Butte County Zoning, Planning & Building Codes

Last reviewed: July 6, 2026

Overview

This page orients you to how development is regulated in Butte County’s unincorporated areas under the Butte County Code, Chapter 24 — Zoning. The Butte County Zoning ordinance implements the County’s General Plan and applies only outside the incorporated cities; if there’s a conflict with the General Plan, the General Plan controls (§ 24-3; § 24-5.A) . Zoning is mapped and maintained by Development Services and includes base zones and overlays with additional requirements (§ 24-11.D) . Most projects pair zoning entitlements with a building permit under the California Building Standards Code, and a ministerial zoning clearance is issued with building/grading permits (§ 24-197) .

The Zoning Ordinance applies to unincorporated areas; a Zoning Clearance is required before any building or grading permit is issued (§ 24-5.A; § 24-197).

How Butte County’s code is organized

• Core authority and scope. Chapter 24 states title, purpose, and that zoning implements the General Plan; it also assigns administration to the Board, Planning Commission, Zoning Administrator, and Development Services (§ 24-1; § 24-2; § 24-4) .
• Article II: Districts, land uses, and standards. This is where base zones, overlays, “use tables,” and numeric standards (density, FAR, setbacks) live, organized by families: agriculture and natural resource, residential, commercial/mixed-use, industrial, and special purpose (§ 24-11; § 24-12; § 24-19–§ 24-23; § 24-27; § 24-29–§ 24-32) .
• Article III: Citywide development standards. Countywide rules for height measurement/exceptions, setback requirements/exceptions, walls/fences, riparian areas, agricultural buffers, parking, signs, landscaping, and performance (“compatibility”) standards appear here (§ 24-56; § 24-56.1; § 24-91–§ 24-95; § 24-105; § 24-114–§ 24-115; § 24-140+) .
• Article IV–V: Procedures. Project processing rules include Zoning Clearance, Administrative Permits, Conditional/Minor Use Permits, Variances, public notice/hearing, and post‑decision procedures (§ 24-196–§ 24-201; § 24-202–§ 24-208; § 24-218–§ 24-224; § 24-226–§ 24-227; § 24-189) .
• Article VI–VII: Amendments, appeals, glossary. Includes zoning map amendments, appeals, and definitions; the glossary defines “density bonus,” FAR, and terms used in the use tables (§ 24-130; Article VII, Div. 1) .

Zoning district families

Butte County’s Land Use tables in Article II group zones by purpose, with density/FAR caps embedded in each family.

• Agriculture and Natural Resource

  • AG-20/40/80/160 (Agriculture): one dwelling per parcel; setbacks generally 20 ft front, 25 ft rear; max residential height 35 ft; FAR not specified for AG; AS (Agriculture Services) allows 0.8 FAR (§ 24-14.B–C, D; Table 24-14-1) .
  • TM/TPZ/RC (Timber Mountain, Timber Production, Resource Conservation) listed as base zones in § 24-11; confirm specific use tables in Article II (§ 24-11.B) .

• Residential (urban and rural)

  • FR/RR/VLDR/VLDCR/LDR/MDR/HDR/VHDR: parcel sizes/densities vary by zone; typical front setbacks 20 ft in VLDR–MDR, 10 ft in HDR–VHDR; primary structure height 35 ft. Additional orchard/vineyard and agricultural buffer setbacks apply where indicated (§ 24-20.B–C; Table 24-20-2; § 24-56.1) .

• Commercial and Mixed Use

  • GC max 0.4 FAR, NC max 0.3 FAR, CC max 0.2 FAR; MU‑1 max 0.3 FAR; MU‑2 max 0.4 FAR; MU‑3 max 0.5 FAR. Residential densities in MU range from 6–20 du/ac depending on MU subtype; setbacks/height are in Table 24‑23‑2 (§ 24-23.B–C) .

• Industrial

  • LI max 0.4 FAR; GI/HI max 0.5 FAR; where adjacent to residential, required setbacks are generally 50 ft; max height 50 ft (§ 24-27.A–B) .

