DOT Blocks California Disposable Propane Cylinder Ban

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is blocking a California law that would have banned the sale of disposable propane cylinders beginning in 2028, arguing the state cannot outlaw the small fuel canisters commonly used for camping stoves, portable grills and heaters when they are allowed under federal rules.

The dispute centers on the small, typically one-pound propane canisters sold at camping, hardware and big-box stores. They are designed to be used until empty and then discarded rather than refilled. California passed a law in 2024 requiring nearly all propane cylinders sold in the state to be reusable or refillable starting Jan. 1, 2028.

But the Transportation Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration determined that California was trying to impose its own requirements on containers that are already regulated by the federal government.

The Transportation Department concluded that California cannot require a disposable propane cylinder to be designed differently from what federal rules allow, finding the state law conflicts with the federal government’s goal of maintaining one set of nationwide standards for transporting hazardous materials.

The decision deals a setback to California’s effort to reduce the number of disposable propane cylinder entering landfills and recycling facilities. Supporters of the California law argue the canisters are more than a waste problem. Even after they appear empty, cylinders can contain leftover propane or pressure and can explode if they are crushed or compacted by garbage trucks or equipment at waste facilities.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office told the federal government that an estimated 3 million to 4 million propane cylinders end up each year in municipal landfills that are not certified to receive hazardous waste. The state argued its law was intended in part to protect workers at waste and recycling facilities.