In 1990, the City of Milpitas adopted the Toxic Gas Ordinance (Milpitas Municipal Code, Title V-Chapter 300). The intent of the Toxic Gas Ordinance was to protect the public from acute exposure due to accidental releases of toxic gases and to supplement the Hazardous Materials Storage Ordinance by identifying and requiring safety controls for toxic gases.
Through amendments to the 2001 California Fire Code, the Milpitas Fire Code now provides the controls previously found in the Toxic Gas Ordinance. Although the Toxic Gas Ordinance and the California Fire Code classify gases differently, both codes regulate primarily the same materials and have similar controls.
To assist industries in understanding the toxic gas requirements, the City of Milpitas in cooperation with the County of Santa Clara and the Santa Clara Fire Chiefs Association developed guidelines for the safe storage, use, and handling of toxic gases. These documents are available on the Unidocs website.