Royal Oak, MI Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)

Section 340-2 of Chapter 340, Fire Prevention, amends the adopted 2015 International Fire Code by adding Section 6104.5, which states plainly that 'the use or storage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders on balconies in Use Group R-2 and Use Group R-3 is prohibited.' Because R-2 covers apartment and condominium buildings and R-3 covers other residential occupancies, the ban reaches the balconies most likely to hold a portable propane grill tank in multi-family housing citywide, with no minimum cylinder size or exception written into the text.

The same amendment package separately amends Section 6104.2 to cap bulk LPG storage: outside of balconies, liquefied petroleum gas storage is 'allowed only in General Industrial Zones as defined by the City of Royal Oak Zoning Ordinance, No. 2001-9, § 770-44,' and the aggregate capacity of any one installation cannot exceed a water capacity of 2,000 gallons. Together the two amendments mean a Royal Oak resident cannot keep an LPG cylinder on an apartment balcony at all, and any larger bulk LPG installation is confined to General Industrial-zoned property under the 2,000-gallon cap, with the Fire Official enforcing both limits under the Fire Code adopted in Section 340-1.