California propane, no state survey
California propane prices: no published state average
For reference, the US average is $2.73 a gallon. EIA residential survey for the week ending 26 October 2026. Updated every Wednesday through March.
EIA does not survey California and publishes no West Coast regional series, and we know of no other published California average, so this page shows no California figure. The US average is given for reference only; California quotes can sit well above or below it. The chart below shows the US series for direction.
Outside the natural-gas grid, propane heats the Sierra foothills, the far north, the high desert and Central Valley farms. There is no state dealer licence to look up here, and almost every gallon arrives by long-haul rail or truck from Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain producers.
Homeowners in California tell us they pay $3.22 a gallon, typically $2.64 to $4.08, reported in the last 90 days.
What do you pay in California?
Compare it with your neighbours in 30 seconds.
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Used only for your comparison and the anonymous local figure. Never sent to a propane company.
Latest EIA residential propane price
Source: EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program, US residential series. Refreshed automatically every Wednesday in season; wholesale daily.
California at a glance
California surveyNone published
US average (EIA)$2.73/gal
500-gal fill at US average$1092
Week by week, 2026-27 season
US average, the nearest published series to California
Every point is an EIA survey week. This season the series ran from a low of $2.59 (5 Oct) to a high of $2.73 (26 Oct). Against the same week a year earlier it is +12%.
$2.59
Season low
5 October 2026
$2.73
Season high
26 October 2026
$2.43
Same week last year
27 October 2025, now +12%
$1.20
Wholesale today
Mont Belvieu spot, 27 October 2026, +31c vs a month ago
Source: EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program, residential propane, full-service delivery, published October to March. Wholesale is the Mont Belvieu, TX spot price; retail usually follows it by four to eight weeks, which makes it the best off-season signal of where California prices are heading.
What a fill costs at the US average of $2.73
Tanks fill to 80% of their stated size to leave room for expansion, so a 500-gallon tank takes about 400 gallons. With no California figure published, these are the same fills at the US average, a reference point and not a California price: multiply the usable gallons by the price on your own quote.
| Tank | Usable gallons | Fill at $2.73 | vs US ($2.73) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 gal | 80 gal | $218 | $0 |
| 250 gal | 200 gal | $546 | $0 |
| 500 gal | 400 gal | $1092 | $0 |
| 1000 gal | 800 gal | $2184 | $0 |
For a winter's fuel, multiply the gallons on last winter's delivery tickets by the price: every 100 gallons costs about $273 at the US average, before tank rent or a service plan. The average is a benchmark, not a quote: enter your ZIP to ask up to three local dealers what they would charge you.
California against its West neighbours
Hawaii and Alaska are import-only and remote-supply markets, and California runs on long PADD 5 supply chains with no in-state production of scale and wildfire-season generator demand. EIA publishes residential figures only for the interior-West states closer to Rocky Mountain and Conway-hub supply, so California and the rest of the coast are listed below without one.
| State | Price/gal | 500-gal fill | vs US ($2.73) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | $2.18 | $872 | -20% |
| Colorado | $2.37 | $949 | -13% |
| Wyoming (regional est.) | $2.38 | $951 | -13% |
| Utah | $2.46 | $986 | -10% |
| Idaho | $2.69 | $1074 | -2% |
| New Mexico (regional est.) | $3.03 | $1211 | +11% |
| Alaska | No published state average | ||
| Arizona | No published state average | ||
| California | No published state average | ||
| Hawaii | No published state average | ||
| Nevada | No published state average | ||
| Oregon | No published state average | ||
| Washington | No published state average | ||
| West average | $2.52 | $1008 | -8% |
States marked regional est. are not surveyed individually by EIA and carry their PADD regional figure. States with no published average (EIA surveys no West Coast state and has no West Coast regional series) are listed without a figure and left out of the West average. Full table on prices by state.
What drives California propane prices
No agency publishes a California residential propane average, so this page does not rank California against other states. What can be said is where the cost comes from: it is structural, tied to where propane is made and how it reaches the West Coast, not to any one winter.
No in-state production of scale.
Roughly 90% of US propane is a byproduct of natural-gas processing in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and the Appalachian shale. California refineries yield only minor LPG, so almost every gallon delivered here arrives by long-haul rail or truck from Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain producers. Each handoff is a margin layer.
Thin West Coast storage and terminals.
California cannot draw on the pipeline-fed terminal density that East Coast and Midwest markets enjoy. Working storage is small relative to peak winter and wildfire-season demand, which leaves retail pricing exposed to wholesale spikes and rail-logistics disruptions.
Wildfire-season generator demand.
PSPS events in PG&E and SCE territory have driven propane standby generators into mainstream rural and wildland-urban interface use across Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Mendocino, El Dorado, Placer and Tuolumne counties. A 22 kW standby unit burns around 3.6 gallons an hour under load, pulling extra demand into August through November on top of heating-season buildup.
A small, dispersed residential base.
