Warren, MI Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)

The rule sits in Division 5 of Chapter 13, Fire Prevention and Protection, which the city council rewrote in full effective April 27, 2021 (Ord. No. 80-788). Sec. 5-pound water capacity, which the code notes corresponds to a nominal one-pound LP-gas capacity, the small camping-style bottle. Anything above that threshold, including the standard 20-pound tank used on most backyard grills, cannot sit on a combustible balcony or within 10 feet of combustible construction unless the property is a one- or two-family dwelling. The companion section, Sec.

13-56, applies the same balcony and 10-foot clearance to charcoal and other open-flame cooking devices, but only Sec. 13-57 governs LP-gas container size. Because Division 5 does not write its own fine into these two sections, a violation defaults to the citywide general penalty at Sec. 1-8: a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $500, and court costs of up to $1,000, unless the city has designated the offense a municipal civil infraction, which instead carries a $100 to $1,000 fine per violation.

Sec. 1-9(c)(5) and Sec. 1-11(b)(8) authorize the city fire marshal, deputy fire marshal, or a fire inspector to issue citations for any Chapter 13 violation, including this clearance rule. The exemption for one- and two-family dwellings means renters and unit owners in apartment buildings, condos, and other multifamily structures face the strictest version of the rule, since their balconies are the combustible surfaces the ordinance is written to protect.