SBA 504 loans for Gas stations
Over the last decade, gas station and convenience store operators have used SBA 504 financing to fund more than $2.6 billion in real estate, construction, and equipment. We help you secure the same financing — with 25-year fixed rates and a team that knows the 504 program inside out.
Numbers first, bankers later
Answer a few questions about your gas station and get a personalized report by email in about 10 minutes.
- Your estimated blended rate and monthly payment
- Your likelihood of funding, scored 1 to 5
- Estimated closing costs for your project
- The lenders most active in your state
No application. No credit pull. No sales call.
The Gas station SBA 504 market, by the numbers
What ten years of Gas station SBA 504 loans — pulled directly from the SBA's own data — tell us about how operators finance this business.
Source: SBA 504 loan approvals for NAICS 457110 & 457120, FY2016–FY2025. Data via FOIA request, updated quarterly.
What an SBA 504 loan covers for a Gas station
SBA 504 financing is built for long-term assets — the real estate, infrastructure, and major equipment that anchor a Gas station business.
Property purchase & land
Own the corner your station sits on instead of renting it. Whether you're buying an operating station with the real estate or a high-traffic lot to develop, 504 lets you lock down the site with as little as 15% down and stop paying a landlord.
- Operating stations with the real estate
- High-traffic corner and highway-exit lots
- Buying out your current ground lease
- Adjacent land for a c-store or car wash
- Multi-pump sites with room to grow
Ground-up construction
Build a new station from the ground up. 504 covers the canopy, the tanks, the c-store shell, and the site work — everything that turns an empty corner into a station pumping fuel and ringing up the register.
- Fuel canopy and dispenser islands
- Underground storage tanks and lines
- Convenience store shell and build-out
- Site work, grading, and drainage
- Signage, lighting, and access lanes
Expansion & second locations
Fuel margins are thin — the money's in the store and the extras. Use 504 to add locations, build out a bigger c-store, or bolt on a car wash or quick-service bay, without draining the cash your sites need to run.
- Second and third station locations
- Adding or expanding the convenience store
- Bolting on a car wash or QSR bay
- Rebranding and reimaging to a fuel brand
- Acquiring a competitor's station
Equipment with long lives
The fuel and store systems that make a station run — and last long enough to finance. 504 is built for big-ticket equipment with a long useful life, so you spread the cost over the years it'll actually serve you.
- Fuel dispensers and pumps
- Underground storage tanks and monitoring
- Canopy and lighting systems
- POS, coolers, and c-store fixtures
- Car wash or food-service equipment
How SBA 504 financing is structured
Three pieces of capital come together so you only put 10% down on a project that might cost millions.
First lien (50%)
APC funds this directly — we're a private direct lender, not a broker. Term and rate quoted upfront.
SBA 504 / CDC (40%)
Second lien, fixed for 25 years through a Certified Development Company. Rates locked at funding.
Borrower equity (10%)
Cash down, retained equity in existing real estate, or seller carry-back in some cases.
What a 504 project for a Gas station looks like
Three illustrative examples showing typical deal structures, financing splits, and project scopes.
An operator who already ran fuel sites built a new station on a high-traffic commuter corner — fuel canopy, underground tanks, and a full convenience store. As an established operator on a special-purpose build, it was structured at 15% down. One 504 loan wrapped the land, the build, and the fuel systems at a long fixed rate.
An operator who already ran two locations bought a third — an established station with steady fuel volume and a proven c-store, real estate included. Because it was a cash-flowing business, the purchase penciled at 10% down. The 25-year fixed 504 rate locked the payment and protected margins that fuel prices can squeeze.
A single-site operator reinvested in the highest-margin parts of the business — enlarging the convenience store and adding an automated car wash bay to an existing station. Rather than tapping cash reserves, they used a 504 loan at 15% down. The long fixed term kept payments steady while the new revenue streams ramped up.
Owning your Gas station property beats leasing — here's the math
Slide the inputs to match your situation. The equity number on the right is what you'd have in 10 years if you owned instead of leased.
Where Gas station SBA 504 money is going
Geography, deal sizes, top CDCs, and the banks making it happen — all pulled from a decade of SBA data.
Top 10 states by loan volume
| State | Loans | Total funded | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 240 | $387M |
| 2 | Texas | 60 | $68M |
| 3 | Georgia | 47 | $53M |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 47 | $31M |
| 5 | Minnesota | 41 | $33M |
| 6 | Florida | 40 | $42M |
| 7 | Indiana | 36 | $26M |
| 8 | Washington | 30 | $48M |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 27 | $13M |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 27 | $15M |
Deal size distribution
Top CDCs financing Gas stations
These Certified Development Companies have funded the most Gas station SBA 504 deals over the past decade. Click any CDC for their full profile.
Top 10 third-party lenders for Gas station deals
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plumas Bank | 19 | $36M |
| 2 | Wells Fargo Bank | 15 | $21M |
| 3 | East West Bank | 15 | $42M |
| 4 | Banner Bank | 15 | $34M |
| 5 | Celtic Bank Corporation | 14 | $62M |
| 6 | Tri Counties Bank | 14 | $28M |
| 7 | Old National Bank | 13 | $16M |
| 8 | Poppy Bank | 11 | $23M |
| 9 | Rockland Trust Company | 11 | $6M |
| 10 | Prosperity Bank | 10 | $9M |
What it takes to qualify
SBA 504 has clear, objective criteria. Most Gas station operators we work with qualify.
Business requirements
- For-profit businessSBA 504 is for operating companies, not investors or holding companies.
- Owner-occupied useYou operate the Gas station — you're not just buying real estate to lease out.
- US-based and below SBA size limitsMost Gas station businesses qualify under SBA's small business size thresholds.
- Demonstrated ability to repayCash flow, credit, and business experience all matter — but no perfect score required.
Project requirements
- 51% owner-occupancyYour business must occupy at least 51% of the financed property.
- Eligible use of fundsReal estate, ground-up construction, major equipment, and certain refinances qualify.
- Long useful lifeEquipment financed under 504 must have a useful life over 10 years.
- 10% equity contributionCash, retained property equity, or seller carry — structured to fit your situation.
Most Gas station operators qualify. The fastest way to know is a 10-minute call. 1-855-504-LOAN
Built for Gas station financing
We're a direct lender that specializes in SBA 504 — not a broker, not a generalist.
Explore SBA 504 loans by industry
A decade of loan data, case studies, and deal structures for each of the property types we finance most.
Ready to finance your Gas station project?
Schedule a 15-minute call. No application fee, no obligation.