North Carolina: Is it legal to pump your own gas?
North Carolina allows self-service gas; state law regulates self-service pumps, and its fire code allows attended self-service stations.
North Carolina has no law requiring an attendant to pump gas. A state law requires owners of coin-operated self-service pumps with no attendant to post their name, address and phone number on each pump. The State Fire Marshal says the 2018 North Carolina Fire Code is in effect, and that code allows attended self-service stations with a qualified attendant on duty; its text was read only in a secondary reproduction, so that part is an inference.
What the law says
Every owner of, or other person in control of, a self-service gas pump or station whose equipment permits purchase and physical transfer of gasoline or oil products by insertion of money into some device or machine without the necessity of personal service by the owner or his agent shall clearly affix a sticker to each pump showing his name, address, and telephone number.
Sources
- NC Office of State Fire Marshal, Codes: Current and Past Official · ncosfm.gov
- 2018 NC Fire Prevention Code, Chapter 23 (UpCodes reproduction) Secondary · up.codes
- N.C. Gen. Stat. § 119-27.1 Official · ncleg.gov
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal
- Phone
- 919-647-0000
- Website
- ncosfm.gov
How bordering states compare
- Georgia Self-serve with limitsGeorgia allows self-service gas, but state law requires each self-service pump to have an attendant present and a local government license.
- South Carolina Self-serve allowedSouth Carolina allows self-service gas, and since 2006 also allows unattended stations whose pumps shut off at 30 gallons.
- Tennessee Self-serve allowedTennessee allows self-service gas; the State Fire Marshal enforces the International Fire Code, which permits self-service stations.
- Virginia Self-serve allowedVirginia allows self-service gas; its Statewide Fire Prevention Code adopts the International Fire Code's self-service fueling rules with minor changes.
All 50 states for this question · Other topics in North Carolina