Hazelgrove Lending Group helps gas station and convenience store owners in Redding, CA and Shasta County compare gas station loans: inventory financing for fuel and store stock, term loans for remodels and purchases, and equipment financing for dispensers, coolers and car washes. Shasta County counted 95 gasoline stations in 2023. This page covers financing requirements and partner review.
| Gasoline stations, Shasta County, CA (2023) | 95 |
|---|---|
| Under five employees | 21.1% |
| In ZIP 96001 | 16 |
| Convenience stores (2023) | 10 |
| Needs this page covers | Fuel and store inventory, remodels, purchases |
| Structures to compare | Inventory financing, term loans |
Fuel and the store: two cash cycles
Fuel is bought by the load, and each load is a large payment. The store turns over snacks, drinks and supplies on a different rhythm. Both are mostly paid for before the cash comes in, and card fees take a slice of every sale.
So one funding question at a station can be inventory: having enough money to take the next fuel delivery and keep the shelves full, without letting a price spike or a slow week empty the account.
Gas station financing by purpose
| Need | Structure to compare | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel deliveries plus shelf stock | Inventory financing | Tied to the goods themselves |
| Repeat timing gaps between loads | Line of credit | Draw for a delivery, repay as it sells |
| Dispensers, coolers, a car wash, signage | Equipment financing | The equipment usually secures it |
| Store remodel or buying a station | Term loan | One-time cost on a fixed schedule |
Gas station loan requirements
Gas station financing requirements vary by partner, but these are documents a partner may ask for: fuel supply agreements, store sales and fuel volume reports, bank and card statements, the lease or deed, and the station's environmental record. Gas station lenders and other funding partners may pay close attention to fuel tanks, because problems there can be costly.
Buying a station rather than building one
Can you get a loan for a gas station you are buying? Partners do consider purchases, reviewing the seller's fuel volumes, store sales, supply contract and tank records along with the buyer's experience. Our post on funding a gas station in Shasta County walks through the order of questions to answer first.
Illustrative example: carrying a fuel load
Hypothetical figures, not an offer. A station pays $32,000 for a fuel load on delivery and sells through it in about 6 days. Card payments settle a day or two after each sale. If the next load is due before the last one has sold and settled, the station has more than one load's cost out at once, about $64,000 in this example.
Inventory financing or a line of credit sized to that overlap covers it. Sizing it to a full month's fuel purchases would mean paying for money that sits idle most of the time.
Car wash, food service and other add-ons
A station may add a car wash, a food counter or more cooler space. Each add-on has its own equipment and its own cash cycle: a car wash runs mostly on equipment and utilities, a food counter on stock and labor. Partners look at each separately, so budget them as separate pieces with their own quotes, and expect questions about how long the store has run and how its inside sales have trended.
Card fees and settlement timing
Card fees take a share of every fuel and store sale, and settlement adds time between the sale and the deposit. When you size inventory funding, use deposits net of fees and count the settlement lag; otherwise the overlap between loads looks smaller than it is.
Remodeling the store inside
A station owner may remodel the store inside: new coolers, shelving, lighting and a different counter layout. Coolers and fixtures fit equipment financing; the construction work fits a term loan. Partners will want inside sales history to judge whether the remodel's added sales can carry the payments.
Gas stations in Shasta County, CA
County Business Patterns counted 95 gasoline stations (NAICS 4471) among Shasta County employers in 2023. Only 20 of them (21.1%) had fewer than five employees, against 52.7% of all county employer establishments. 16 had a ZIP 96001 address. The same count shows 10 convenience stores without fuel (NAICS 445120).
Nonemployer Statistics, a separate program, found 3 businesses with no employees in the broader NAICS 2022 group for gasoline stations and fuel dealers in 2024. The two programs are reported separately.
What partners usually review for a station
- Fuel volume and store sales reports
- Bank statements and card settlement reports
- The fuel supply agreement
- The lease or deed and any environmental reports
- Equipment quotes for dispensers, coolers or a car wash
Related pages: retail stores, auto repair shops, equipment financing, all industries and the Redding, CA data page.
