Chico, CA

Chico, California bans all fireworks, including state-licensed 'Safe and Sane' fireworks, within city limits: no manufacture, possession, storage, sale, or use is allowed under Chico…

Chico bans igniting any open fire, indoors or outdoors, throughout the city, allowing only a short list of exempt appliances and fire-marshal-permitted uses under Municipal Code…

Chico enforces the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code for construction in fire hazard severity zones, adopting the state's fire-hazard building standards by reference under…

Chico, California caps liquefied petroleum gas storage at 2,000 gallons water capacity per site outside commercial and industrial zones, and requires a fire permit for most LP-gas…

Chico allows wood or gas outdoor fire pits on private property with a 15-foot structure setback, a 36-inch container cap, and a Red Flag Warning burn ban.

Before a converted condominium unit can be sold in Chico, the building must be certified by the Building Official and each unit equipped with smoke detectors meeting the Title…

Every owner, tenant or occupant of unincorporated Butte County land must create firebreaks wherever a fire hazard exists, under County Code Section 38A-5. A parcel out of compliance is…

Vehicles, RVs, boats, and trailers can't sit on any Chico street or public right-of-way for more than 168 consecutive hours (7 days); violators can be towed under Vehicle Code…

Chico requires residential parking on driveways or parking pads only; parking on lawns, dirt, or within a required setback is a declared public nuisance citywide.

Chico's city council can designate congested residential streets as preferential parking areas, restricting on-street parking during posted hours to permit holders, their guests with…

Chico Municipal Code § 10.52.150 makes it unlawful to abandon, park, or store a wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle on public or private property in the city for more than 168…

Chico Municipal Code Chapter 10.20 governs on-street parking citywide: vehicles may not stop, stand, or park in a posted no-parking zone under § 10.20.040, with added time limits in…

Chico enforces on-street time limits only where signs are posted; a vehicle must leave the block face when its time expires and can't return to the same block for two hours, per…

Chico designates curb colors for parking control: red curbs bar stopping or parking, white curbs limit use to passenger loading, all posted under Chico Municipal Code § 10.20.070.

Chico bars parking or storing a vehicle, RV, boat, or trailer on any city street or public right-of-way for more than 168 consecutive hours, and violators can be towed.

Butte County requires a building permit for every electric vehicle charging station, but Article VIII of Chapter 26 forces that permit through an expedited, streamlined review created…

California doesn't ban private-property towing, but Vehicle Code Section 22658 controls how it happens. A posted sign at least 17 by 22 inches must warn drivers before a tow company…

Chico allows horses, cattle, goats, and other livestock on residential-zoned lots, but ties the number allowed to minimum site area and to setbacks under § 19.76.040.

Chico requires a permit for any pet shop or kennel, tied to compliance with California's Pet Store Animal Care Act and local standard-of-care rules, not a local retail sale ban.

Chico bans feeding wild or domestic animals anywhere in Bidwell Park, with narrow exceptions for feeding fowl at Horseshoe Lake and the Deer Pen and for owners feeding their own…

Chico allows honey bee hives only in RS and R1 residential zones, capped at one hive per 10,000 square feet of lot area and registered with Butte County.

Chico caps household dogs at three per residence address; keeping a fourth dog turns the property into a 'kennel' requiring a separate city permit.

Chico prohibits keeping any exotic, non-domesticated animal within city limits unless a zoning provision specifically allows it, and none does for wild or exotic pets.

Chico's zoning code defines veterinary clinics and animal hospitals as a distinct land use and treats indoor versus outdoor kennel facilities differently across its commercial zoning…

Chico bans letting a dog run at large, on or off leash, in public or on someone else's property, unless it's in a city-designated off-leash exercise area.