• Special Purpose

  • PB (Public) max 0.4 FAR; AIR (Airport) max 0.5 FAR with design/noise performance limits; RBP (Research & Business Park) max 0.5 FAR with Master Development Plan (MDP) and campus design standards; PD (Planned Development) allows tailored standards via rezoning and plan approval (§ 24-30.A–B; § 24-18.C; § 24-31; § 24-32) .

• Overlays

  • The County applies overlays such as -AC (Airport Compatibility), -BCC (Butte Creek Canyon), -SH (Scenic Highway), and plan-based overlays like -NCSP (North Chico Specific Plan) and -SMSP (Stringtown Mountain Specific Plan). Overlays add requirements on top of the base zone (§ 24-11.C; Table 24‑11‑2) . For example, -AC ties projects to ALUCP review (§ 24-34), -BCC adds hillside, ridgeline, impervious-surface, and buffer standards (§ 24-34.1), and -SH adds scenic design controls and limits certain signs (§ 24-34; § 24-34.1; § 24-… [Scenic Highway overlay]) . The Stringtown Mountain overlay applies its adopted specific plan standards (§ 24-43) . See Butte County Overlay Districts.

Citywide development standards

Use the Butte County Development Standards as a checklist; the most commonly referenced numeric controls are summarized below. Always confirm the exact table for your zone and any overlays on your parcel.

• Residential benchmarks (Table 24‑20‑2):
  • VLDR–MDR: typical front setback 20 ft; HDR–VHDR: 10 ft front; all urban residential primary heights 35 ft. Additional orchard/vineyard and agricultural buffer setbacks can apply (§ 24‑20.C; § 24‑56.1) .
• Commercial/Mixed-Use intensity (Table 24‑23‑1):
  • GC 0.4 FAR, NC 0.3 FAR, CC 0.2 FAR; MU‑1 0.3 FAR, MU‑2 0.4 FAR, MU‑3 0.5 FAR. Setbacks/height are in Table 24‑23‑2 (§ 24‑23.B–C) .
• Industrial bulk/setbacks (Tables 24‑27‑1/2):
  • LI 0.4 FAR, GI/HI 0.5 FAR; up to 50 ft height; 50 ft building setbacks when adjoining residential (§ 24‑27.A–B) .
• Special Purpose benchmarks (Tables 24‑30‑1/2):
  • PB 0.4 FAR, AIR 0.5 FAR, RBP 0.5 FAR; AIR typically 50 ft front/street side and 25 ft sides/rear; RBP 50 ft front/street side and 25 ft sides/rear; PB adds setbacks only when next to residential (§ 24‑30.A–B) .
• Performance standards: countywide “compatibility” rules govern noise, air quality, erosion and similar impacts (§ 24‑140–§ 24‑145) .
• Parking: Table 24‑93‑1 sets minimum on‑site stalls by use; design standards specify stall sizes (e.g., 9' x 19' for standard spaces) and circulation (§ 24‑93; § 24‑95) . ADU-specific parking limits/exemptions are in § 24‑172.G.4 (see “State housing law” below) .
• Landscaping/signs: submittal and technical standards for planting, water efficiency, and sign types/sizes are in § 24‑114–§ 24‑115 and § 24‑105, respectively .

Specific plans & overlays

Butte County implements several overlays that materially change entitlements and design outcomes:

• -AC Airport Compatibility: ties discretionary actions to the ALUCP; ALUC review/comment precedes final County action (§ 24‑34.D) .
• -BCC Butte Creek Canyon: hillside slope limits (e.g., >15% slope triggers siting limits), ridgeline protections, impervious‑surface caps by parcel size, and widened buffers near watercourses (§ 24‑34.1.D–E) .
• -SH Scenic Highway: scenic design findings and restrictions (e.g., certain sign types prohibited; undergrounding utilities) (§ 24‑… Scenic Highway overlay) .
• -SMSP Stringtown Mountain Specific Plan: development must follow the adopted plan; where the plan and zoning conflict, the plan controls (§ 24‑43) .

