FAQs • Butte County, CA • CivicEngage

Will I be fined if found in violation?: Yes, $500 per day for the first 72-hour period then fines increase to $1,000 per day until the hearing date, abatement, or compliance is met.

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Marijuana FAQs

You must have a permanent legal residence on the parcel.
You must own the parcel or have notarized, written permission from the parcel owner to cultivate.
You must have an approved water supply and sewage disposal system on the parcel.
Your cultivation area must be placed on the parcel in such a way that it meets all setback requirements.
The cultivation area must not be seen from any public right-of-way or adjacent parcels.

A setback requirement is a required distance your grow area needs to be from the parcel line.
Depending on the size of your parcel, your Marijuana grow must be setback a certain number of feet from your parcel line. Also, you grow must be set back 1,000 feet from schools, youth-oriented facilities, parks, churches, and residential treatment facilities; 600 feet from school bus stops.
To see the setback required for your parcel, please see the Marijuana Ordinance table.

3. Am I allowed to grow on more area or more plants if my doctor’s order is greater than the ordinance allows?: No. This ordinance regulates the place and manner in which Marijuana can be grown in unincorporated Butte County. A doctor's recommendation does not make a patient/caretaker exempt from the requirements of the ordinance.

4. Is a greenhouse (with approved common materials) considered an indoor grow?: A greenhouse must be fully enclosed and securable to be considered an indoor grow and it may be no larger than 120 square feet in size.

5. What are approved common materials for detached structures?: View Detached Structures Approved Common Materials Memorandum (PDF).

6. Who can make a complaint and is my information confidential?: Anyone can now complain. Under the County's ordinance, information regarding a person making a complaint will be kept confidential and only disclosed to the hearing officer if the matter proceeds to a hearing authorized under the ordinance. All other information for the compliance program will be subject to the rules and requirements of the California Public Records Act (California Government Code Section 6250 et seq.) While the County will abide by the confidentiality provisions of the Marijuana Ordinance, the County cannot guarantee that information will remain confidential if the disclosure is compelled in any subsequent or associated legal action, pursuant to a valid applicable State or Federal law, or pursuant to a valid court order.

7. Will I be fined if found in violation?: Yes, $500 per day for the first 72-hour period then fines increase to $1,000 per day until the hearing date, abatement, or compliance is met.

8. What is the enforcement procedures?: View our Enforcement Flow Chart (PDF).

The cultivation area is not a factor for non-medical Marijuana grow; however, cultivation must occur in one contiguous area.

Depending on the size of your parcel, the cultivation area can vary from 50 square feet, up to 150 square feet. Cultivation must occur in one contiguous area and maintain a 2:1 size ratio.

No more than six plants may be planted, cultivated, harvested, dried, or processed within a single private residence, or upon the grounds of a private residence, at any one time.

No, there is no limit on the plant count. The cultivation area is measured from the canopy of your outermost plants rather than the trunks or stems of each plant.

11. Can more than one grower be on a parcel?: Yes; however, the cultivation area (medical) and plant count (non-medical) remain the same regardless of the number of people involved.

12. What if I split my large parcel into smaller parcels?: This would depend on the zoning of your parcel and would require a meeting with the Butte County Planning Division to determine.

13. Can my indoor grow be in my residence?: Indoors means entirely within a private residence or accessory structure, considering all buildings or building upgrades for cultivation are permitted.