Natwerk Designs

Is it California law for gas stations to provide bathrooms and free air to paying customers?

Bathrooms are locked overnight and customers are always saying they will sue if I don't let them in.

Public Comments

1. Not at all. It's a courtesy to have bathrooms and air available for free.
2. free air? - if you mean for tires - those machines cost money to operate, why would you expect it to be free? - you don't have 50 cents? where did you just come from so late at night that you couldn't have used the bathroom THERE? bars have restrooms or wait until you get home.
3. Wait a minute there are places that still have free air? I thought that went out with the 90s, and yes I do remember when you could still find gas stations that had signs up about free air. Anyway those are just a courtesy to get more people to go there.
4. Yes on water/air, maybe on bath rooms. California Business and Professions Code section 13651 says that a service station must provide free air and water to a customer who purchases fuel. (Many stations deal with this by having tokens which can be used to operate the air/water machine available to those who buy gas.) It also says that if the station is located within 660 feet of an accessible right-of-way of an interstate or primary highway, it must provide rest rooms for customers (meaning anybody who buys anything for sale, including non-automotive products) during business hours. So whether the bathroom rule applies depends upon your proximity to a highway. They cannot sue you for disobeying this law, but they can report you to the Division of Measurement Standards which can impose a fine of $250 for each complaint.
5. No it is a courtesy to provide bathrooms for customers. It is also not required to provide free water and air. The gas stations could charge for those if they want to. If people are saying they want to sue the gas stations they are probably homeless people who have no bathroom facilities. Bathrooms are locked for the safety of the gas station employees in some areas. If the person is actually a customer and the employee on duty at night has a key, he can decide whether to open it or not. This is a free country and business owners can have any policy they want. P.S. I looked up that business code and found out the law changed in 2000 to require gas stations to give these services free of charge to customers who buy gasoline.