It is illegal to pump your own gas in certain circumstances.

The Law

While New Jersey is famous for banning self-serve gas statewide, New York actually has a local town and some obscure state fire codes that heavily restricted self-service stations in the past. To ensure safety and preserve attendant jobs, old codes demanded trained professionals handle the highly flammable liquids. While widely relaxed now, a few strongholds still insist you stay in your car while they fill the tank.