Newton, MA Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensing authority
- Chief of the Fire Department
- Governing standard
- State Board of Fire Prevention regulations
- Public hearing basis
- G.L. c. 148, § 13
- Cleanup deadline after lapse
- 3 weeks
- Appeal window
- 10 days to state fire marshal
- Article effective date
- January 1, 1991
Summary
Newton requires a fire-chief-issued license before any building or structure is used to keep, store, manufacture, or sell inflammables, a category the ordinance defines broadly enough to reach propane and other liquefied gases that can generate flammable vapors.
No person shall use a building or structure for the keeping, storage, manufacture or sale of inflammables unless licensed by the chief of the fire department. ... For the purposes of this article, inflammables include the following: gunpowder, dynamite, crude petroleum or any of its products, explosive or inflammable liquids or compounds, tablets or torpedoes or any explosives of like nature, or any other explosives, fireworks, firecrackers, or any substances having such properties that it may spontaneously, or acting under influence of any contiguous substance, or of any chemical or physical agency, ignite or inflame or generate inflammable or explosive vapors or gases to a dangerous extent.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 20-140 bars anyone from using a building or structure to keep, store, manufacture, or sell inflammables without a license from the chief of the fire department. Sec. 20-141 defines inflammables to include gunpowder, dynamite, crude petroleum products, explosive or inflammable liquids or compounds, and any substance capable of igniting or generating inflammable or explosive vapors or gases to a dangerous extent, a definition broad enough to cover propane and LP-gas storage. Sec. 20-142 requires the license application to describe the operation, the inflammables involved, the safeguards in place, and how the applicant meets the State Board of Fire Prevention's regulations.
Sec. c. 148, § 13. Sec. 20-144 lets the fire chief attach reasonable conditions to any license granted. Sec. 20-145 causes a license to lapse once the licensed structure stops being used for storage, and the holder must clear all hazardous conditions within three weeks; if not, the fire chief may do it and bill the city's cost to the owner as a debt secured by a lien on the property. Sec. c. 148, § 13 standard. An editor's note fixes the article's effective date at January 1, 1991, under Ord. No. T-85.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 20-146 permits the fire chief to revoke an inflammables storage license under G.L. c. 148, § 13. Sec. 20-145 makes the licensee responsible for eliminating hazardous conditions within three weeks after a license lapses; unaddressed hazards let the city do the work and place a lien on the property for the cost. Sec. 20-147 gives anyone aggrieved by a license grant, on fire or explosion hazard grounds, ten days to appeal to the state fire marshal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to store propane in a building in Newton?
What standard does the Newton fire chief use to approve an inflammables storage license?
What happens if I stop using my licensed propane or inflammables storage facility?
Can a neighbor challenge a propane storage license the city grants?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newton
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