Free air by state
Free air by state and city
Is air free at gas stations?
Not everywhere. Only two states require it: California for customers who buy fuel, and Connecticut for anyone during business hours. Everywhere else the station decides. Free-air chains and tire shops fill the gap: 73 % of the places on our map are free or usually free.
- places with air
- 28,624
- free or usually free
- 73 %
- states with a free air law
- 2
- city guides
- 199
Which states require free air?
Two: California requires free air, water and a pressure gauge for customers who buy fuel, and Connecticut requires free air for anyone while a station is open. In the other 48 states and DC, the station owner decides. Together, the two laws cover 8,943 places on our map.
Where free air is not the law, chains make the difference. States with lots of Wawa, Sheetz, QuikTrip or Kwik Trip stores have the highest share of free pumps: Wisconsin (87 %), Iowa (84 %), Delaware (83 %) and New Jersey (82 %) lead our map.
Free air laws: California and Connecticut compared
Both laws make air free, but not for the same people. In California you need to buy fuel, in Connecticut you don't.
| California | Connecticut | |
|---|---|---|
| In force since | January 1, 2000 | 1979 |
| Who gets free air | Customers who buy fuel | Anyone, purchase or not |
| What is free | Air, water and a tire pressure gauge | Air |
| When | During operating hours | During business hours |
| Sign required | Yes, at every station | At stations selling 10,000+ gallons a month |
| Complaints | County weights and measures office ($250 fine per violation) | Department of Consumer Protection |
Free air chains by region
Without a law, your best bet is a chain that gives air away. Which ones that are depends on where you live: most free-air chains are regional.
Northeast
73 % free or usually free4,401 places with air. The free-air chains with the most stores here: Mavis Discount Tire, Stewart's Shops, Wawa, Sheetz and Lowe's. Every gas station in Connecticut is free by law.
Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · New Jersey · New York · Pennsylvania
Midwest
69 % free or usually free5,040 places with air. The free-air chains with the most stores here: Kwik Trip, QuikTrip, Lowe's, Kroger and Discount Tire.
Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Iowa · Kansas · Minnesota · Missouri · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota
South
63 % free or usually free7,717 places with air. The free-air chains with the most stores here: Lowe's, QuikTrip, Mavis Discount Tire, Discount Tire and Kroger.
Delaware · Washington, DC · Florida · Georgia · Maryland · North Carolina · South Carolina · Virginia · West Virginia · Alabama · Kentucky · Mississippi · Tennessee · Arkansas · Louisiana · Oklahoma · Texas
West
83 % free or usually free11,466 places with air. The free-air chains with the most stores here: Les Schwab, Discount Tire, Lowe's, Pilot and Flying J and QuikTrip. Every gas station in California is free by law.
Arizona · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · Nevada · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · Alaska · California · Hawaii · Oregon · Washington
States where air is most often free
Without California and Connecticut, which are free by law. Ranked by the share of places on our map that are free or usually free, among states with at least 40 places.
| # | State | Free or usually free | Biggest free-air chain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin | 87 % of 693 | Kwik Trip |
| 2 | Iowa | 84 % of 443 | Kwik Trip |
| 3 | Delaware | 83 % of 77 | Wawa |
| 4 | New Jersey | 82 % of 554 | Wawa |
| 5 | West Virginia | 81 % of 157 | Sheetz |
| 6 | South Carolina | 78 % of 352 | QuikTrip |
| 7 | Minnesota | 76 % of 474 | Kwik Trip |
| 8 | North Dakota | 73 % of 45 | Les Schwab |
| 9 | Arizona | 71 % of 474 | QuikTrip |
| 10 | Georgia | 70 % of 887 | QuikTrip |
At the other end, free air is hardest to find in Washington, DC (3 %), Alaska (18 %), Massachusetts (19 %), Maine (27 %) and New Hampshire (27 %). There, a tire shop during business hours is often the surest free option.
