Kent County, DE Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)

Section 205-29 applies chapter-wide to any fuel storage tank in the unincorporated county, a category that includes propane, LP-gas, heating oil and similar fuels stored above or below ground. Subsection B sets the headline rule for residential property: bulk storage of fuel is prohibited on all residential lots in every residential zoning district, with the single exception of a bona fide farm operation, so a homeowner cannot keep a bulk propane or fuel tank simply to fuel a generator, heat a shop, or refill portable containers beyond what a normal heating or cooling system requires.

Subsection A addresses the tanks that remain permitted, chiefly ones serving a structure's own heating or cooling system: those aboveground tanks must sit at least 100 feet from any lot line and at least 300 feet from any dwelling that is not on the same premises, distances the County adopted to protect neighboring residents from fire and vapor hazards. Subsection C layers state oversight on top of the local rule, requiring every fuel storage tank, above or below ground, to comply with all regulations of the Delaware State Fire Marshal's Office and DNREC, and specifying that where county and state rules conflict, whichever is more restrictive controls.

Because the 100-foot and 300-foot setbacks are measured for tanks tied to heating and cooling systems specifically, an ordinary residential propane tank supplying a furnace or water heater is not banned outright, but it still has to clear those distances from the property line and any neighbor's house.