SoCalGas and PG&E natural gas cover most cities, leaving propane the dominant fuel only in rural mountain and off-grid communities. Suppliers serve scattered customers on long routes, so per-gallon overhead is higher than in dense propane markets, and California's 2025 Title 24 code steers new construction toward heat pumps, constraining future residential growth.
Buying propane well in California: four moves that change the bill
A good supplier is step one. In a state where propane routes are long and there is no licence to fall back on, the gap between a careless account and a well-run one is usually several hundred dollars a year.
01
Vet without a licence lookup
California has no per-dealer propane licence to search, so do the checks the state does not do for you: ask for proof of liability insurance and bonding, confirm the operator follows the NFPA 58 LP-Gas Code, and ask when its delivery meters were last sealed by the county Sealer of Weights and Measures. Then read reviews and its BBB record.
02
Fill before fire season, not during
Wholesale is near its seasonal low in late spring and early summer, before PSPS-driven generator demand arrives. In a Tier 2 or Tier 3 Fire Threat District, top up to 80% by late July. By late August, fire-zone routes crowd and lead times stretch, and premiums over the statewide estimate become common during active PSPS weeks.
03
Quote the tiers, mind the tank
California has national carriers and multi-generation regionals and family operators. In rural counties the spread between the cheapest local and the priciest national quote can be wide, so pull one written quote from each. If you own your tank, say so up front: it removes the switching penalty that leased-tank customers face.
04
Check LIHEAP eligibility
California runs federal LIHEAP through the Department of Community Services and Development for households at or below 60% of State Median Income (about $6,407 a month for a family of four in the 2026 program year). It can pay toward propane. Apply through your local service provider at csd.ca.gov. CARE and FERA are utility-bill discounts and do not cover propane.
Rated by customers
California propane dealers worth calling first
A short, hand-checked list with strong public review scores, spread across the state. Ratings were read from the platforms named in August 2026 and move over time; a high score is where to start, not a guarantee. Get three written quotes whoever you call.
Central Coast & Southern California
Delta Liquid Energy
Paso Robles, California
4.261 reviews, Yelp
Family-owned since 1936, nine bulk plants across the Central Coast and Southern California, with a rail terminal and storage at Paso Robles. Residential delivery, agricultural and RV service.
See the reviews ›Verified on the state registry
5 of the 5 California dealers on the WPGA register
| Dealer | City | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Interstate Oil Company | listing | |
| North Valley Battery | listing | |
| PetroGas | listing | |
| TRIARC Tanks | listing | |
| World Energy | listing |
Source: Western Propane Gas Association member list, captured 30 August 2026. A registry listing is a licence record, not an endorsement.
California propane, the questions people ask
How much does propane cost per gallon in California?
No agency publishes a California residential propane average, and this page does not invent one. The EIA State Heating Oil and Propane Program (SHOPP) surveys residential propane state by state only in PADDs 1 to 4; California is in PADD 5, the West Coast, where EIA surveys no state and publishes no regional series either. For reference, the US residential average is $2.73 a gallon (EIA). Real quotes vary widely: rural Sierra Nevada, Trinity and eastern-Sierra routes carry delivery costs that denser Central Valley and coastal-suburban routes do not. Always get two or three written quotes, each listing per-gallon price, delivery fee and tank rent separately.
Does California license propane dealers, and how do I check one?
California does not license or register propane retail dealers, and there is no public per-dealer propane licence you can look up, unlike states such as North Carolina or Florida that publish a searchable dealer registry. Propane (LP-Gas) is regulated as a fire-safety and a weights-and-measures matter, not through a retailer licence. LP-Gas storage, piping and delivery follow the California Fire Code and the state-adopted NFPA 58 LP-Gas Code, enforced by the Office of the State Fire Marshal and your local fire authority; the CDFA Division of Measurement Standards and your county Sealer of Weights and Measures test and seal the meters on every delivery truck and bulk plant. So there is no is-this-dealer-licensed search. Vet a California dealer instead on proof of liability insurance and bonding, NFPA 58 compliance, a current county meter seal, public reviews, its BBB record, and at least three written quotes.
Where does propane matter in California, and how do I build a shortlist?
Propane is a rural, off-grid product here, so many good local operators carry only a handful of public reviews and there is no big, review-rich directory to rank. Five regions carry most of the demand. The Sierra foothills and Gold Country (El Dorado, Placer, Nevada, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne) run off-grid and semi-rural homes above the gas mains, with long winding routes where local density matters. Far northern California (Shasta, Trinity, Siskiyou, Tehama, Lassen, Modoc) is supplied out of Redding across a thinly populated region where winter routes are the deciding cost factor, so ask how far you are from the nearest bulk plant. The Central Valley (San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Fresno, Tulare, Kern) is one of the largest agricultural propane markets in the country, and residential customers on high-volume ag routes can get competitive rates. The high desert and eastern Sierra (Inyo, Mono, eastern Kern, San Bernardino high desert) sit far from West Coast terminals, so pre-book fills before winter and confirm minimum-delivery terms. The Central Coast (San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, inland Monterey) mixes rural residential, ranch and vineyard demand outside the SoCalGas footprint, and is where we found the most public review depth. To vet any operator: read its Yelp and Google reviews, confirm liability insurance and bonding, ask when its delivery meters were last sealed by the county Sealer of Weights and Measures, check its BBB record, and get at least three written quotes.
