulgated pursuant thereto.

(4) Empowered to stop any commercial vehicle wherever found in the State and, after presentment of his credentials, inspect the contents, require that the person in charge of that vehicle produce any documents in his possession concerning the contents, and require him to proceed with the vehicle to some specified place for inspection.

(5) Authorized to arrest, without warrant, any violator of this Chapter. Such authorized agent shall proceed forthwith with such person before a magistrate or other person authorized to issue arrest warrants. (1927, c. 261, ss. 11‑13; 1975, c. 544.)

 

§§ 81A‑17 through 81A‑21.  Reserved for future codification purposes.