Memphis, TN Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit duty
- LP container owner must obtain the permit
- Storage cap
- Limited by the city's fire district
- Portable containers
- Must stay upright at the relief valve
- Flame effects
- Need fire code official approval + NFPA 160
- Violation
- Citation and/or court-determined fine
Summary
Memphis's fire code amendments in City Code § 9-36-4 (adopting the 2021 International Fire Code) put the owner of any LP-gas container on the hook for the installation permit, cap maximum LP-gas storage capacity by the city's designated fire district rather than a generic legal limit, and require portable propane containers to stay upright at the relief valve during storage and transport.
105.5.29 LP-gas is amended to add the following sentence at the end of section 1 after the word "gas": "It shall be the responsibility of the owner of the LP container to obtain the permit." ... 6104.2 Maximum capacity within established limits is amended to delete the words "limits established by law restricting" in the first sentence and substitute in lieu thereof the words "fire district." ... 6107 Safety Precautions and Devices is amended to add the following new sub-section: 6107.5 Storage and Transport. Portable LP-gas containers shall be maintained in the upright position relative to the relief valve during storage and transport.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 32 | Charter: Supplement 4).
Full Breakdown
29 (LP-gas), the code adds: 'It shall be the responsibility of the owner of the LP container to obtain the permit,' shifting permit duty onto whoever owns the tank rather than an installer or property manager. 2 (Maximum capacity within established limits) strikes the model code's placeholder language and substitutes 'fire district' as the geographic trigger that caps how much LP-gas may be stored at a given location, meaning capacity limits turn on whether the property sits inside Memphis's fire district. 5 (Storage and Transport), added by the same amendment package, requires that 'Portable LP-gas containers shall be maintained in the upright position relative to the relief valve during storage and transport,' a physical handling rule enforceable independent of the capacity limits.
8 requires that any use of LP gas as part of a flame effect before a proximate audience comply with NFPA 160 and be approved in advance by the fire code official, covering staged events, concerts and similar public gatherings that incorporate propane-fueled flame effects.
Violations & Fines
The fire code amendments rewrote the general violations section, IFC § 112.4, to delete the model code's blank-fill misdemeanor language and substitute: 'subject to a citation and/or fines as determined by a court of law.' That citation-and-court-fine framework governs LP-gas violations such as storing above the fire-district capacity limit, transporting a container on its side instead of upright, or skipping the owner-obtained installation permit, there is no fixed dollar amount in the code itself; a court sets the fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to get the permit for a propane tank in Memphis?
Is there a citywide limit on how much propane I can store?
How does Memphis require portable propane tanks to be stored?
What happens if I violate the LP-gas storage rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Memphis
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