March 14, 2025

Where In The United States It’s Illegal To Pump Your Own Gas (Petrol) – Brilliant Maps

Self Serve Gas Map reg

The

map
of
the
United
States

above
shows
the
legality
of
self-serve
gas.

Areas
in
red
require
full-service.
Areas
in
Blue
require
full-service
but
permit
customers
to
self-serve.

More
about

them
below
:


New
Jersey:

Drivers
are
not
permitted
to
refuel
their
own
vehicles.
This
practice
was
prohibited
in
1949
following
pressure
from
service
station
owners.

As
a
result,
fuel
stations
now
provide
either
full
service
or
limited
“mini
service.”
Advocates
of
this
restriction
argue
that
it
enhances
safety
and
preserves
employment
opportunities.


Oregon:

Oregon
fully
banned
self-service
fuelling
in
1951,
but
in
2018,
the
practice
was
legalized
in
counties
with
40,000
or
fewer
residents.

In
2020,
in
response
to
COVID,
the
state
temporarily
allowed
self-service
state-wide.

Then,
in
August
2023,
Oregon
permitted
fuel
stations
to
offer
a
self-serve
option
on
up
to
half
of
their
pumps.

Under
the
new
rules,
rural
counties
are
not
required
to
have
attendants,
while
urban
counties
must
maintain
at
least
one
attendant
per
station.

The
rural
counties
specified
under

HB
2426

(2023)
are
Baker,
Clatsop,
Crook,
Curry,
Gilliam,
Grant,
Harney,
Hood
River,
Jefferson,
Klamath,
Lake,
Malheur,
Morrow,
Sherman,
Tillamook,
Umatilla,
Union,
Wallowa,
Wasco,
and
Wheeler.


Others:

In
towns
of

Huntington,
Long
Island
New
York

and

Weymouth,
Massachusetts
,

gas
stations

that
let
you
pump
your
own
gas
are
illegal,
with
all
stations
being
full-service.

A
little
history

There’s
actually
a
great
history
of
self
fuelling
from
the

NACS
which
you
should
read
here
.
But
here
is
a
brief
summary
of
a
few
of
their
main
points:

The
article
traces
the
evolution
of
self-service
gasoline
in
the
United
States,
highlighting
the
key
moments,
innovations,
and
individuals
who
helped
shape
this
transformative
change.

1.
Early
Attempts
(1940s–1950s)


  • 1947:

    Frank
    Urich
    opened
    one
    of
    the
    earliest
    modern
    self-service
    stations
    in
    Los
    Angeles,
    where
    customers
    pumped
    their
    own
    fuel,
    and
    attendants
    collected
    payment
    and
    reset
    mechanical
    pumps.
  • Despite
    these
    experiments,
    most
    states
    and
    local
    fire
    codes
    restricted
    self-service,
    and
    major
    oil
    companies
    competed
    by
    offering
    full
    service,
    loyalty
    incentives,
    and
    branded
    gimmicks.

2.
Breakthrough
in
1964:
John
Roscoe’s
Remote
Self-Service


  • June
    10,
    1964:

    John
    Roscoe
    introduced
    remote-access
    self-service
    pumps
    at
    his

    Big
    Top

    store
    in
    Westminster,
    Colorado,
    using
    an
    invention
    by
    Herb
    Timms.
  • Sales
    began
    modestly,
    but
    Roscoe
    quickly
    expanded
    the
    system.
    Reduced
    labor
    costs
    and
    lower
    fuel
    prices
    proved
    attractive
    to
    both
    retailers
    and
    consumers.

3.
Wider
Acceptance
and
Regulatory
Changes

  • Over
    time,
    states
    gradually
    amended
    fire
    codes
    to
    allow
    self-service,
    dispelling
    safety
    concerns.
  • Many
    retailers
    and
    major
    oil
    companies
    initially
    resisted,
    doubting
    that
    customers
    would
    want
    to
    pump
    their
    own
    gas.
    However,
    as
    vehicles
    and
    cost-conscious
    consumers
    multiplied,
    the
    economic
    advantages
    became
    more
    compelling.

4.
Rise
of
Convenience
Stores
with
Fuel
(1970s–1980s)

  • The

    1973–74
    Oil
    Crisis

    drove
    consumer
    demand
    for
    cheaper
    gas
    and
    led
    to
    rapid
    adoption
    of
    self-service
    and
    the

    convenience
    store

    model.
  • By
    the
    mid-1980s,

    pay-at-the-pump

    technology
    emerged,
    allowing
    customers
    to
    pay
    directly
    at
    the
    fuel
    dispenser,
    further
    enhancing
    speed
    and
    convenience.

5.
Consumer
Embrace
&
Industry
Transformation

  • Lower
    prices
    and
    faster
    fueling
    drew
    customers
    to
    self-service
    stations,
    and
    concerns
    about
    losing
    in-store
    sales
    proved
    unfounded.
  • Retailers
    integrated
    multiple
    payment
    systems
    and
    embraced
    the
    convenience
    trend,
    helping
    transform
    gas
    stations
    into
    the
    dominant
    fueling
    model
    nationwide.

What
do
you
think
should
people
be
able
to
pump
their
own
gas?

Go to Source
Author: Brilliant Maps