Code Case Types

AVA (Abandoned Vehicle Abatement)

The accumulation and storage of abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles, or parts thereof, on private or public property, including highways, is found to create a condition tending to reduce the value of a private and public property, to promote blight and deterioration, to invite plundering, to create fire hazards, to constitute an attractive nuisance creating a hazard to the health and safety of minors, to create a harborage for rodents and insects, and to be injurious to the health, safety and general welfare. Therefore, the presence of an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle, or parts thereof, on private or public property, except as expressly hereinafter permitted, is declared to constitute a public nuisance which may be abated as such in accordance with the provisions of this Article.

Visit the AVA (Abandoned Vehicle Abatement) page for more information.

Camping Violation

Camping outside any lawfully established outdoor recreational facility, campground, recreational vehicle park, or hunting / fishing camp is prohibited except by a property owner or individual with the permission of the property owner under the following circumstances. Camping in a currently registered recreational vehicle connected to approved power, including power from a local utility, solar energy system, wind energy system, batteries, and / or generator, an approved sewage disposal system, and approved domestic water supply shall be limited to 180 or fewer days annually; also, an Administrative Permit is required prior to connection. Camping without connection to approved power, sewage and water shall be limited to 14 or fewer days within any 30-day period. No more than two recreational vehicles or tents shall occupy a parcel for the purpose of camping at any time, no more than two families shall occupy a parcel for the purpose of camping at any one time and solid waste shall be properly managed in regards to the removal of solid waste and to the burning of garbage.

View the Camping Violation Ordinance (PDF).

Generator Noise

Excessive, unnecessary or offensive noise within the County is detrimental to the public health, safety, welfare, and peace and quiet of the inhabitants of the County and therefore is declared a nuisance; Every person in the County is entitled to live in an environment free from excessive, unnecessary or offensive noise levels; and The establishment of maximum permissible noise levels will further the public health, safety, welfare, peace, and quiet of County inhabitants.

Illegal Dumping

Illegal Dumping is unlawful or unauthorized disposal of solid waste that is deposited within the county, whether that be on any right-of-way of any public highway, street easement or thoroughfare, or upon any camping place or public grounds, or on any premises, or in any container, without the permission of the owner thereof, or into any stream or dry watercourse, within the county of Butte, State of California, and outside of the incorporated cities; also, failure to arrange for the lawful disposal of solid waste generated on property, which that person owns, occupies or is the person responsible for day-to-day operations thereof by not maintaining a continuous subscription for regular reuse removal by a licensed refuse hauler when said property is occupied; furthermore, any person who causes, maintains, or permits the accumulation of solid waste which creates an unsanitary condition or permits or encourages the accumulation or breeding of vectors, or causes, maintains or permits solid waste to be placed in an unapproved container is committing a misdemeanor.

Visit the Illegal Dumping page for more information.

Junk In Public View

Junk shall not be stored in the open unless the premises upon which it is stored is enclosed by a fence of a type and height recommended by the planning commission and included in their instructions to the applicant, as provided in section 11-13 and as finally determined by the board of supervisors.

View the Junk in Public View Ordinance (PDF).

Lighting

The minimum requirements for outdoor lighting in all residential areas are in order to reduce light trespass and glare, and to protect the health, property, and well-being of Butte County residents and visitors. All outdoor lighting shall be located, adequately shielded, and directed such that no direct light falls outside the property line, or into the public right-of-way.

View the Outdoor Lighting Ordinance (PDF).

Medical Marijuana

The Ordinance establishes cultivation areas for various parcel sizes, residential requirements, setbacks, fencing, civil fines, and other issues to meet this goal. Parcel size establishes a maximum cultivation area, a minimum number of recommendation(s), and a minimum setback from any property lines. A parcel may only have one cultivation area that shall not exceed a ratio of 2:1 in size. Growers of Medical Marijuana much be residents of Butte County for at least a year prior to cultivating and must have permitted permanent water well or connection to municipal water and permitted septic or sewage connection. Cultivation is prohibited within 1,000 feet of a school, park, or similar facility, within 600 feet of a school bus stop, in any location where plants are visible from a public right-of-way, or in certain designated zones. If growers are not legal owners, they must receive written consent from the landlord to cultivate. Administrative Civil Penalties have been increased to $500 a day for the first three days and $1,000 a day for each day the violation still exists.

Nuisance Abatement

Nuisance abatement reduces a condition that creates a public nuisance. In general, this includes anything which is injurious to health, poses a significant potential to cause economic and / or physical injury or damage to persons or property, or constitutes a significant detriment to the prevention or suppression of fire, or significantly interferes with the provision of emergency services to the public. It also includes anything which is indecent or offensive to the senses, or an obstruction to the free use of property so as to unreasonably interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property, or unlawfully obstructs the free passage or use in the customary manner of any navigable lake, river, bay, stream, canal or basin or of any public park, square, street or highway and at the same time affects an entire community or neighborhood, or any considerable number of persons, although the extent of the annoyance or damage inflicted upon individuals and / or property may be unequal.

Access the Nuisance Abatement page for more information.

Substandard Housing

Unsafe Structure

Structures or existing equipment that are or hereafter become unsafe, unsanitary or deficient because of inadequate means of egress facilities, inadequate light and ventilation, or which constitute a fire hazard, or are otherwise dangerous to human life or the public welfare, or that involve illegal or improper occupancy or inadequate maintenance, shall be deemed an unsafe condition. Unsafe structures shall be taken down and removed or made safe, as the building official deems necessary and as provided for in this section. A vacant structure that is not secured against entry shall be deemed unsafe.

Zoning Violation

The Zoning Ordinance applies to all land, uses, and structures within unincorporated areas under Butte County jurisdiction. No land shall be used and no structures constructed or occupied except in accordance with the provisions of the Zoning Ordinance. No use of land or structures shall be caused or allowed without the expressed consent of the property owner or an authorized agent of the property owner.

View the Zoning Ordinance (PDF).