Hempstead, NY Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)

Chapter 133 of the Town Code, adopted by Local Law No. 105-1982, governs every LP-gas installation in unincorporated Hempstead. Section 133-8 sets the exemption thresholds: residential installations on a one- or two-family lot are capped at 500 gallons' water capacity, and commercial installations at 2,000 gallons, before Town Board approval is triggered. Retail propane cylinder cages get their own carve-out added in 1993: a single lockable steel security cage per premises, capped at 45 filled cylinders or 212 total gallons, built to Chapter 86 building standards.

Section 133-9 flips the switch once those caps are exceeded: 501 gallons or more for residential use, or 2,001 gallons or more for commercial/industrial use, requires a Town Board storage permit, and a public hearing is mandatory at those thresholds. Every installation also needs a construction permit from the Department of Buildings under Section 133-4, sized to NFPA Pamphlet 58 (1979 edition) and cleared by the Nassau County Fire Marshal. Construction permit fees run on a sliding scale in Section 133-6, from $12 for tanks of 11 to 50 gallons up to $200 for 2,001 to 30,000 gallons, plus a flat $15 plumbing-approval fee. A Town Board hearing carries a separate $350 fee, and the storage-permit application itself costs $250 under Section 133-10.