BILL REQ. #:  S-0638.1 



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SENATE BILL 5401
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State of Washington59th Legislature2005 Regular Session

By Senators Kohl-Welles, Benson, Thibaudeau, Kline, Poulsen and Jacobsen

Read first time 01/24/2005.   Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research & Development.



     AN ACT Relating to registration fees for weighing and measuring devices; and amending RCW 19.94.015 and 19.94.175.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 19.94.015 and 1995 c 355 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section for the initial registration of an instrument or device, no weighing or measuring instrument or device may be used for commercial purposes in the state unless its commercial use is registered annually. If its commercial use is within a city that has a city sealer and a weights and measures program as provided by RCW 19.94.280, the commercial use of the instrument or device shall be registered with the city if the city has adopted fees pursuant to subsection (2) of this section. If its commercial use is outside of such a city, the commercial use of the instrument or device shall be registered with the department.
     (2) A city with such a sealer and program may establish an annual fee for registering the commercial use of such a weighing or measuring instrument or device with the city. The annual registration fees shall ((not exceed the fee established in RCW 19.94.175 for registering the use of a similar instrument or device with the department)) be set so that the total of those fees does not exceed the cost of enforcing and administering the weights and measures program in the city. Fees upon weighing or measuring instruments or devices within the jurisdiction of the city that are collected under this subsection by city sealers shall be deposited into the general fund, or other account, of the city as directed by the governing body of the city.
     (3) Registrations with the department are accomplished as part of the master license system under chapter 19.02 RCW. Payment of the registration fee for a weighing or measuring instrument or device under the master license system constitutes the registration required by this section.
     (4) The fees established by or under RCW 19.94.175, or by a city, for registering a weighing or measuring instrument or device shall be paid to the department of licensing concurrently with an application for a master license or with the annual renewal of a master license under chapter 19.02 RCW. A weighing or measuring instrument or device shall be initially registered with the state at the time the owner applies for a master license for a new business or at the first renewal of the license that occurs after the instrument or device is first placed into commercial use. However, the use of an instrument or device that is in commercial use on the effective date of this act shall be initially registered at the time the first renewal of the master license of the owner of the instrument or device is due following the effective date of this act. The department of licensing shall remit to the department of agriculture, or to each city charging registration fees under this section, all fees collected under this provision less reasonable collection expenses.
     (5) Each city charging registration fees under this section shall notify the department of agriculture at the time such fees are adopted and whenever changes in the fees are adopted.

Sec. 2   RCW 19.94.175 and 1995 c 355 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Pursuant to RCW 19.94.015, the following annual registration fees shall be charged for each weighing or measuring instrument or device used for commercial purposes in this state:

(a)Weighing devices:
(i)Small scales "zero to four hundred pounds capacity" . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00
(ii)Intermediate scales "four hundred one pounds to five thousand pounds capacity" . . . . . . . . . . . . $20.00
(iii)Large scales "over five thousand pounds capacity" . . . . . . . . . . . . $52.00
(iv)Large scales with supplemental
devices . . . . . . . . . . . .
$52.00
(v)Railroad track scales . . . . . . . . . . . . $800.00
(b)Liquid fuel metering devices:
(i)Motor fuel meters with flows of less than twenty gallons per
minute . . . . . . . . . . . .
$5.00
(ii)Motor fuel meters with flows of more than twenty but not more than one hundred fifty gallons per minute . . . . . . . . . . . . $16.00
(iii)Motor fuel meters with flows over one hundred fifty gallons per minute . . . . . . . . . . . . $25.00
(c)Liquid petroleum gas meters:
(i)With one inch diameter or smaller dispensers . . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00
(ii)With greater than one inch diameter dispensers . . . . . . . . . . . . $30.00
(d)Fabric meters . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00
(e)Cordage meters . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00
(f)Mass flow meters . . . . . . . . . . . . $14.00
(g)Taxi meters . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00

     (2) With the exception of subsections (3) and (4) of this section, no person shall be required to pay more than the established fee adopted under this section for any weighing or measuring instrument or device in any one year.
     (3) A city with its own weights and measures program may charge fees higher than those in subsection (1) of this section, but in no case may the total of those fees exceed the cost of enforcing and administering the weights and measures program in the city.
     (4)
The department or a city sealer may establish reasonable inspection and testing fees for each type or class of weighing or measuring instrument or device specially requested to be inspected or tested by the device owner. These inspection and testing fees shall be limited to those amounts necessary for the department or city sealer to cover the direct costs associated with such inspection and testing. The fees established under this subsection shall not be set so as to compete with service agents normally engaged in such services.

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