Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual

A California-certified public weighmaster’s certificate for commercial vehicles with an unladen or empty weight of 10,000 pounds or less and new commercial vehicles weighing 8,001 pounds or more which are sold by California-licensed dealers may be required to complete a commercial vehicle application. A California weight certificate must contain the following information:

• The name of the public weighmaster as shown on the weighmaster’s license. It may be printed or stamped on the form and countersigned by a deputy or electronically imprinted on the certificate.
• The license number or vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle.
• The unladen (or tare) weight of the vehicle.
• The date and city where signed.
• The certification: “This is to certify that the following described commodity was weighed, measured, or counted by a public weighmaster, and their signature is a recognized authority of accuracy as prescribed by Chapter 7, Division 5 of the California Business and Professions Code (commencing with §12700), administered by the Division of Measurement Standards of the Department of Food and Agriculture.”

You may also accept:

• A weight certificate that shows “private” weighmaster and refers to Chapter 7.3 of Division 5 of the California Business and Professions Code.
• A Weights and Measures Certificate of Inspection form or other official statement for a municipal vehicle weighed by a Weights & Measures official.

A registration application must show the weight of the vehicle in pounds. Some electronic scales record weight in tons and fractions of a ton. A weight certificate showing the weight in tons/fractions of a ton is acceptable, but you must convert the ton weight to pounds and enter the weight in pounds on the application. Convert the ton weight to pound weight by multiplying the ton weight by 2,000 (2,000 pounds in one ton). Do not enter weight in tons on any commercial registration application.

Weight Certificate for Multiple Identical Vehicles—One weight certificate is acceptable for multiple new or used commercial vehicles of identical make, size, and equipment, when the applications are submitted together.

Applications without the weight certificate submitted with an identical vehicles with a weight certificate must include a Statement of Facts (REG 256) form certifying the vehicle is identical to and is of the same weight classification (pounds) as shown on the weight certificate for VIN (VIN number from identical vehicle).

Out-of-State Weight Certificates—A weight certificate from Oregon, Nevada, or Arizona is acceptable when the closest weigh station is in one of these states. A weight certificate from any other state is acceptable only if the vehicle is not physically located in California at the time of registration.

Weight Certificate Includes the Weight of Excluded Equipment—If a request for the weight fee exemption is received on an application that includes a weight certificate for a complete vehicle, the registered owner must complete a REG 256 showing the:

• Unladen weight of the vehicle with the excluded equipment.
• Estimated weight of the equipment that should be excluded from the total weight of the vehicle.
• Unladen weight of the vehicle without the excluded equipment.

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