Butte County does not impose any breed-specific ban or designation of dangerous or vicious dogs. California Food and Agricultural Code § 31683 expressly preempts breed-specific…

Butte County does not require microchips for ordinary pets, but Section 4-51 of the dangerous animal permit article makes chip implantation mandatory for any animal already declared…

In every county-owned park and playground in unincorporated Butte County, it is unlawful to discharge a firearm or to injure or kill any bird or animal. A companion rule for Bidwell…

Every domestic cat over four months old in Butte County must carry a current rabies vaccination under Section 4-20 of the county code, with immunity maintained through a vaccine good…

Chico has no separate backyard compost-bin ordinance, but its zoning code sets real on-site composting standards for community gardens: onsite materials only, five-foot setbacks, and a…

Chico bans letting private tree or shrub branches hang within 10 feet of the ground over a sidewalk or street.

Chico counts rain barrels and cisterns as an approved site design measure: developments adding 2,500 to 5,000 square feet of impervious surface can meet the city's runoff-reduction…

Chico sets no specific inch or foot height for weeds and grass; Municipal Code § 1.14.030 instead makes hazardous or unsightly overgrown vegetation a nuisance subject to notice and…

Chico lets owners, or applicants with owner consent, petition to designate qualifying oaks, sycamores, and other significant trees as Heritage Trees, which are then recorded on title…

New commercial and multi-family landscaping in Chico must be at least 90% drought-tolerant or native plants suited to the local climate, per Chico Municipal Code Section 19.68.050.

Butte County has not adopted a stand-alone Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, so California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO, 23 CCR Div. 2 Ch. 2.7) applies by…

Since SB 676 took effect in 2024, Government Code 53087.7 protects only drought-tolerant living landscaping from local bans, so cities may again prohibit artificial turf. Civil Code…

Chico caps vehicle sound amplification systems at 50 feet audibility on public property and 25 feet on private property, and bans unnecessary horn use.

Chico limits construction equipment to 83 dBA at 25 feet and 86 dBA at the property line, even during permitted work hours, under the city's noise ordinance.

Chico's Airport Environs (-AE) overlay zone requires noise-insulated construction, recorded avigation easements, and a recorded Notice of Aircraft Overflight for development near Chico…

Chico's dog nuisance ordinance makes it unlawful for a dog to disturb a neighborhood by howling, barking, or making unusual noises, with the owner liable for the violation.

Chico caps noise from commercial and industrial property at 70 dBA measured at any point outside the property plane, a single flat limit that applies at all hours of the day.

Chico lets officers skip the warning step and cite immediately for nighttime noise, generally 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weeknights and after midnight on weekends.

Chico requires a discretionary use permit for any business within 300 feet of a residential district that plays amplified music or operates 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Chico caps home occupation traffic at 10 extra trips a day and 2 deliveries, requiring it stay consistent with the surrounding neighborhood's existing traffic pattern, under Municipal…

Chico issues a non-discretionary permit for large family day care homes (state-licensed, 9-14 children) and bars siting one within 300 feet of another under Municipal Code § 19.76.060.

A Chico home business may post just one non-illuminated name plate up to 1 square foot, Director-approved, with no merchandise or stock-in-trade displayed on the premises.

Chico only allows permitted home occupations in residential zoning districts, the OR/OC office districts, and NE/NG TND dwelling units, per Municipal Code § 19.20.010.

Government Code section 51035 forbids any California city, county, or city and county from prohibiting a cottage food operation in a residential dwelling. The local agency must pick…

California lets home cooks sell meals from their own kitchen under a microenterprise home kitchen operation (MEHKO) permit, capped at 30 meals a day, 90 a week, and $100,000 in annual…

Chico exempts retaining walls up to 4 feet from setback rules, allows walls 4 to 6 feet in a setback only when the exposed face points inward, and treats anything taller as a main…

Chico prohibits barbed wire, electrified fencing, and razor wire on fences and walls in every zoning district; electrified fencing is allowed only in commercial or industrial zones…

Chico exempts fences 6 feet or under from a building permit, but zoning still caps residential fences at 3 feet in front yards and 7 feet in rear/side yards, with taller heights…

Where multi-family, commercial, or manufacturing property in Chico adjoins a residential zone, the code requires a 6-foot sight-obscuring wood fence or masonry wall along the shared…

California Civil Code Section 841, the Good Neighbor Fence Act, presumes adjoining landowners share equal benefit and equal cost responsibility for boundary fences, applying statewide…

Storage sheds and similar detached accessory structures on Chico single-family lots need 3-foot side, 10-foot street-side, and 5-foot rear setbacks, and can't sit in a front setback or…

Chico lets ADU applicants get a zoning clearance or apply directly for a building permit, with a 4-foot side/rear setback for new detached units and a 1,200-sq-ft cap.

