Santa Cruz County, CA Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)

Article II of the county's Fire Code, "Fire Limits," sets the geographic limits referenced by the state Fire Code's tank-storage sections. 2 at 2,000 gallons water capacity within the political boundary of the Santa Cruz County Fire District, which covers the unincorporated area including Aptos, Soquel, Live Oak, Felton, Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek. The same Article II section separately restricts where Class I flammable and Class II combustible liquids can be stored in outside aboveground tanks, limiting that storage to A, A-1, M-1, M-2, M-3 and NR zoned districts, and it bars flammable cryogenic fluid storage in stationary containers countywide except in an M-2 zone with a Conditional Use Permit from the Planning Department or in an M-3 zone outright.

611(D)(1) allows a propane or LP-gas tank to be erected as close as five feet from a property line, but only when that location is a written requirement from the County Fire Marshal or the applicable fire protection agency, and a landscaped screen is required for any tank sited in a required front yard. Water tanks required for fire protection or domestic use get a tighter three-foot allowance under the same subsection.