Mountain View, CA Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)

Liquefied petroleum gas (propane) storage and use in unincorporated Santa Clara County is regulated through the California Fire Code, which the County adopts and amends by ordinance, together with the referenced standard NFPA 58. California Fire Code Chapter 61 requires that storage, handling, and transportation of LP-gas, and the installation of LP-gas equipment, comply with the Fire Code and NFPA 58. A fire-code-official permit is required as set forth in Fire Code Sections 105.5 and 105.6 once container quantities exceed code thresholds; distributors may not fill a container requiring a permit unless an installation permit has been issued for that location. Outdoor storage of LP-gas containers awaiting use, resale, or part of a cylinder-exchange program must be located in accordance with the Fire Code's distance tables and protected against tampering within a suitable enclosure. Small residential cylinders for barbecues and the like generally fall below the permit thresholds but still must be stored upright, outdoors, away from ignition sources and not inside living spaces. Because unincorporated areas include high wildfire-hazard wildland-urban interface, the county fire marshal applies these LP-gas siting and clearance rules with particular attention to defensible-space and ignition-resistance goals, and larger stationary tanks (such as those serving homes off the gas grid) are subject to setback, anchoring, and clearance requirements under NFPA 58 and the Fire Code. Property owners installing or replacing tanks should confirm permit needs with the county fire marshal's office.