Chico bans short-term rentals of accessory dwelling units, requiring ADUs and JADUs to be leased for 30 or more consecutive days under the city's zoning code.

Chico's code requires junior accessory dwelling units to be owner-occupied, but standard ADUs carry no such requirement under the city's current zoning code, consistent with state law.

Converting a Chico single-family garage or carport to living space means replacing the lost parking spaces, unless the conversion creates an accessory dwelling unit, per Chico…

Chico cuts development impact fees in half for an ADU that shares its sewer lateral with the main house, under Chico Municipal Code § 3.85.135.

Chico exempts prefabricated above-ground pools at single-family homes from a basic building permit only if the pool walls sit entirely above grade and the capacity does not exceed…

Chico requires swimming pools, spas, and similar residential amenities to be fenced in compliance with the California Building Code, which mandates self-closing, self-latching gates…

Chico classifies Airbnb-style home-sharing and vacation rentals under 31 days as hotel stays, making hosts subject to the city's 10% transient occupancy tax and registration rules.

Un-hosted short-term rental stays in unincorporated Butte County are capped at ninety nights per calendar year under Section 24-172.1 I.7.b, unless the property sits on a…

Short-term rental parking in unincorporated Butte County must be shown on the administrative permit's site plan, with on-site tandem parking allowed only when parallel parking cannot…

Butte County caps short-term rentals at five rented bedrooms, two guests per approved bedroom on septic, and a hard overnight ceiling of 10 guests on septic or 14 on public sewer…

Three verifiable citations, violations, or hearing-officer determinations against a Butte County short-term rental within any 24-month period trigger a cease-and-desist order and…

When a Butte County parcel hosts two short-term rentals, such as a primary residence plus an approved accessory dwelling unit, Section 24-172.1 G.2 requires at least one of them to…

Butte County STRs must observe quiet hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends and holidays, with no outdoor amplified sound during quiet hours and full…

Every short-term rental in unincorporated Butte County requires an Administrative Permit issued by the Department of Development Services under Butte County Code Section 24-172.1…

Butte County's short-term rental ordinance requires the rental to be the owner's primary residence, defined as the permanent home documented by two forms of identification, unless the…

California requires hosting platforms to warn hosts to check their lease and insurance before listing (Business and Professions Code 22592), and AB 537 requires short-term lodging…

Chico law requires cyclists to ride inside a marked bicycle lane once one exists on the street, follow traffic control devices, and ride single file when more than one bike shares the…

A low-speed vehicle in California may not be driven on any roadway with a speed limit above 35 miles per hour. Vehicle Code section 21260 permits it to cross a faster road only where…

Camping on public property anywhere in Chico, California is a public nuisance under Municipal Code Chapter 9.20, and unlawfully stored belongings can be removed after a posted 24-hour…

Chico bans sitting or lying on sidewalks in commercial areas from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with exceptions for disability, emergencies, and permitted events.

Chico designates systematic housing code enforcement areas #1 and #2 where the building division may proactively inspect rental and multi-family dwellings, not just respond to…

Chico treats a vacant parcel with plants, animals, or other items endangering public health or safety as a public nuisance subject to city abatement.

Chico adopted the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings by reference, letting the building official order repair, vacation, or demolition of any structure that…

Chico requires a public works encroachment permit before building, excavating, or placing anything in a city street, sidewalk, or public easement, with narrow listed exceptions.

