Morgan Hill Municipal Code Part 9 Exterior Storage

Persons responsible for a facility where there is exterior storage of any regulated material shall comply with the provisions of Part 2, Part 3 and Part 9 of this article and of the California Fire Code.

(Ord. 1494 N.S. § 2 (part), 2000)

Exterior storage of regulated materials shall not be within seventy-five feet of a building, structure, property line, street, alley, public way or exit to a public way unless the storage is shielded by a structure which has a minimum fire-resistive rating of two hours and which interrupts the line of sight between the storage and the exposure. The shielding structure shall be at least five feet from any exposure.

(Ord. 1494 N.S. § 2 (part), 2000)

Notwithstanding Section 8.40.1510, when an exterior storage area is located within seventy-five feet of a building, openings into the building other than piping shall not be above the height of the top of the shielding structure referred to in Section 8.40.1510 or within fifty feet horizontally from the exterior storage area, whether or not protected by a shielding structure.

(Ord. 1494 N.S. § 2 (part), 2000)

No exterior storage area for regulated materials shall be within seventy-five feet of any air intake.

(Ord. 1494 N.S. § 2 (part), 2000)

Portable tanks and cylinders stored outside of buildings shall be stored under a canopy constructed of noncombustible materials. Such exterior storage shall not be considered indoor storage. An automatic fire sprinkler system, or alternative systems as determined by the fire chief or his designee for materials incompatible with water, shall be provided for canopies installed for the storage of regulated materials.

(Ord. 1494 N.S. § 2 (part), 2000)

Controls on stationary tanks shall be in accordance with the following:

A. Pressure-relief devices shall be vented to a treatment system designed in accordance with the provisions of Section 8.40.1450 of this article.

B. Where filling or dispensing connections are provided, they shall be provided with a means of local exhaust. Such exhaust shall be designed to capture fumes and vapors. The exhaust shall be directed to a treatment system designed in accordance with the provisions of Section 8.40.1450 of this article.

C. Stationary tanks shall be provided with a means of excess flow control on all tank inlet or outlet connections. Inlet connections that are designed to preclude backflow and pressure-relief devices are exempt from this requirement.

(Ord. 1494 N.S. § 2 (part), 2000)

At least one gas cabinet or exhausted enclosure shall be provided for the handling of leaking cylinders. The cabinet or enclosure shall be within or adjacent to the exterior storage area and connected to a treatment system as specified in Section 8.40.1450 of this article.

A gas cabinet or exhausted enclosure need not be provided for leaking cylinders if all cylinders are stored within gas cabinets or exhausted enclosures and the exhaust is directed to a treatment system designed in accordance with the provisions of Section 8.40.1450 of this article.

Encapsulating equipment or other equipment designed to contain high-pressure cylinders and their contents as approved by the fire chief or his designee shall be acceptable in meeting the intent of this section in lieu of gas cabinets or exhausted enclosures.

(Ord. 1494 N.S. § 2 (part), 2000)

A means of local exhaust shall be provided to capture regulated material leaking from portable tanks. The local exhaust may consist of portable ducts or collection systems designed to be applied to the site of a leak in a valve or fitting on the tank. The local exhaust system shall be connected to a treatment system as specified in Section 8.40.1450 of this article. A local exhaust system shall be provided within or immediately adjacent to every storage area and within separate gas storage rooms used for portable tanks.

(Ord. 1494 N.S. § 2 (part), 2000)

The provisions of this article shall not apply to tank cars which meet all requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation, while such tank cars are used for the transportation and unloading of regulated material, as such terms are used in the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, 49 U.S.C. Section 1801 et seq. "Unloading" does not include the use of tank cars to store regulated materials.

The provisions of this article shall apply to piping and control systems, automatic shutoff valves, emergency control stations, gas detection systems, treatment systems and alarm systems used with piping which connects tank cars to facilities for the unloading and delivery of regulated material, and to tank cars used to store regulated materials.

(Ord. 1494 N.S. § 2 (part), 2000)