Building permits, zoning and land rules in Butte County, California

At a glance

Building permit

Required when buildings are constructed, altered or improved in unincorporated areas¹

Zoning

Yes; each parcel in the county zoning jurisdiction has a base zone, overlay zone or both²

Septic

Butte County Environmental Health permits OWTS construction (the Town of Paradise runs its own); soils rate poorly for conventional drain fields³⁴⁵

Wells

Environmental Health permits every domestic and ag well; work must be done by a licensed C-57 contractor⁷

RV living

No permanent RV dwelling; camping is limited to specified rural zones and time limits⁶⁸

Tiny homes

Site-built tiny homes use the normal permit process on a permanent foundation; Appendix BB covers 400 sq. ft. or less⁹

Minimum lot size

1 to 40 acres in rural residential zones; 3,500 to 13,500 sq. ft. in urban residential zones, by district¹⁰

Owner-builder

Allowed conditionally; the owner must sign an acknowledgment and remains legally and financially responsible¹¹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 16, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Butte County, California?

Yes. Current code regulations require building permits when buildings are constructed, altered or improved in unincorporated Butte County, though specific code or statutory exemptions may apply¹. The Building Division administers permitting, plan review and inspections, and applications submitted after December 31, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. are reviewed under the 2025 Building Standards Codes¹². Building in a FEMA flood hazard zone adds review under Butte County's Flood Hazard Prevention Ordinance¹³. Limited agricultural buildings such as qualifying barns, sheds, grain silos and livestock shelters still need a permit but use a simplified checklist and cannot be used for habitation¹⁴. An owner-builder may apply for a permit, but must sign the county acknowledgment and remains legally and financially responsible for the construction¹¹.

Who is the Butte County building department, and how do you reach them?

The Butte County Development Services Building Division handles building permits, plan review and inspections for unincorporated Butte County¹⁵. Zoning and land-use review is a separate step: the Planning Division confirms your parcel's zone, setbacks and any overlay before the Building Division will issue a permit¹⁶. Applicants can use the county's online Permit Portal to apply, follow status and request inspections, and the October 1, 2025 fee schedule excludes fees collected by other departments, so Environmental Health, Public Works, Fire and impact fees may come on top¹⁷¹⁸. Both divisions share the Development Services building in Oroville¹⁵¹⁶. If your project touches septic, wells or a driveway onto a county road, expect to also deal with Environmental Health and Public Works before the Building Division signs off¹⁹²⁰.

Does Butte County have zoning?

Yes. Every parcel in Butte County's zoning jurisdiction has a base zone, overlay zone or both, and the county publishes its ordinance, zoning map, overlay maps and a parcel lookup tool². Incorporated cities such as Chico, Oroville, Paradise and Biggs keep separate zoning ordinances that do not govern unincorporated land²¹. The Town of Paradise zones its own land under Title 17 of its municipal code²². In rural residential zones, minimum parcel size for a new lot ranges from 1 to 40 acres; urban residential districts range from 3,500 to 13,500 square feet, and those minimums apply to creating new parcels, so existing legal parcels below them can remain legal¹⁰. Primary structures in the listed residential zones are capped at 35 feet tall²³. In AG and AS zones, primary structures generally have 20-foot front and street-side setbacks, a 25-foot rear setback, and an interior-side formula with a 5-foot floor; agricultural buffers and other exceptions still apply²⁴. A new home near farming generally needs a 300-foot agricultural buffer unless the county approves an unusual-circumstances adjustment². Planning a lot split? Dividing land into five or more lots generally needs a tentative subdivision map, and fewer than five lots generally uses a tentative parcel map²⁵. Confirm the parcel-specific zone and overlay with Planning¹⁶.

How do septic permits work in Butte County?

