Pontiac, MI Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)
Key Facts
- Fire Limit No. 1
- LP-gas storage banned (temporary heating exception)
- Outside Fire Limit No. 1
- 1,200-gallon cap per tank
- Permit threshold
- Required over 125 gallons
- Permit fee
- $10.00, building & safety engineering division
- Industrial tanks over 1,200 gal
- Concrete corner foundations to frost line
- Business cap in Fire Limit 1
- 125 gallons per § 62-26(b)(3)
Summary
In the City of Pontiac, storing bottled liquefied petroleum gas (propane) is banned outright inside Fire Limit No. 1 except for a one-year temporary heating exception, and capped at 1,200 water gallons per tank everywhere else in the city under City Code §§ 62-132 and 62-134. Any installation over 125 gallons needs a $10.00 permit from the building and safety engineering division under § 62-136.
The storing and use of liquid petroleum gases in containers in fire limits no. 1 is prohibited. As a temporary measure only and where liquid petroleum gas is to be used for the heating of any building, use of such gas in approved containers may be permitted until natural gas is available. In no case shall any use be granted or approved in fire limits no. 1 for any period longer than one year. ... In all sections of the city located outside the fire limits no. 1 as designated in article IV of this chapter, no tank in excess of 1,200 water gallons for domestic or commercial use shall be allowed, except that under special permit more than one tank under 1,200 gallons may be approved by the fire marshal where conditions and location justify such approval. ... Any person installing any liquid petroleum gas tanks or containers in excess of 125 water gallons within the city limits shall first obtain a permit from the administrator of the building and safety engineering division. The permit fee shall be $10.00 to cover the cost of inspection of all of such installations.
Full Breakdown
Pontiac regulates propane and other liquefied petroleum gases under City Code Article VI, §§ 62-131 through 62-136. Section 62-132 flatly prohibits storing or using LP-gas in containers anywhere within Fire Limit No. 1, the city's most restrictive fire district, with one narrow exception: a building may use approved LP-gas containers temporarily for heating until natural gas service is available, and the fire marshal may not approve that temporary use for more than one year. Outside Fire Limit No. 1, § 62-134 caps any single domestic or commercial tank at 1,200 water gallons; the fire marshal may approve more than one sub-1,200-gallon tank on a property only by special permit where site conditions justify it.
Section 62-133 layers on installation standards: any tank over 125 gallons must comply with the state fire marshal division's 1952 regulations as amended, and any tank over 1,200 gallons (industrial-only) must sit on concrete foundations at each of its four corners, extending 42 inches to the frost level. Section 62-135 lets the fire marshal impose tighter storage-volume and tank-spacing restrictions in heavily populated or congested areas. Before installing anything over 125 water gallons, § 62-136 requires a permit from the administrator of the building and safety engineering division, carrying a $10.00 inspection fee, and bars maintaining or using any uninspected tank.
Layered on top of Article VI, the adopted International Fire Code amendment at § 62-26(b)(3) separately caps any single business LP-gas installation inside Fire Limit No. 1 at 125 water gallons and requires businesses outside that district to follow NFPA Standard 58.
Violations & Fines
Article VI carries no dedicated fine schedule of its own, so a violation, whether storing LP-gas inside Fire Limit No. 1 without the temporary-heating exception, exceeding the 1,200-gallon cap, or installing an over-125-gallon tank without the § 62-136 permit and $10.00 fee, defaults to City Code § 1-25's general penalty: a fine of up to $500.00 or up to 90 days in jail, or both, with a mandatory minimum $500.00 fine or 90 days for a repeat conviction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I store a propane tank in Pontiac's Fire Limit No. 1?
How big a propane tank can I have outside Fire Limit No. 1?
Do I need a permit for a propane tank in Pontiac?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pontiac
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