TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey motorists may soon be able to pump their own gas. That is if a bipartisan-sponsored bill introduced in the state assembly reaches Governor Phil Murphy’s desk. New Jersey is one of the last two states in America that do not allow residents to pump their own gas, the other is Oregon.
Pumping your own gas in New Jersey is actually a legitimate crime.
“Under the 1949 Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act, pumping your own gas in New Jersey is unlawful. The statute, N.J.S.A. 34:3A:10, imposes penalties for violating the act and these consequences range from $50 to $250 fine for the first offense, and not to exceed $500 for each subsequent offense thereafter,” According to the state law, reported by NJ Traffic Court.
Dubbed the “Motorist Fueling Choice and Convenience Act”, by Democrat sponsor Carol Murphy and Republican co-sponsors Ed Thomson and Robert Clifton, the bill, if passed and signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy would allow gas station operators to allow customers to pump their own gas.
“With New Jersey opening up more and residents going back to work, now more than ever they should have the freedom to choose how to save time in their busy schedules,” Ned Thomson said. “Motorists in every other state are able to pump their own gas, and if a consumer wants to choose to not wait for an attendant, that choice should not be denied to them by state law.”
A similar bill is also in motion in Oregon to end the ban on self-service gas stations.