Does LIHEAP help pay for propane in California?
Yes. California runs the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) through the California Department of Community Services and Development (CSD) at csd.ca.gov, delivered locally by a network of community-based Local Service Providers, typically Community Action Agencies. Eligibility is gross household income at or below 60% of the California State Median Income; for the 2026 program year that is about $3,332 a month for a one-person household and about $6,407 a month for a four-person household. The program can pay a benefit toward home energy costs including propane, and households whose propane, wood or oil supply is exhausted are treated as a priority. Apply through your local service provider, which you can find at csd.ca.gov. Note that CARE and FERA are separate: those are percentage discounts on regulated PG&E, SoCalGas, SCE and SDG&E utility bills and do not apply to propane, which is not a regulated utility.
What makes propane costly to deliver in California?
Structural supply reasons, not a seasonal blip. There is no in-state propane production of any scale on the West Coast: most US propane comes from natural-gas processing in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and the Appalachian shale, and California refineries yield only minor LPG. Almost every gallon delivered here arrives by long-haul rail or truck from Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain producers, and West Coast rail and terminal storage density is well below the interior of the country. California also has a small, dispersed residential propane base (SoCalGas and PG&E natural gas cover most cities), so suppliers serve scattered rural customers with weaker route economies. Add California's generally high fuel and labor costs and wildfire-season generator demand, and each of those lands in the delivered price.
How does wildfire season and PSPS affect California propane demand?
Significantly, in PG&E and SCE territory. Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events, preemptive grid de-energizations during high-wind, high-fire-risk weather, have made propane standby generators close to a default purchase for rural and wildland-urban interface homes across Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Mendocino, Trinity, El Dorado, Placer, Nevada, Tuolumne and Tehama counties. Generators burn propane fast: a 22 kW residential standby unit uses roughly 3.6 gal/hour under load, so a 48-hour outage can drain around 170 gallons, close to a full 250-gallon tank's usable capacity. That pulls demand into August through November on top of normal heating-season buildup, and stretches supplier schedules in fire-zone counties. If you are in a CPUC-mapped Tier 2 or Tier 3 Fire Threat District, fill to 80% by late July and confirm your supplier prioritises generator customers during widespread outages.
What about agricultural propane in California: frost protection, dairy, crop drying?
California is one of the largest agricultural propane markets in the country, and that demand shapes residential pricing. Citrus and stone-fruit growers in the southern San Joaquin Valley (Tulare, Kern, Fresno) and along the Central Coast run propane-fired wind machines and orchard heaters for frost protection; a single hard-frost night across a district can pull well over 100,000 gallons in a few hours. Central Valley dairies use propane for barn heating, wash-down hot water and standby power, and almond, walnut and tomato growers use it for crop drying. This agricultural baseline keeps West Coast retail margins firmer than the residential customer base alone would, and is why early-spring residential pricing in California can move independently of the national winter cycle.
How does California's Title 24 energy code affect propane?
California's 2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24, effective for permits applied for on or after 1 January 2026) push new construction toward heat pumps as the default for space and water heating. Gas and propane appliances are not banned outright, but a new home using them has to close the energy-budget gap with extra insulation, better glazing or other measures, and gas- or propane-heated new homes must be electric-ready (pre-wired and pre-plumbed for a future heat-pump retrofit). The practical effect for propane is that new-build residential demand will trend down over the coming decade in regulated jurisdictions. Title 24 does not touch existing homes, off-grid properties, or rural counties without natural-gas distribution, where propane will remain the dominant heating fuel.
Where do the California suppliers on this page come from?
California has no public propane-dealer registry, so the entries we hold come from the Western Propane Gas Association member list, captured 30 August 2026. It is a membership roster, not a licence list, it is only a partial view of the state, and a couple of entries are equipment or fuel-supply members or are head-officed outside California. Treat it as a starting point, then use the review-verified operator and the region guide above.
Keep reading
All California dealers
The complete verified directory of 5 California propane dealers, by city and ZIP.
Dealers near you
Enter a ZIP to see the closest dealers and ask up to three for a price.
Propane prices today
The daily wholesale benchmark and the live state summer surveys.
Prices by state
All 50 states side by side, with regional context.
What a fill costs
Tank sizes, the 80% rule and the national refill guide.
How to pay less
Pre-buy timing, switching, owned versus leased tanks.
Run the cost calculator
Apply California pricing to your home, climate and usage profile.
Propane vs natural gas
Per-BTU economics for homes inside versus outside the gas-main grid.