Pumps at 63 SLO County gas stations flagged for problems. See which ones
Every year, the San Luis Obispo County Department of Agriculture completes inspections of fuel stations across the county.
Inspectors working with the Weights and Measures program look for violations of California state fuel regulations.
These can include incorrect labels, customers receiving the wrong amount of gas and or a lack of signs indicating refueling services for drivers with disabilities.
Gas stations either receive a pass or fail.
In 2025, more than 60 SLO County gas stations failed inspections, with some receiving complaints from customers.
The Tribune reached out to the SLO County Agriculture Department for those inspection reports, combing through 139 pages of documents to discover which retailers failed inspection in 2025 — and why.
See if your local gas station passed its annual inspection:
How do gas station inspections work?
County governments inspect gas stations as part of the statewide Motor Vehicle Fuels Enforcement program, which is regulated by the California Air Resources Board.
The program “regulates the composition of motor vehicle fuels and ensures compliance with motor vehicle regulations,” the state air resources board said.
Weights and Measures conducts annual inspections of all gas stations within the county, according to the SLO County Agriculture Department’s 2024 Annual Crop Report.
There are three inspections that are completed by licensed inspectors; retail motor fuel, petroleum and skimmer tests.
These tests look at the quality of gasoline being provided to customers and check whether signs and labels abide by California law regulations.
They also measure devices’ compliance and if customers’ financial information is being compromised.
Are there data skimmers on local card readers?
According to reports provided by the county Agriculture Department, no gas station in SLO County had skimmer devices on card readers designed to capture card data and record customers’ PIN numbers at the time of inspection.
SLO County has four certified inspectors that are capable of collectively inspecting more than 100 gas stations per year.
Some fuel retailers require multiple inspections throughout the year.
How many local gas stations passed or failed inspections?
Based on the inspection reports provided by Weights and Measures, 63 gas stations in SLO County failed initial inspections in 2025.
A total of 39 gas stations passed their initial inspections.
Of the local stations that failed inspection the first time, 16 passed reinspection in 2025.
Reinspections were also planned in 2026, although it wasn’t clear how many have been completed so far.
Which popular chains had the most violations?
Multiple gas station chains with locations in SLO County failed inspections due to code violations such as labeling issues, having signs that weren’t big enough and failing to promote free air and water to customers.
According to 2025 inspection records, these gas station chains with multiple locations passed and failed their inspections.
Of the 19 Chevron gas stations in SLO County, 11 failed inspection in 2025 with a total of 21 violations from annual inspections and re-inspections. Eight Chevron gas stations passed their initial inspections.
Eight of the 12 Shell gas stations operating in the county failed inspections with 15 violations in total. Four gas stations passed.
Of the seven Sinclair gas stations in SLO County, five had 11 violations while two had passed their inspections.
As five of the SLO County gas stations operating under the 76 brand failed annual inspections and re-inspections, racking up nine violations in total.
Mobil Golden Hill, 2401 Golden Kill Road in Paso Robles, failed its first and second inspections with four violations total but passed a third inspection.
Another Mobil gas station had one violation when it was first inspected, while two other Mobil locations in SLO County passed their initial inspections.
Which gas stations had the most problems in 2025?
Circle K, 6930 Morro Road in Atascadero, had a total of six violations in 2025 — the most violations of any local gas station that year, according to reports provided by the San Luis Obispo County Department of Agriculture.
Three of those violations stemmed from the station’s annual inspection in March 2025, while another three came from a re-inspection a month later.
Problems included signage discrepancies and pumps that were not dispensing gas during the inspection. The prices listed at the dispensers were not aligning with the prices listed on price sign.
Spirit Market Gas, 1637 Spring St. in Paso Robles, had five violations during its initial inspection.
Cayucos Gas, 198 North Ocean Ave. in Cayucos, and Mobil Golden Hill, 2401 Golden Hill Road in Paso Robles, each had four violations between their initial inspections and re-inspections in 2025.
