Ames, IA Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)

Ames Municipal Code Sec. 8.202(14) adds a local provision to the city's Fire Code titled Zoning District Restrictions on Storage of More Than 100lbs Liquefied Petroleum Gases. It restricts storage of LP-gas above that 100-pound threshold in the RL, RM, RH, RLP, UCRM, FS-RL, FS-RM, F-PRD, S-SMD and S-HM Zoning Districts, the residential and special-purpose zones that make up most of Ames' housing stock, including neighborhoods near Iowa State University. Rather than an outright citywide ban, the ordinance gives the fire chief or a designee discretionary authority to alter or allow an installation inside a restricted zone, but only after considering topographical conditions, the nature of the occupancy, proximity to buildings, the capacity of the proposed tanks and the degree of fire protection available.

Any installation the fire chief does approve must still comply with state and local codes. The same Sec. 8.202 amendment package imposes parallel zoning restrictions on underground flammable-liquid tanks in subsection (12) and above-ground flammable-liquid tanks in subsection (13), so a resident proposing a large propane tank alongside fuel storage faces all three review layers. Because the restriction is tied to the zoning map rather than a lot-by-lot standard, a homeowner or contractor should confirm the parcel's zoning district with Planning and Housing before ordering a tank over 100 pounds. Chapter 8 violations are municipal infractions under Sec. 8.601.