Winter: where tires lose the most air
Tire pressure falls about 1 PSI for every 10 °F. In these states the gap between July and January is widest, so a tire filled in summer is the furthest below its target by winter. Average temperatures from NOAA.
| State | Avg. July | Avg. January | Pressure lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 70 °F | 12 °F | about 6 PSI |
| North Dakota | 70 °F | 13 °F | about 6 PSI |
| Alaska | 55 °F | 6 °F | about 5 PSI |
| Wisconsin | 70 °F | 17 °F | about 5 PSI |
| Maine | 67 °F | 18 °F | about 5 PSI |
| Vermont | 68 °F | 20 °F | about 5 PSI |
| South Dakota | 73 °F | 20 °F | about 5 PSI |
| Iowa | 74 °F | 21 °F | about 5 PSI |
All states
Places with air on our map, and how many of them are free or usually free.
- Alabama149 / 230
- Alaska8 / 45
- Arizona336 / 474
- Arkansas86 / 190
- California8,128 / 8,304
- Colorado203 / 441
- Connecticut1,145 / 1,157
- Delaware64 / 77
- Washington, DC1 / 40
- Florida585 / 913
- Georgia623 / 887
- Hawaii4 / 33
- Idaho87 / 184
- Illinois262 / 508
- Indiana341 / 519
- Iowa370 / 443
- Kansas136 / 195
- Kentucky155 / 227
- Louisiana88 / 144
- Maine13 / 48
- Maryland170 / 350
- Massachusetts46 / 236
- Michigan338 / 635
- Minnesota362 / 474
- Mississippi69 / 106
- Missouri312 / 447
- Montana56 / 102
- Nebraska74 / 115
- Nevada71 / 156
- New Hampshire22 / 81
- New Jersey454 / 554
- New Mexico56 / 117
- New York638 / 988
- North Carolina485 / 708
- North Dakota33 / 45
- Ohio576 / 889
- Oklahoma181 / 316
- Oregon159 / 446
- Pennsylvania850 / 1,251
- Rhode Island6 / 15
- South Carolina275 / 352
- South Dakota52 / 77
- Tennessee231 / 339
- Texas1,099 / 1,804
- Utah141 / 352
- Vermont32 / 71
- Virginia439 / 877
- Washington243 / 737
- West Virginia127 / 157
- Wisconsin605 / 693
- Wyoming35 / 75
Cities with the most air pumps
- Los Angeles, CA516
- San Diego, CA234
- San Jose, CA192
- Houston, TX144
- Sacramento, CA136
- Fresno, CA116
- Phoenix, AZ107
- San Antonio, TX105
- Austin, TX92
- Bakersfield, CA83
- Oakland, CA82
- Riverside, CA81
- San Francisco, CA79
- New York, NY79
- Dallas, TX78
- Seattle, WA78
- Tulsa, OK75
- Columbus, OH74
- Orlando, FL70
- Kansas City, MO66
- Fort Worth, TX62
- Stockton, CA58
- Long Beach, CA58
- Indianapolis, IN58
Free air by state: FAQ
Is air free at gas stations?
Not everywhere. Air is free by law at gas stations in California and Connecticut, and by policy at chains like Wawa, Sheetz, QuikTrip and Kwik Trip. Elsewhere most stations have a coin machine. Of the 28,624 places on our map, 73 % are free or usually free.
Which states require free air at gas stations?
Two: California, where stations must give customers who buy fuel free air, water and a pressure gauge, and Connecticut, where air is free for anyone during business hours. No other state has a free air law.
Is air free in California?
Yes, for customers who buy fuel. Since 2000, California law requires every service station to provide free air, water and a tire gauge to fuel customers while open. If the machine takes coins, the cashier must switch it on for free.
Which state has the most free air pumps?
By count, California, thanks to its free air law. Outside the law states, Wisconsin and Iowa have the highest share of free or usually free pumps on our map (87 % and 84 %).
What can I do if a California gas station charges for air?
Ask the cashier to switch the machine on; if you bought fuel, it has to be free. If the station refuses, file a complaint with your county's weights and measures office. The state can fine a station $250 per violation.
Why do tires need more air in winter?
Tire pressure drops about 1 PSI for every 10 °F the temperature falls. A tire set in July can be 4 to 6 PSI low on a January morning in the northern states, so check it when the first cold nights arrive.
Looking for a brand instead? Compare gas station chains with free air or open the map.