Gas Station Feasibility Study for an SBA Loan

Short answer: yes — most SBA gas station loans require an independent third-party feasibility study. Gas stations are special-purpose properties, and that classification triggers the requirement on many 7(a) and 504 deals. Here's what it needs to contain and how to get one your lender will accept.

Why the SBA wants a feasibility study for gas stations

Gas stations don't convert easily to another use, so lenders treat them as special-purpose properties — higher risk if the projections are wrong. To de-risk the loan, the SBA and its lenders want an independent read on whether the site can actually generate the revenue the deal assumes. That independence is the whole point: they won't underwrite on the seller's numbers, the broker's pro-forma, or the fuel supplier's estimate, because each has a stake in the deal closing.

What an SBA-ready feasibility study must contain

How to get one your lender will accept

1. Ask your loan officer early — confirm the format and any specific items they need before you order anything.
2. Use an independent source — not the seller, broker, or jobber. Independence is what makes it credible.
3. Bring it before the closing table — a study in hand early turns a box-check into leverage and speeds the "yes."

Site Scouts produces an independent, lender-ready feasibility study — projected fuel volume, inside sales, competition, and trade area, with a methodology an underwriter can follow — from any US address, from $399. (See will a lender accept it and what a feasibility study costs.)