Lawton, OK Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)

Section 11-2-206 of the Lawton City Code sets the zoning limits referenced in the International Fire Code's bulk LP-gas storage rules: bulk storage of liquefied petroleum gas is prohibited citywide except in areas zoned I-4, Heavy Industrial District. The companion Section 11-2-205 applies the identical I-4-only rule to bulk plants for flammable or combustible liquids, and bars outdoor aboveground flammable-liquid tanks anywhere except Industrial or Public Facilities districts as an incidental use. Together these sections keep large-volume fuel storage out of residential, commercial and most industrial land, confining it to the city's heaviest industrial zone.

The fire marshal, defined by Section 11-2-203 as the local stand-in for the fire code's "fire code official," administers the underlying 2018 International Fire Code storage and handling standards (Section 3304) that Section 11-2-206 supplements, and Section 11-2-209 directs that wherever the fire code and city code conflict, the more restrictive rule controls. A property owner who believes the fire marshal misapplied the zoning limit, or who needs a modification because of practical difficulties in meeting the code, may seek relief under Section 11-2-210 (fire marshal modification authority) or appeal under Section 11-2-212 to the Building Development Appeal Board within twenty calendar days of being served notice. Because the restriction runs through the zoning ordinance, a landowner outside I-4 cannot cure a violation with a variance from the fire marshal alone; the property must be zoned Heavy Industrial or the storage must be removed.