Springfield, IL Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)

Sec. 65 kicks in whenever above-ground gas meters, regulators, piping, or tanks for LPG or natural gas installations are exposed to probable vehicular damage because of their proximity to alleys, driveways, or parking areas. In those cases the code requires suitable protection under the 2018 International Fire Code, Section 312: posts or bollards made of at least four-inch steel pipe filled with concrete, or material of equivalent strength, standing a minimum of 36 inches above grade and extending at least another 36 inches below grade in a concrete footing.

Protection has to be provided on every side of the equipment that's exposed to vehicular damage, the posts or bollards must sit at least 36 inches away from the meters and other essential equipment, and individual posts can't be spaced more than four feet apart on center. The section closes with a safety valve for property owners: any equivalent protection measure, or any deviation from this specific bollard layout, needs prior approval from the fire safety division before it satisfies the rule. The provision sits in Article VI alongside Sec.

64's above-ground flammable liquid tank permitting and Sec. 66's ten-foot clearance for combustible storage near egress doors, all administered by the same Fire Safety Division review process.