Title 16

SECTION 306.10

306.10 Automotive fuel rating posting.

§ 306.10 Automotive fuel rating posting.

(a) If you are a retailer, you must post the automotive fuel rating of all automotive fuel you sell to consumers. You must do this by putting at least one label on each face of each dispenser through which you sell automotive fuel. If you are selling two or more kinds of automotive fuel with different automotive fuel ratings from a single dispenser, you must put separate labels for each kind of automotive fuel on each face of the dispenser. Provided, however, that you do not need to post the automotive fuel rating of a mixture of gasoline and ethanol containing more than 10 but not more than 15 percent ethanol if the face of the dispenser is labeled in accordance with 40 CFR 80.1501.

(b)(1) The label, or labels, must be placed conspicuously on the dispenser so as to be in full view of consumers and as near as reasonably practical to the price per unit of the automotive fuel.

(2) You may petition for an exemption from the placement requirements by writing the Secretary of the Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580. You must state the reasons that you want the exemption.

(c) In the case of gasoline, if you do not blend the gasoline with other gasoline, you must post the octane rating of the gasoline consistent with the octane rating certified to you. If you blend the gasoline with other gasoline, you must post consistent with your determination of the average, weighted by volume, of the octane ratings certified to you for each gasoline in the blend, or consistent with the lowest octane rating certified to you for any gasoline in the blend. Whether you blend gasoline or not, you may choose to post the octane rating of the gasoline consistent with your determination of the octane rating according to the method in § 306.5. In cases involving gasoline, the octane rating must be shown as a whole or half number equal to or less than the number certified to you or determined by you.

(d) If you do not blend alternative liquid automotive fuels, you must post consistent with the automotive fuel rating certified to you. If you blend alternative liquid automotive fuels, you must possess a reasonable basis, consisting of competent and reliable evidence, for the automotive fuel rating that you post for the blend.

(e)(1) You must maintain and replace labels as needed to make sure consumers can easily see and read them.

(2) If the labels you have are destroyed or are unusable or unreadable for some unexpected reason, you can satisfy the law by posting a temporary label as much like the required label as possible. You must still get and post the required label without delay.

(f) The following examples of automotive fuel rating disclosures for some presently available alternative liquid automotive fuels are meant to serve as illustrations of compliance with this part, but do not limit the Rule's coverage to only the mentioned fuels:

(1) “Methanol/Minimum __% Methanol”

(2) “__% Ethanol/Use Only in Flex-Fuel Vehicles/May Harm Other engines”

(3) “M85/Minimum __% Methanol”

(4) “LPG/Minimum __% Propane” or “LPG/Minimum __% Propane and __% Butane”

(5) “LNG/Minimum __% Methane”

(6) “B20 Biodiesel Blend/contains biomass-based diesel or biodiesel in quantities between 5 percent and 20 percent”

(7) “20% Biomass-Based Diesel Blend/contains biomass-based diesel or biodiesel in quantities between 5 percent and 20 percent”

(8) “B100 Biodiesel/contains 100 percent biodiesel”

(9) “100% Biomass-Based Diesel/contains 100 percent biomass-based diesel”

(g) When you receive automotive fuel from a common carrier, you also must receive from the common carrier a certification of the automotive fuel rating of the automotive fuel, either by letter or on the delivery ticket or other paper.

[58 FR 41374, Aug. 3, 1993, as amended at 59 FR 48798, Sept. 23, 1994; 73 FR 40163, July 11, 2008; 81 FR 2063, Jan. 14, 2016]