Corpus Christi, TX Special Events & Permits: Outdoor Heater Rules (2026)

11 states that the sale or use of any type of portable liquid fuel burning heater is prohibited. The only carve-out is for construction sites and commercial sites where flammable or combustible vapors are not present, and even that exemption requires approval of the code official before the heater is used, plus a permit for the use of portable liquid fuel burning heaters. The section separately addresses unvented fuel heaters: their sale or use at construction and commercial sites is prohibited outright unless the specific heater has an automatic means of shutting off fuel when the heater is upset, adequate guards to protect persons against contact with the flame or combustion chamber, and a listing by a nationally recognized testing agency; only a heater meeting all three safeguards may be approved.

A companion provision, Sec. 58, backs this up on the permitting side, stating that no person shall sell, purchase, or use an unvented portable fuel burning heater within the city limits without a permit. Read together, these sections mean an event organizer or restaurant setting out propane or kerosene patio heaters for an outdoor seasonal event in Corpus Christi needs prior code-official approval and a fire permit before the heaters go out, and a heater without the tip-over shutoff, flame guard, and testing-agency listing cannot be approved at all.