In much of the United States, gas pump clips—also called hold-open clips or hands-free pump clips—are a familiar convenience at service stations. They let drivers fill their tanks while they clean their windshield, step inside to pay, or grab a quick snack without holding the nozzle. Despite their widespread use, two states continue to restrict or effectively block these clips due to safety and regulatory concerns.
Which States Don’t Allow Gas Pump Clips
Rhode Island and New York remain the last states where hold-open clips face meaningful legal barriers. Both states cite fire safety and vapor control as the basis for their restrictions, but the details and enforcement differ.
In New York, the regulatory framework governing fire suppression and fuel dispensing is complex and sometimes unclear. That uncertainty has led many gas station owners and operators to avoid installing clips even in locations where updated rules might permit them. In Rhode Island, the law has not kept pace with changes in vehicle and pump technology, so the statewide rules remain more restrictive.
Are There Any Plans to Change the Laws?
With only two states left limiting hold-open clips, advocates and industry groups argue that revisions are possible—especially because other states have successfully balanced fire safety with hands-free fueling. However, altering state codes or statutes can be slow and involves coordination among legislators, state fire marshals, environmental regulators, and industry stakeholders.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island does not currently appear to have a concrete timetable for modernizing its restrictions on gas pump clips. Historically, the state required so-called stage II vapor recovery nozzles, which capture fuel vapors at the pump to reduce emissions. According to reporting in The Providence Journal, state regulators mandated these nozzles in 1993 to address air quality concerns.
As vehicle technology improved, more cars began to include onboard vapor recovery systems that render stage II systems redundant for many models. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved Rhode Island’s plan to phase out stage II nozzles by Dec. 22, 2017, recognizing the shift toward vehicle-based vapor controls. Despite that change in practice and the decommissioning of many stage II nozzles, the underlying statute or code language that originally prohibited hands-free clips has not been comprehensively updated in the state’s laws, leaving ambiguity over whether and where clips can be used.
New York
New York’s situation centers on confusion and caution in its fire and fuel dispensing codes. Because the regulations are interpreted differently across local jurisdictions, many station owners have chosen not to retrofit pumps with hold-open clips to avoid potential violations or enforcement actions.
Lawmakers in New York have introduced measures seeking to clarify the code and explicitly permit hold-open clips under specified conditions. For example, in 2025 State Senator Joseph Griffo proposed legislation—Senate Bill 7418—to authorize self-service stations to install hold-open clips on gasoline and diesel nozzles, allowing hands-free fueling where it meets safety standards. That type of legislative clarification aims to give station owners and regulators clear guidance on installation, permitted nozzle types, and any required safety features.
Practical Considerations and Safety
Arguments for maintaining restrictions typically emphasize fire and vapor-control risks: an unattended fueling nozzle could lead to spills, vapor buildup, or ignition in a worst-case scenario. Supporters of allowing clips point to technological improvements—automatic shutoff features, improved nozzle designs, vapor recovery systems built into modern vehicles, and better pump engineering—that reduce those risks. When evaluating changes, states consider empirical safety data, equipment standards, and how to structure exceptions or conditions to minimize potential hazards.
What This Means for Drivers
For drivers in Rhode Island and New York, the practical result is that many stations do not offer hold-open clip options, or station owners decline to advertise them. In other states, hands-free clips remain a common convenience, but drivers should still follow safe refueling practices: never leave a running engine unattended if local rules require it, avoid re-entering the vehicle during refueling if prohibited, and be mindful of posted instructions at each pump.
Sources
- Why These Two States Still Don’t Have Hold-Open Clips On Gas Pumps, Jalopnik, 2026.
- Why RI is one of the last states to ban hands-free fueling, The Providence Journal, 2026.
- Griffo introduces bill allowing hands-free gas pumps, The New York State Senate, 2025.