Auburn, WA Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)
Key Facts
- Anchoring threshold
- 125 gallons or larger
- Engineer-design threshold
- 2,000 gallons or larger
- Seismic requirement
- Approved earthquake shut-off device required
- Retrofit trigger
- Change of use, tank replaced/modified
- Adopted by
- Ord. 6813 (2021), IFC Sec. 6107
Summary
Auburn's fire code amendment, ACC 15.36A.051, requires LP-gas containers of 125 gallons or more to be anchored or strapped against displacement and fitted with an approved earthquake shut-off valve, with containers of 2,000 gallons or more needing a licensed engineer's securing design.
Sec. 6107.5 Protecting containers from displacement. LP-gas containers greater than or equal to 125-gallons must be anchored or strapped to prevent lateral displacement. Anchors or straps must be an approved, listed device. Methods of securing LP-gas containers 2,000-gallons or greater must be designed by a licensed professional. Sec. 6107.6 Earthquake shut-off valves. LP-gas containers greater than or equal to 125-gallons must be protected with an approved, listed earthquake shut-off device. 6107.7 Non-compliant installed LP-gas containers. Existing, non-compliant LP-gas containers must be upgraded to comply with sections 6107.5 and 6107.6 when accessory to a building undergoing a change in use or when tank is replaced or modified.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 7023, passed July 6, 2026).
Full Breakdown
ACC 15.36A.051 adds three new subsections to International Fire Code Section 6107, 'Safety Precautions and Devices.' Section 6107.5 requires that 'LP-gas containers greater than or equal to 125-gallons must be anchored or strapped to prevent lateral displacement,' using an approved, listed anchoring device, and raises the bar further for large tanks: 'methods of securing LP-gas containers 2,000-gallons or greater must be designed by a licensed professional.' Section 6107.6 layers on a seismic-safety requirement, mandating that the same 125-gallon-and-up containers be 'protected with an approved, listed earthquake shut-off device' that cuts off gas flow if the tank shifts in an earthquake.
Section 6107.7 reaches back to existing tanks: any 'non-compliant installed LP-gas container' must be brought up to the anchoring and shut-off standards in 6107.5 and 6107.6 once the property undergoes a change in use, or once the tank itself is replaced or modified, closing the gap for older residential propane tanks that predate the ordinance. These sections were added by Ordinance 6813 in 2021 and sit within Auburn's broader adoption of the International Fire Code under ACC 15.36A.011, so enforcement runs through the same fire code official and penalty structure as the rest of Chapter 15.36A.
Violations & Fines
Installing, maintaining or upgrading an LP-gas container in Auburn without the required anchoring, strapping or earthquake shut-off device violates ACC 15.36A.051 and is enforced as a misdemeanor under ACC 15.36A.071, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine, with each 10-day period of noncompliance treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what size must a propane tank in Auburn be anchored?
Does Auburn require earthquake shut-off valves on propane tanks?
Do older propane tanks in Auburn have to be retrofitted?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Auburn
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