From the Legal Hotline

By Teri Henning, General Counsel; Melissa Melewsky, Media Law Counsel
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association

Q: Does Pennsylvania have a law governing the advertising and sale of firewood? Does the law require firewood to be sold in cords or can it be sold by "racks" or "truck loads?"

A: Yes, Pennsylvania law controls the sale of firewood.

The PA Standard Weights and Measures Act of 1996 amended the PA Agriculture Code (Title 3) to adopt the national weights and measures standards issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Specifically, the standards found in section 2.4 of Handbook 130 address the sale of firewood.

NIST Handbook 130 requires that firewood to be sold by the cord or fraction thereof. A cord is 128 cubic feet or a stack 4 feet wide, 4 feet high by 8 feet in length.

The law prohibits using the terms "face cord," "rack," "pile," "truckload," or terms of similar import when advertising, offering for sale, or selling wood for use as fuel (fireplace or stove wood).

The law also requires a receipt containing the following information:

• buyer's and seller's name and address
• delivery date
• price paid
• the number of cords; and
• the type of wood

The Weights and Measures Act also provides civil and criminal penalties for violations.

Criminal penalties:

• First or second offense commits a summary offense.
• Third or subsequent offense commits a misdemeanor of third degree.

Civil Penalties:

• May be assessed not to exceed $10,000.

NIST Handbook 130 can be found on the NIST Web site.

The Standard Weights and Measures Act can be found on the Pa. Dept. of Agriculture Web site.

PNA Legal Hotline: (717) 703-3080

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