Refer to Butte County Overlay Districts and confirm your parcel’s overlays on the official Zoning Map (§ 24‑11.D) .

Building permits & review

• Start with zoning and allowed uses. Confirm your base zone/overlays and check the applicable “permitted use” table for your zone family (e.g., residential § 24‑19; commercial/mixed‑use § 24‑22; special purpose § 24‑29). The “Applicable Regulations” column in use tables points you to any extra standards (§ 24‑8.G.5) .
• Choose the right entitlement path. Many by‑right uses need only a Design Review as embedded in standards and then a zoning clearance; some uses require an Administrative Permit (ministerial), a Minor Use Permit, or a Conditional Use Permit (discretionary, with findings) (§ 24‑202–§ 24‑208; § 24‑218–§ 24‑222) .
• File the building/grading permit with Zoning Clearance. A Zoning Clearance is processed with the building/grading permit and must be approved before issuance (§ 24‑196–§ 24‑199) .
• Variances, appeals, and changes. Physical standards may be relaxed only through a Variance/Minor Variance with hardship findings; changes to approved plans and post‑decision procedures are in Article V (§ 24‑226–§ 24‑227; § 24‑224) . See Butte County Variances and Exceptions.
• Building code. Building permits review projects for compliance with the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) in addition to zoning references that appear throughout Chapter 24 (e.g., separation between structures defers to the Building Code in several tables) (§ 24‑20; § 24‑14) .

State housing law in Butte County

• ADUs/JADUs. Butte County’s § 24‑172 implements state ADU/JADU law: one ADU per single‑family parcel (plus a JADU if zoned single‑family); up to two detached ADUs and multiple internal conversions with multifamily; no local maximum size, but building and health codes apply. ADU setbacks are no setback for conversions and at least 4 ft side/rear for new detached ADUs, with added defensible space in the State Responsibility Area. Parking is capped at 1 space per bedroom/ADU, with broad exemptions (e.g., within ½‑mile of transit) (§ 24‑172.B, D–G) .
  • For a state‑level primer, see California ADU law.
• Density Bonus. Chapter 24 provides a local density bonus program consistent with state law. For example, a project with at least 5% very‑low income units earns a 20% density bonus, scaling up to 35%; there are parallel tables for low‑ and moderate‑income thresholds (§ 24‑130.A–C) .
• SB 9 (urban lot split/duplex) and local rent rules. Not found in retrieved materials; verify any SB 9 implementing ordinance or local rent regulations directly with Butte County. Statewide housing regulations that may apply are summarized at California housing laws.

Source References

• Butte County Code, Chapter 24 — Zoning (Title, purpose, applicability, administration): § 24‑1; § 24‑2; § 24‑3; § 24‑4; § 24‑5.A .
• Zoning Map and district framework: § 24‑11.B–D; Table 24‑11‑1; Table 24‑11‑2 .
• Agriculture standards: § 24‑14.B–D; Table 24‑14‑1; Table 24‑14‑2 .
• Residential regulations/standards: § 24‑19; § 24‑20.B–C; Table 24‑20‑2; § 24‑56.1 .
• Commercial/Mixed‑Use standards: § 24‑23.B–C; Table 24‑23‑1/‑2 .
• Industrial standards: § 24‑27.A–C; Tables 24‑27‑1/‑2 .
• Special Purpose standards and RBP/PD processes: § 24‑29–§ 24‑32; § 24‑30.A–B; § 24‑31.A–B .
• Overlays: § 24‑34 (‑AC); § 24‑34.1 (‑BCC); § 24‑43 (Stringtown Mountain SP) .
• Parking: § 24‑93; § 24‑95; ADU parking in § 24‑172.G.4 .
• Landscaping/signs: § 24‑114–§ 24‑115; § 24‑105 .
• Compatibility (performance) standards: § 24‑140–§ 24‑145 .
• Procedures: § 24‑189; § 24‑196–§ 24‑201; § 24‑202–§ 24‑208; § 24‑218–§ 24‑224; § 24‑226–§ 24‑227 .