License for Repairers of Weights-Measures and Weighing Instruments

What is the License for Repairers of Weights-Measures and Weighing Instruments?

The License for Repairers of Weights-Measures and Weighing Instruments is a licence issued by the Department of Legal Metrology (Weights & Measures) under the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Government of Uttarakhand. The licence lets a qualified technician legally repair and maintain weights, measures and weighing instruments. The balances, scales and measuring devices used by traders and shops.

According to the department, weighing and measuring instruments used in trade must be accurate and periodically verified. Only a person holding a Legal Metrology repairer licence is permitted to repair such instruments, because a badly repaired scale can cheat both buyers and sellers. The scheme therefore serves a dual purpose: it protects consumers by ensuring only competent, licensed technicians touch trade instruments, and it creates a self-employment opportunity for skilled electronics and instrumentation technicians.

This is a regulatory licence rather than a cash-benefit scheme. The applicant pays a small fee (about Rs 100), submits proof of qualification and premises, and receives the licence after a physical inspection.

Who is eligible for the repairer licence?

You can apply if:

• You are a resident of Uttarakhand.
• You hold one of the required technical qualifications with experience:
• ITI in Electronics or equivalent, with 2 years of relevant experience; or
• Diploma in Electronics, Instrumentation or Electrical Engineering, with 1 year of relevant experience; or
• B.Sc. with Physics, with 1 year of relevant experience; or
• B.E./B.Tech in Electrical, Electronics or Instrumentation Engineering, which the department also accepts as a qualifying degree.
• You have valid premises (a workshop or shop) where the repair work will be carried out.

You cannot apply if:

• You are not a resident of Uttarakhand.
• You do not hold the required technical qualification and matching experience.
• You cannot show ownership or lawful possession of premises for the repair workshop.

How much does the licence cost?

The prescribed online application fee is about Rs 100. The licence is valid for a fixed period and must be renewed before expiry by paying the renewal fee. Both the issuance and renewal fees are set under the Uttarakhand Legal Metrology (Enforcement) Rules, 2012, and can be revised by government notification, for example, a draft amendment to Schedule IV of these rules was issued in August 2025 to revise licence issuance and renewal fees. Applicants should confirm the current fee at the time of applying, as notified figures can change.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the repairer licence

1. Gather your documents: Aadhaar, PAN, premises address and ownership proof, qualification certificate and experience certificate.
2. Fill the online application form for the repairer licence on the Legal Metrology / Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs portal.
3. Pay the prescribed online fee of about Rs 100.
4. Submit the application to the Legal Metrology Inspector for your area.
5. The Inspector conducts an inspection of your premises and credentials at the scheduled time.
6. After a satisfactory inspection, the concerned authority issues the online licence.

Keep the application reference and the inspection date noted, and ensure your workshop is ready for inspection with the tools appropriate to instrument repair.

How do I check my application or licence status?

Track the application through the online portal using the reference generated at submission, or contact the area Legal Metrology Inspector / Standards Laboratory Centre to whom the application was routed. The department's directions state that the licence is allotted by the laboratory in-charge of the Standards Laboratory Centre where the instruments are inspected, so that office is the point of contact for the status of both a new licence and a renewal.

Common reasons for rejection and how to fix them

• Qualification and experience not matching. The certificate and experience must fit one of the three eligible combinations; a general ITI without electronics, or short experience, is rejected.
• Premises proof missing, attach a clear ownership or lease document and address proof for the workshop.
• Fee not paid — the Rs 100 online fee must be paid for the application to proceed.
• Inspection not cleared, the Inspector must be able to verify your premises and competence; be present and prepared on the inspection date.

How does a repairer licence differ from a manufacturer or dealer licence?

The Uttarakhand Legal Metrology (Enforcement) Rules, 2012 provide for three distinct trade licences; manufacturer, repairer and dealer of weights and measures: each with its own fee under Schedule IV of the rules. A repairer licence, the subject of this guide, authorises only the servicing and repair of instruments; it does not by itself permit you to manufacture new weights or to sell them as a dealer. A technician who intends to both repair and sell instruments therefore needs the relevant additional licence. The draft Uttarakhand Legal Metrology (Enforcement) (Amendment) Rules, 2025, issued on 11 August 2025, propose revised issuance and renewal fees across all three categories in Schedule IV, which is why applicants should confirm the exact current figure at the time of applying rather than relying on an older number.

Why licensing repairers matters, and what a repairer must not do

Every weighing or measuring instrument used in trade must be verified and stamped by the Legal Metrology Department before it can be used, and re-verified periodically. When such an instrument is repaired, its accuracy can shift, so the law requires that only a licensed repairer touches it and that the instrument is re-verified after repair. A licensed repairer must keep records of the instruments serviced, work only within the scope and area of the licence, and must not tamper with an instrument to make it read inaccurately, doing so is an offence under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009. This is the public-interest reason the licence exists: an inaccurate scale silently cheats either the buyer or the seller on every transaction.

Renewal, key points and grievance route

The repairer licence is time-bound and must be renewed before it expires by paying the renewal fee under the state Legal Metrology rules. Working with an expired licence can attract penalties, so track the validity date. For questions, corrections or complaints, contact the area Legal Metrology Inspector or Standards Laboratory Centre, or the Department of Legal Metrology under the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Government of Uttarakhand (fcs.uk.gov.in), which is the parent department and escalation point. Because this is a niche regulatory licence, published figures such as the exact fee and validity period should be confirmed against the current Legal Metrology notification at the time of applying.