Michigan: Is it legal to pump your own gas?
Michigan has no law against pumping your own gas, and state fire rules treat customer self-service dispensing as normal.
Michigan adopts the national motor fuel dispensing code (NFPA 30A) in its fire rules and adds no ban on self-service. The state rules define an unattended self-service station as one where the customer does the dispensing, which shows customer pumping is expected. Stations generally must have an attendant on site, and bills to allow fully unattended stations have not become law. This answer is inferred from those rules because the NFPA 30A text itself could not be opened.
What the law says
"Unattended self-service motor fuel dispensing facility" means a motor fuel dispensing facility that does not have an attendant or employee on duty. The customer or vehicle operator conducts the dispensing operation.
Sources
- Mich. Admin. Code R 29.5707 (general definitions) Mirror of official text · law.cornell.edu
- Mich. Admin. Code R 29.5603 (adoption of NFPA 30A, 2012 edition) Mirror of official text · law.cornell.edu
- House Fiscal Agency analysis of HB 4792 (2019-2020), unattended self-service stations Official · ombudsman.legislature.mi.gov
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Fire Services
How bordering states compare
- Indiana Self-serve allowedIndiana allows drivers to pump their own gas. Its fire code amends the International Fire Code's self-service rules without banning self-service.
- Ohio Self-serve allowedOhio law expressly provides for filling stations offering self-service, under the state fire code and safety standards.
- Wisconsin Self-serve allowedWisconsin allows self-service gas; state fueling rules cover both attended and unattended self-service stations.