Brockton, MA Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code § 7-425
- Tank ≥100 gallons
- Cement slab + fencing required
- Streets with natural gas
- No LPG without fire chief permit
- Fill stations
- Barred in first fire district
- State code referenced
- 527 CMR 6:00
- Max fine
- $300 per offense (§ 1-9)
Summary
Brockton restricts where LP-gas can be filled or kept and adds a hard rule for larger tanks: under Code § 7-425, no LPG is allowed on streets served by natural gas without a temporary fire chief permit, and any permitted propane tank of 100 gallons or more must sit on a cement slab and be properly fenced.
(a)Restrictions; temporary permit. Including, but not limited to, 527 CMR 6:00, no LPG [shall be allowed] on streets where natural gas could be installed except on a temporary permit issued by the fire chief. No fill stations [are allowed] in [the] first fire district.(b)Placement of propane tanks of one hundred gallons or more. Where a permit is issued for any propane tank that contains one hundred (100) gallons or more, said tank is to be placed on a cement slab and properly fenced.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
Section 7-425 of Brockton's fire prevention chapter, adopted by Ordinance No. D233 on March 12, 1987, sets two rules for liquefied petroleum gas. Subsection (a) restricts placement citywide, incorporating 527 CMR 6:00 and stating that no LPG shall be allowed on streets where natural gas could be installed except on a temporary permit issued by the fire chief, and it bars fill stations outright in the first fire district. Subsection (b) governs larger residential and commercial tanks: where a permit is issued for any propane tank that contains one hundred (100) gallons or more, said tank is to be placed on a cement slab and properly fenced.
The section expressly incorporates the state fire code, 527 CMR 6:00, rather than setting Brockton's own gallon-by-gallon technical standards, so day-to-day details on tank clearances and venting for smaller cylinders fall to the state fire marshal's regulations referenced throughout Chapter 7's liquefied-petroleum-gas provisions. A related section, Sec. 7-81, likewise defers the design, construction, location, installation and operation of LP-gas systems, piping and appliances to the state board of fire prevention regulations, FPR #5. Brockton's own text targets two specific gaps state rules leave to local discretion: keeping bulk LPG delivery and filling off streets that already have natural gas service, and physically securing the larger 100-gallon-plus tanks that residential customers, especially those without natural gas hookups, commonly use for heating or cooking fuel.
Violations & Fines
Section 7-425 carries no separate dollar penalty of its own, so a violation, such as keeping a 100-gallon-or-larger tank without the required slab and fencing, or running an unpermitted fill station in the first fire district, falls under Chapter 7's citywide general penalty in Code § 1-9: up to $300 for each offense. The fire chief also controls permit issuance directly, so noncompliant tanks can be denied a permit or ordered corrected before one issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a large propane tank at my Brockton home?
Can a propane delivery truck fill a tank on any street?
Does Brockton have its own technical rules for propane tank clearances?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brockton
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