(a) The Secretary shall appoint as a licensed weighmaster any person who possesses the qualifications provided for in this section and shall make application for the appointment, assigning to each licensee an official number. Any person may be appointed a weighmaster who is a person of good character and capable of operating a stationary scale. Licenses shall be issued to individuals only and not to firms or corporations, but any firm or corporation may have as many members or employees licensed as it desires.

(b) The term of appointment of each weighmaster shall be for a term of 3 years. The appointment period will run concurrent with the calendar years. Any weighmaster may have the license revoked by the Secretary of Agriculture by whom the weighmaster was appointed, or by a successor, for misconduct in office, dishonesty, incompetency, violation of a provision of this chapter or if the weighmaster ceases to possess the qualifications specified for the original appointment.

(c) For each appointment or reappointment made, the Department of Agriculture shall receive from the licensee a fee of $25. All fees so received shall be promptly transferred to the State Treasurer and paid into the General Fund of the State.

(d) Each weighmaster shall provide himself or herself at personal expense, with a seal or stamp containing on the outer margin, the weighmaster’s name, followed by the word “Delaware,” and also containing the word “weighmaster” and the weighmaster’s official number.

(e) No weighmaster shall delegate authority to another person.

(f) No weighmaster shall receive any salary or other compensation from the State for the performance of duties.

(g) A licensed weighmaster shall keep a permanent record of all vehicles weighed by the weighmaster other than the vehicles owned and operated by the owner of the scale, showing the date, the name and address of the seller, the state registration number of the vehicle and the tare and gross weight of the delivery, such records to be available at all times during business hours for the inspection of the Secretary of Agriculture in the county wherein the scale is located.

(h) All solid fuels, live poultry, grain, livestock and commodities requiring a certificate of weight by the purchaser shall be weighed by a duly licensed weighmaster.

(i) The license shall be displayed in a conspicuous place where the weighmaster is engaged in weighing.

(j) The Secretary may, upon request and without charge, issue a limited license as a licensed weighmaster to any qualified officer or employee of a city or county of this State or of a state commission, board, institution or agency, authorizing such officer or employee to act as a licensed weighmaster only within the scope of official employment in the case of an officer or employee of a city or county or only for and on behalf of the state commission, board, institution or agency in the case of an officer or employee thereof.

(k) When making a weight determination as provided for by this section, a licensed weighmaster shall use a weighing device that is of a type suitable for the weighing of the amount and kind of material to be weighed and that has been tested and approved for use by a weights and measures officer of this State.

(l) A licensed weighmaster shall not use any scale to weigh a load the value of which exceeds the nominal or rated capacity of the scale. When the gross or tare weight of any vehicle or combination of vehicles is to be determined, the weighing shall be performed upon a scale having a platform of sufficient size to accommodate such vehicle or combination of vehicles fully, completely and as one entire unit. If a combination of vehicles must be broken up into separate units in order to be weighed as prescribed herein, each such separate unit shall be entirely disconnected before weighing and a separate weight certificate shall be issued for such separate unit.

6 Del. C. 1953, § 5136; 53 Del. Laws, c. 187, § 3; 54 Del. Laws, c. 101; 57 Del. Laws, c. 764, §§ 31C, 31F; 58 Del. Laws, c. 281, § 18; 66 Del. Laws, c. 80, §§ 1, 2; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 70 Del. Laws, c. 370, § 12.