Butte County Environmental Health is the local permitting authority for septic systems, known as on-site wastewater treatment systems or OWTS, in unincorporated Butte County³. Inside the Town of Paradise, septic review and permits come from the town's on-site sanitary official instead, while Butte County Environmental Health is still referenced there for well approval⁴. You need a construction permit before you build or replace a system — only a qualifying graywater system is exempt — and that permit stays valid for two years from the date it's issued²⁶. Soils are a real constraint here: only 1.6% of Butte County's soils rate suitable for a conventional drain field under the USDA soil survey, so budget for a site evaluation and, on most parcels, an engineered or mound system rather than a standard trench field⁵. If a public sewer main runs within 250 feet of your lot and has capacity, the county requires connecting to it instead of installing a new septic system, though the Environmental Health Director can grant an exception case by case²⁷. Holding tanks, composting toilets and vault privies aren't allowed for a residence; they're permitted only for limited non-residential uses like agricultural storage buildings or primitive campsites where a full system isn't feasible²⁸. Any well on your property, domestic or agricultural, also needs an Environmental Health permit and must be drilled by a licensed C-57 water well contractor⁷.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Butte County?

Butte County does not allow an RV or other housing on wheels as a permanent dwelling on private property in unincorporated areas²⁹. Owner-authorized RV or tent camping is allowed only in the AG, TM, TPZ, RC, RR and FR rural zones⁸. A currently registered RV with approved power, sewage disposal and domestic water is limited to 180 days annually and needs an Administrative Permit before connection; camping without those utilities is limited to 14 days in any 30-day period, with no more than two RVs or tents and two families at once⁸. A separate construction pathway allows temporary RV occupancy while building or rehabilitating a qualifying single-family home, with an Administrative Permit, active building permit, approved sewage disposal, milestones and time limits³⁰. A site-built tiny home is reviewed through the normal building permit process, must sit on a permanent foundation, and may be used as an accessory dwelling unit⁹. The county's handout uses the California Residential Code Appendix BB definition of a tiny house, 400 square feet or less excluding lofts, which still must meet foundation and fire sprinkler requirements, and not every type of tiny home qualifies as a permanent residence⁹. Manufactured homes may serve as single-family dwellings on lots zoned for conventional single-family homes when foundation, certification, development and permit requirements are met³¹.

Building a home in Butte County: the steps, in order

1. Confirm your parcel's zone, minimum lot size and any overlay with the Planning Division before you design anything¹⁶³².
2. Get a septic site evaluation and construction permit from Environmental Health if you won't be on public sewer; budget extra time if your soils need an engineered system³⁵.
3. Apply for a well permit through Environmental Health if you'll drill your own water source, using a licensed C-57 contractor⁷.
4. Submit the building permit application to the Building Division; an owner-builder must complete the acknowledgment before permit issuance¹²¹¹.
5. Get flood review for a mapped flood-zone parcel and an encroachment permit if the driveway crosses a county road right-of-way¹³²⁰.
6. Obtain the RV Administrative Permit before temporary onsite occupancy during construction³⁰.
7. Schedule required building and septic inspections as work progresses¹²³³.

What to check before you buy land in Butte County

Ask Planning to confirm the parcel's zone, minimum lot size, overlays, applicable setbacks and whether the 300-foot agricultural buffer affects your homesite¹⁶²²⁴. Pull the flood hazard status; development in a mapped flood zone triggers review under Butte County's Flood Hazard Prevention Ordinance and may require an elevation certificate¹³. Only about a third of county land has a slope of 15% or less, and over half is wooded, so inspect the actual grade and vegetation³⁴³⁵. Confirm water feasibility with Environmental Health because every well needs a county permit and a licensed C-57 contractor⁷. A driveway crossing a county road right-of-way requires a Public Works encroachment permit; the office page lists a $440 fee, while the application process calls for a plot map, pre-inspection flag and at least 5 days of processing²⁰³⁶. Butte County experiences severe drought in roughly 38% of years, so verify water supply and storage³⁷. The effective property tax rate is roughly 0.7%, or about $2,819 annually on a typical county home³⁸³⁹.

