Amador County, CA Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)

Many Amador County foothill and mountain homes rely on propane because natural gas service is limited. Storage and installation are regulated by the California Fire Code (CFC) 2022 Chapter 61 (Liquefied Petroleum Gases) and the referenced standard NFPA 58, adopted through the county's building and fire code, rather than a separate Amador ordinance. Section 6104 sets the location of LP-gas containers: aboveground containers must be separated from buildings, lot lines of adjoining property that can be built on, and special hazards by minimum distances scaled to container water capacity (CFC Table 6104.3). For typical residential aboveground tanks of 125 to 500 gallons, the separation is at least 10 feet from any building and from the property line. Aboveground containers of 2,000 gallons water capacity or less must be at least 5 feet from a public way. A single container of 1,200-gallon water capacity or less may be reduced to not less than 10 feet provided it is at least 25 feet from other LP-gas containers over 125-gallon capacity. Tanks must sit on a firm, noncombustible base, be protected from vehicle impact, and have defensible space cleared around them. Local fire districts and CAL FIRE review LP-gas installations through the building-permit process.