Butte County California Building Codes

Building Officials

• A county building official enforces the building standards on every commercial construction project in Butte County. The building official's duties include the authority to disconnect utilities to the building in an emergency or if the utilities violate building codes. The building official may also determine the occupancy classification of the building to specify how many patrons are legally allowed to be in the building.

Urban Building Road Improvement

• For any new building that includes a road extending along the frontage of the lot, the road must be constructed to the same standards specified for county roads on private land, according to Chapter 20 of the Butte County Code. These standards pertain to materials used for the road, grading slopes of the road, width of the road and drainage ditches used.

Violations of Codes

• If a building is deemed to be substandard according to the Butte County building code, it's unlawful for anyone to enter or remain in it. Once a building is declared unlivable, the owner is notified. From that point forward, no one is allowed in until specified changes are made.

Minimum Parcel Size

• An individual or family applying for a building permit for a new unit or commercial structure on a subdivision lot has several restrictions. If the lot hasn't been developed with a legally constructed and maintained living unit and is less than five acres, the lot needs to meet requirements for minimum lot and parcel area, according to the building code. This rule applies to lots established before July 1, 1949.