Colfax, Placer County
Propane delivery in Colfax, CA
American River Gas delivers propane in and around Colfax, about 19 miles and 23 minutes up I-80 from our yard on Ophir Road in Newcastle. The city itself is partly on natural gas, but 42.5% of households in the 95713 ZIP area heat with propane, most of them on the rural parcels off Highway 174 and the canyon roads.
Updated · American River Gas office, Newcastle
By the numbers
Propane in Colfax
Inside Colfax city limits, 247 of 1,018 households (24.3%) heat with propane; the higher ZIP-wide share comes from the rural land around town.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25040 (House Heating Fuel). Drive distance: OSRM route from 10290 Ophir Rd.
Colfax at 2,400 feet
Colfax sits at about 2,425 feet where I-80 meets State Route 174. It started as Camp 20 on the Central Pacific line and was named for Schuyler Colfax, then Speaker of the House and later Vice President, who visited in 1865 to see the railroad being built. The restored 1905 depot still stands downtown.
The elevation matters for propane. Colfax sees snow accumulation some winters, about 7 inches a year on average, and a colder house can use more propane through the heating season.
From 1876 until 1942, Colfax was also the southern end of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad. Today it is about a 23 minute drive up I-80 from our yard, so a call ahead of a forecast storm always helps.
Where the propane homes are
The Census counts 1,553 propane-heated households in the 95713 ZIP area out of 3,653, about 42.5%, with just 14% on utility gas. Inside city limits the propane share is lower, about 24%, because part of town has gas service. The rest of the ZIP is rural: acreage along Highway 174 toward Rollins Lake, parcels off Iowa Hill Road above the North Fork American River canyon, and the land out toward Weimar.
Downtown Colfax businesses and rural shops can set up commercial accounts, and we deliver agricultural propane to the ranches around town.
Delivery and winter access
For a full-time Colfax household, Keep Full automatic delivery is the safer program. We schedule each fill from temperatures and your usage, which matters when a cold snap and a snowy week line up. For cabins and part-time places, you can call when the gauge reads about 30% and we usually deliver within a week on the route day.
- Plow or shovel a truck-width path to the tank after a storm, and mark the tank so it is easy to find under snow.
- Keep the tank dome and regulator clear of snow and ice.
- Iowa Hill Road is narrow and steep past town; if your drive is off it, tell us about turnaround room when you open the account.
- Our hose reaches 120 feet from the truck.
Tanks and lines on rural parcels
We set tanks by crane, leased or customer-owned, and size them for the whole property, which on a Colfax ranch can mean a house, a shop and a guest unit. We trench underground gas lines, install regulators and pressure test before the first fill.
Colfax and Weimar were both on PG&E's Placer County list for the October 23, 2019 Public Safety Power Shutoff. Keep Full automatic delivery keeps the tank topped up ahead of an outage, so a propane fireplace or wall heater that runs without power still has fuel.
Refills, new owners and safety
Cylinder and RV refills are done at our Newcastle yard, 10290 Ophir Road, on your way down I-80. Weekdays 8:00 to 4:30, closed noon to 1:00.
Buying in Colfax? Ask whether the tank is leased or owned, then call us; we leak check the system before the first delivery. If you smell gas, leave the building first, then call 911 and us from outside. After hours, the answering service reaches our staff.
Services
Our services in Colfax
Questions
Colfax propane questions
Do you deliver propane in Colfax, CA?
Yes. Colfax is about 23 minutes up I-80 from our Ophir Road yard. Call (530) 888-7438 and the office will tell you your delivery day.
Do you deliver after it snows in Colfax?
Yes, once the road and your drive are passable for a truck. Keep Full fills are scheduled ahead of cold weather, so a storm is less likely to catch the tank low.
Do you serve Iowa Hill Road and Highway 174?
Yes. We deliver to rural parcels off both. Tell us about your drive when you open the account.
Where do I fill an RV tank near Colfax?
At our Newcastle yard, 10290 Ophir Road, weekdays 8:00 to 4:30, closed noon to 1:00.
Do you deliver to Weimar?
Yes. Weimar sits between Applegate and Colfax on I-80, and some Weimar addresses fall in the Colfax ZIP area. We deliver to both; call the office and it will tell you your delivery day.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25040, ZCTA 95713 (opens in a new tab) · Colfax, California (Wikipedia) (opens in a new tab) · California State Route 174 (Wikipedia) (opens in a new tab) · YubaNet: PG&E PSPS of October 23, 2019, Placer County communities (opens in a new tab)
Newcastle yard · since 1966
Propane in Colfax
Call the office and talk to a real person. Or leave your details and we call you back.
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM (closed noon-1:00 PM)
After hours, weekends and holidays, our answering service reaches a staff member.
