Bartow County, GA Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)

Sec. 8(V) of the Bartow County Zoning Ordinance lists propane storage tanks as a permitted use within the C-1 general business district, but only within firm numeric limits: each individual tank is capped at 15,000 gallons, no more than four tanks may be installed on one property, the lot must be at least five acres, and every tank must sit at least 100 feet from the property line and at least 40 feet from any building or structure. Any proposal that exceeds those numbers, such as a fifth tank or a tank over 15,000 gallons, falls outside the permitted-use list and is not allowed in C-1 without a rezoning, because Sec.

8 states that a use not specifically named within a district is NOT permitted. The rule sits inside the C-1 permitted-uses catalog alongside dozens of other business uses (retail, offices, veterinary clinics, wholesale distribution), so a propane dealer or bulk supplier must first confirm C-1 zoning applies to the parcel. Heavier industrial-scale propane storage is handled differently: Sec. 7(S) permits propane tanks of any size in the I-1 general industrial district, subject only to a 40-foot property-line setback, reflecting the lower risk profile of an industrial-zoned parcel farther from residential neighbors.

The Community Development Department reviews site plans for compliance with the applicable setback and lot-size figures before issuing a building or land-disturbance permit, and the Fire Marshal's office is consulted on tank placement given the flammability risk. Because the County Commissioner adopted this table as part of the 2021 Zoning Ordinance rewrite, any change to the tank-count or setback figures requires a Commissioner-approved ordinance amendment rather than an administrative waiver.