West Bloomfield, MI Fire Regulations: Propane Storage (2026)

The Charter Township of West Bloomfield adopts the International Fire Code, 2024 Edition, by reference at § 11-36 and amends it at § 11-37. One amendment, to IFC Section 6104.2, provides that for the protection of heavily populated or congested areas, the code's capacity limitations for storing liquefied petroleum gas apply within any protection area established under current NFPA requirements, and apply to every property except where an approved zoning-ordinance site plan for a permitted use allows otherwise. A second, more specific limit sits in the Article V outdoor-burning rules at § 11-79(c)(1): because an attached dwelling faces a higher fire risk from a neighboring unit than a detached one does, any natural gas or propane container with a water capacity greater than two and one-half pounds, roughly the size of a small camping cylinder, is prohibited on balconies or within ten feet of combustible construction in a multiple-family attached residential development.

Larger residential propane tanks used for heating or cooking a single-family home fall instead under the NFPA-based capacity and setback standards referenced in § 11-37's Section 6104.2 amendment and any applicable zoning-ordinance site plan, rather than a separately stated numeric limit in this Code. The fire code official, the Chief of the West Bloomfield Fire Department or designee, administers both provisions, and a violation of the fire code amendments is a municipal civil infraction under § 11-37's Section 113.4 amendment, fined $150 for a first offense and $300 for a repeat offense within two years.