Rule 27 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Rule 27 is the rule traders feel most often. It says every weight or measure used in trade must be verified and stamped, and then re-verified at fixed intervals. It gives the intervals, and it adds two situations where re-verification is due early: dismantling and re-installation, and repair. If your business uses scales, tapes, measures or tanks, a legal consultation can help you build a re-verification calendar.
Every weight or measure used or intended to be used in any transaction or for protection must be verified and stamped by the Legal Metrology Officer in the State where it is put to use, and re-verified and stamped at periodical intervals (rule 27(1)). The interval is twenty-four months for weights, capacity measures, length measures, tapes, beam scales and counter machines; sixty months for storage tanks; and twelve months for everything else, including tank lorries (27(2)). A weight or measure verified in situ and then dismantled and re-installed, or repaired, before the due date must be re-verified and stamped before use (27(3), (4)).
Rule 27(1): verify, stamp, then re-verify
The text: "Every weight or measure used or intended to be used in any transaction or for protection of living beings or things in clause (k) of Section 2 shall be verified and stamped by the Legal Metrology Officer in the State in which such weight or measure is put to use and shall be re-verified and stamped at periodical intervals."
Points to note:
- Use or intended use. The duty begins when a weight or measure is intended for use in trade, not only when it is actually used.
- The officer of the State of use. Verification is by a Legal Metrology Officer "in the State in which such weight or measure is put to use". Check with the Controller's office how this works when equipment moves between States.
- Stamped as well as verified. The Act's section 24 requires verification before putting a weight or measure to use, at a place and during hours the Controller specifies, on payment of the prescribed fee. The Government approved Test Centre route for some kinds is in section 24(2) to (4).
- No fee or form here. The fee for verification and stamping is a matter for State rules under section 53(2)(d); see rules 25 and 26.
Rule 27(2): the re-verification periods
The re-verification "shall be carried out on the completion of a period of":
| Clause | Period | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Twenty-four months | All weights, capacity measures, length measures, tape, beam scale and counter machine |
| (b) | Sixty months | Storage tanks |
| (c) | Twelve months | All weight or measure including tank lorry other than those mentioned in clauses (a) and (b) |
The clause (c) residual category is wide. A weighing or measuring instrument that is not a weight, capacity measure, length measure, tape, beam scale, counter machine or storage tank falls into the twelve-month period. The text of clause (c) names "tank lorry" in particular. The rule does not list the instruments in clause (c) item by item, so the Schedules, State practice and the Controller's instructions help you place a particular instrument. If in doubt, ask the Controller's office in writing.
The periods run "on the completion of a period"; the rule does not say from which date the period is counted (verification date or stamp date), so check the stamp or certificate and the State's practice. Our article on re-verification periodicity is a practical note on the same subject.
Rule 27(3): in situ verification and re-installation
"Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (2) every weight or measure which has been verified and stamped in situ shall, if it is dismantled and re-installed before the date on which the verification falls due shall be duly re-verified and stamped, before being put into use."
"In situ" means verified where it stands. If you move such an instrument, for example a fixed weighing platform or a tank, the clock does not protect you: you must have it re-verified before use even though the period has not run out.
Rule 27(4): repair
"Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (1) every weight or measure which has been verified and stamped shall, if it is repaired before the date on which the verification falls due shall be duly re-verified and stamped before being put into use."
Repair resets the position. A scale adjusted or repaired after verification must be re-verified and stamped before it is used again. For the repairer's side, see section 23 on the licence to repair. The Act's offence of wilful wrong verification or stamping by an officer is in sections 42 and 43.
Consequence of not re-verifying
A weight or measure used without verification is penalised under section 33 and is liable to seizure under section 15. The Act's forfeiture provision, section 16, includes a proviso that an unverified weight or measure is not forfeited if it is verified and stamped within the prescribed time; see rule 23 for the ten-day window. The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 (in force) did not amend section 33 and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026, enacted but in force only from the date the Central Government notifies, does not list it either; confirm in the article on section 33.
A simple re-verification plan
- List every weight, measure and instrument used in trade, with location and State.
- Classify each under clause (a), (b) or (c).
- Note the last stamp date and calculate the next due date.
- Book verification with the Legal Metrology Officer or approved Test Centre before the date.
- Re-verify after repair, dismantling or re-installation before any further use.
- Keep the certificates for inspection.
Examples
Example 1: a retail shop. A shop has counter machines and a beam scale. Under 27(2)(a) they are re-verified every twenty-four months. If the shop sends a counter machine for repair in month 10, the machine must be re-verified and stamped before it is used again (27(4)), not at month 24.
Example 2: a fuel transporter. A transporter uses a tank lorry. Clause (c) names tank lorries in the twelve-month category. If the lorry's tank was verified in situ and is dismantled and re-installed before the twelve months run out, rule 27(3) requires re-verification and stamping before it is used again.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a weight verified in another State stays valid in yours.
- Forgetting repair or re-installation triggers re-verification.
- Putting every instrument in the twenty-four-month category.
- Letting stamps expire unnoticed.
Need help with verification schedules?
If you run a business with many scales, measures or tanks and want a verification calendar and records that match rule 27, or you have a notice about an expired stamp, a legal consultation is a sensible way to start.
Key takeaways
- Weights and measures used in trade are verified and stamped, then re-verified at intervals.
- Twenty-four months for weights, capacity and length measures, tapes, beam scales and counter machines; sixty months for storage tanks; twelve months for the rest, including tank lorries.
- Repair, or dismantling and re-installation of an in situ verified item, triggers re-verification before use.
- Verification is by a Legal Metrology Officer of the State of use.
- Fees and procedure details come from State rules and the Controller's orders.
Read next
- Re-Verification of Weights and Measures -- Periodicity
- How to Get Verification of Weights and Measures
- Section 24 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009: Verification, stamping and test centres
- Rule 28 of the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011: Qualifications of Legal Metrology Officer
Disclaimer: Based on the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011 (G.S.R. 11(E), 7 February 2011) as notified, using a scanned copy with gaps, read with the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (Act 1 of 2010), the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 (in force) and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 (in force only from the date the Central Government notifies), as on 30 September 2026. State Legal Metrology rules, later amendments and notifications change; verify the current position before acting.