Mobil Golden Hill violated tolerance limits by pumping out more gas than what was marked on the dispenser. It also had worn-out gas labels and buttons at one pump.
Four Chevron stations, two Sinclair stations and an Arco station in SLO County had three violations each.
Another Arco location elsewhere in the county had four violations.
What was the most common issue at SLO County gas stations?
In 2025, a total of 71 reports resulted in failing grades, with 117 violations stemming from 33 different codes.
A total of 23 gas stations committed the same violation at the time of inspection: a tolerance level regulation that ensures fuel dispensers are pumping out the same amount of gas paid for by the customer.
Pumps violating tolerance levels can be given a temporary use tag or marked as “out of order” by inspectors.
Dispenser flow is typically measured by hand-held metric devices that can hold five gallons.
Temporary use tags are typically issued to dispensers that are slightly above the tolerance limit.
For example, if a pump dispenses more than six cubic inches — roughly equivalent to the amount of liquid in a double shot of espresso — when five gallons are measured, it could be found out of order.
If a pump is labeled out of order for tolerance levels, that means the dispenser is either providing less gas than the customer paid for or it’s giving away significantly more gas than it’s supposed to.
Out of the 39 local pumps that were out of tolerance, nearly 90% had slightly higher tolerance limits, meaning that they were giving away extra fuel to customers.
During two inspections at Mobil Golden Hill in Paso Robles, a total of five pumps were marked as “out of tolerance” because they were distributing too much fuel. Pumps 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 were issued temporary use tags.
Chevron, 460 West Tefft St. in Nipomo, had six pumps the received temporary use tags. Pumps 1, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 12 were all giving slightly too high amounts of gas to customers.
Inspectors marked pumps at three gas stations as out of order due to dispensing issues.
Arco, 1900 Ramada Drive in Paso Robles, violated the tolerance code twice in 2025. Pump 10 was given a temporary use tag, then labeled out of order.
Chalk Mt. Liquor & Deli at 9990 El Camino Real in Atascadero, and Spirit Market Gas at 1637 Spring St. in Paso Robles, also had pumps labeled out of order at the time of their inspections.
However, it wasn’t clear if those pumps were above or below tolerance levels.
Other common violations at local gas stations included equipment maintenance and signage issues such as labels not meeting statewide requirements, illegible signs or mismatches in markers.
Which gas stations had complaints against them?
The county Agriculture Department said it received complaints about 10 gas stations in 2025.
Of those, one gas station received two complaints: Conserv, 221 Broad St. in San Luis Obispo. One of these complaint inspections passed while the later inspection resulted in a fail grade.
The report for the first complaint did not have a reason listed, but the second complaint was over a labeling issue.
Weights and Measures inspects gas stations within 24 hours of receiving customer complaints, according to the annual crop report.
These local gas stations passed inspection after receiving customer complaints in 2025:
- Shell Broad Street, 4021 Broad St., San Luis Obispo
- Mobil Morro Bay, 911 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay
- Sinclair/San Paso Truck Stop, 81 Wellsona Road, Paso Robles
- Arco AM/PM, 195 Niblick Road, Paso Robles
- Wayside Liquor, 703 Creston Road, Paso Robles
Four gas stations in the county failed inspections following complaints:
- Mobil Golden Hill, 2401 Golden Hill Road, Paso Robles
- Hill’s Commercial Fuel, 2403 Golden Hill Road, Paso Robles
- Speedway ExpressXP, 1244 24th St., Paso Robles
- Shell Hitching Post, 8000 Morro Road, Atascadero
How can I file a complaint against a gas station?
To file a complaint with SLO County Weights and Measures, you can fill out a form online and can contact the office for more information by contacting 805-781-5910 or agcommslo@co.slo.ca.us.
If you want to file a complaint with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, you can fill out a form online or email dms@cdfa.ca.gov.
What are penalties for breaking fuel-selling rules?
Selling fuel products that do not meet requirements is considered a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and a maximum of six months in county jail, according to the state Food and Agriculture Department’s Petroleum Information Guide.