Watch-outs

• Butte County's 2022 building code cycle ended December 31, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.; permit applications submitted after that time are reviewed under the 2025 California codes instead⁴⁰.
• As of May 9, 2024, Butte County will not issue an installation permit for a mobile or manufactured home manufactured before September 1, 2008, so check a used unit's build date before you buy it⁴¹.
• For an existing mobile or manufactured home placed on a permanent foundation through the county retrofit process, the Building Department sends the recorded HCD 433A and HCD 513C certificate of occupancy to the state after final inspection; the available rule does not establish a separate certificate requirement for every building type⁴².
• Butte County still processes accessory dwelling units under California's statewide ADU law rather than a locally adopted county ordinance, so confirm current standards with the Planning Division before you plan one⁴³¹⁶.
• The county's emergency interim-housing rule defines movable tiny houses as 150 to 430 square feet, but that rule does not establish a countywide minimum for ordinary homes; ask Planning about your proposed house size⁴⁴¹⁶.
• We could not confirm a general lot-coverage limit for unincorporated Butte County; ask Planning to identify the standard for your parcel's zone and overlay¹⁶.
• Short-term rentals in unincorporated Butte County need an administrative permit from Development Services, cannot operate in RVs, yurts or tents, and are barred in the Very Low Density Country Residential zone⁴⁵.

Sources

1. Residential Garage Conversions Plan Submittal Checklist, quoted and re-checked
2. Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
3. Wastewater Program, quoted and re-checked
4. Town of Paradise: Paradise Code 13.04.050 Sewage disposal construction permit required (Butte County), quoted and re-checked
5. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
6. buttecounty.net, quoted and re-checked
7. Private Water Wells: Residential & Ag, quoted and re-checked
8. Butte County Zoning Ordinance — Recreational Vehicles and Camping, quoted and re-checked
9. INF-04 Tiny Homes, quoted and re-checked
10. Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
11. Residential Dwelling Building Packet, quoted and re-checked
12. Building | Butte County, quoted and re-checked
13. Plan Check, quoted and re-checked
14. Limited Agricultural Buildings - Plan Submittal Checklist, quoted and re-checked
15. Butte County Development Services — Building Division (buttecounty.net)
16. Butte County Development Services — Planning Division (buttecounty.net)
17. Building, quoted and re-checked
18. Fees, quoted and re-checked
19. Butte County Environmental Health — Land Use & Wastewater (buttecounty.net)
20. Butte County Public Works — Encroachment Permits (buttecounty.net)
21. Frequently Asked Questions - Planning Division FAQs | Butte County, CA, quoted and re-checked
22. Town of Paradise: Paradise Code 17.14.400 Town residential zones site development regulations (Butte County), quoted and re-checked
23. Butte County Zoning Ordinance – Residential Zones, quoted and re-checked
24. Butte County Code § 24-14, Development standards for agriculture zones, quoted and re-checked
25. Tentative Map Application Guide, quoted and re-checked
26. On-Site Wastewater Systems Ordinance – Butte County Code Chapter 19, quoted and re-checked
27. On-Site Wastewater Systems Ordinance – Butte County Code Chapter 19, quoted and re-checked
28. On-Site Wastewater Systems Ordinance – Butte County Code Chapter 19, quoted and re-checked
29. buttecounty.net, quoted and re-checked
30. Recreation Vehicle as Temporary Residence Administrative Permit, quoted and re-checked
31. Butte County 2022-2030 Housing Element, quoted and re-checked
32. Zoning Ordinance | Butte County, CA, quoted and re-checked
33. On-Site Wastewater Systems Ordinance – Butte County Code Chapter 19, quoted and re-checked
34. Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
35. Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data
36. Public Works Permit Types, quoted and re-checked
37. Share of years in severe drought: Bolthole Index county data
38. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
39. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
40. Building | Butte County, CA, quoted and re-checked
41. New Manufactured Home Plan Submittal Checklist, quoted and re-checked
42. Building Permit Application Requirements for Existing Mobile/Manufactured Home, quoted and re-checked
43. Accessory Dwelling Units, quoted and re-checked
44. Butte County Code § 56-53, Definitions, quoted and re-checked
45. Short-Term Rental Ordinance, quoted and re-checked

Written October 16, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.