The county auditor serves as the sealer of weights and measures for the entire county. According to the Ohio Revised Code, Section 319.55, "The auditor shall see that all state laws relating to weights and measures are strictly enforced throughout his county, and shall assist generally in the prosecution of all violations of such laws."
The county auditor is responsible for testing the accuracy of weighing and measuring devices used in the purchase and sale of commodities. Brown County has contracted with Clermont County to inspect our weights and measures. Sharing the high quality services county to county saves Brown County citizens thousands of dollars. With the high standards that these inspectors uphold, we can be assured that true and accurate methods of testing are being used.
The Director of Agriculture is the State Sealer of Weights and Measures. The Ohio Department of Agriculture is the custodian of the Ohio primary standards of weights and measures, which are traceable to U.S. standards of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The international standards are kept in Paris, France.
As consumers, the products we buy are sold by weight, volume, length, count, or measure. The time-tested methods of verifying weight, volume, and pricing are being replaced by computerized devices. There are positives as well as cautions involved with the advances in technology. As U.P.C. pricing and computers are replacing price stickers, consumers receive faster service, but they cannot visually verify each item's price. Therefore, Weights & Measures officials and merchants must work harder to provide customers with pricing and measuring confidence.