Mount Pleasant, SC Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)

Mount Pleasant's Zoning Code does not set a separate storage-capacity limit for residential propane or LP-gas tanks; the town's only rule addressing them is the placement standard in § 156.1651, ENCROACHMENTS, within Subchapter B, Part 2, Subpart 2.9 (Setbacks and Yards). A REQUIRED YARD is defined in § 156.1651(B) as the portion of any yard that makes up the minimum area required in a zoning district, not counting any extra yard area beyond that minimum.

Division (D) groups propane and heating oil tanks with several other features, including open fire escapes, elevators, outside stairways to a building entrance, balconies, and outside air-conditioning units, and allows all of them to project into a required side or rear yard for a distance of not more than four feet. That allowance comes with two conditions: the tank cannot be placed so as to obstruct light and ventilation, and in no case can it sit closer than three feet from the property line.

This placement rule sits on top of the district's underlying setback, set separately for each zoning district in Table 156.039-1 and measured under §§ 156.1649 and 156.1650 as the horizontal distance from the principal structure to the rear or side lot line. A propane tank cannot simply be pushed all the way to the property line to get it out of a required yard; the four-foot encroachment and three-foot buffer are the outer limits regardless of the district's full setback depth.

Because Chapter 156 does not carry its own penalty section for this provision, a violation defaults to the town-wide general penalty in § 10.99: a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment for not more than 30 days, with each day a violation continues charged as a separate offense.