Chico bans obstructing free pedestrian passage on any sidewalk without a Title 14 permit, and gives police authority to direct or disperse crowds blocking sidewalks near theaters or…

Chico property owners must keep the sidewalk fronting their lot safe and in repair, or the city will fix it and lien the property.

Chico requires a massage establishment permit from the Community Development Department before operating, plus a business license and CAMTC-certified practitioners.

Chico requires adult arcades, bookstores, cabarets, and similar businesses to stay 1,000 feet from schools, parks, and each other, and 300 feet from residential property, with capped…

Chico's home occupation ordinance leaves auto and vehicle repair off its closed list of allowed home businesses, and separately bans storing or using hazardous automotive fluids at a…

Chico classifies tattoo parlors and body-piercing studios as "Personal Services," a use permitted by right in all eight commercial zoning districts, with its own parking standard.

Butte County bans self-service tobacco and e-cigarette displays at every unincorporated retailer: products must be sold vendor-assisted, with a store employee retrieving and handing…

Running a pawnshop in unincorporated Butte County requires a license from the county Tax Collector under Code Chapter 11. The Sheriff fingerprints and photographs every applicant…

Secondhand dealers doing business in unincorporated Butte County need a license under Code Chapter 11 before buying or reselling previously-owned goods, including antiques. Every…

Chico requires a permit from the administrative services director before anyone may peddle or solicit house-to-house, with a police background check, a $1,000 bond, and fixed operating…

Chico is not a cannabis-free city: retail, manufacturing, distribution, and testing businesses can operate in approved commercial zoning districts under a Commercial Cannabis Permit…

Chico requires most commercial cannabis businesses, testing labs, manufacturers, distributors, and delivery-only retailers, to locate at least 100 feet from any K-12 school, day care…

Health and Safety Code section 11362.2 grants every adult 21 or older the statewide right to cultivate up to six cannabis plants indoors, and bars local governments from completely…

Chico makes it unlawful to throw or deposit garbage, rubbish, or waste on any street, private premises, or into a sewer or creek, punishable as an infraction with a council-set fine.

Chico requires nearly every home and business to subscribe to city organic waste (food scrap) collection under Municipal Code § 8.13.130, the local rollout of California's SB 1383…

Chico limits when trash and recycling bins may sit at the curb: no more than 12 hours before pickup, and they must be pulled back the same collection day, per Municipal Code § 8.12.080.

Chico requires multifamily, commercial, and industrial properties to store waste in receptacles emptied weekly or once contents sit within four inches of the rim, per Municipal Code §…

Chico prohibits solid waste collectors from sending recyclable materials gathered under the city's residential recycling program to a landfill; Municipal Code § 8.08.030 requires those…

Chico requires trash carts to be stored out of public view at the side or rear of the home between pickups, and limits curbside placement in the front yard to a 12-hour window before…

Chico's exclusive waste franchise must provide two free bulky-item pickups a year to single-family and two-family homes, and one free pickup a year to each multi-family complex, under…

Every property in Chico with solid waste must keep receptacles on site under Municipal Code § 8.12.010, and residential garbage cans have to be emptied at least once a week under §…

Chico requires yard debris set out for pickup in a closed-lid receptacle or in secured bundles no longer than four feet and no more than 18 inches thick.

In unincorporated Butte County, licensed haulers must provide weekly trash and organics pickup and recycling collection at least every two weeks to every home and business inside a…

Chico bans possessing an open alcoholic beverage container or drinking on public streets, sidewalks, and parking lots, plus posted private commercial and multi-unit residential lots…

Chico bans aggressive panhandling under Municipal Code Chapter 9.54: soliciting within three feet, blocking a person's path, following someone, or using violent gestures or profanity…

Chico makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate anywhere in public - on any street, lot, or spot exposed to view - outside a proper restroom, citywide.

Chico bans smoking, including vaping, within 20 feet of doorways, windows or other openings into places where smoking is already prohibited, and separately bans it in all outdoor cafes…

Chico bans consuming or using cannabis on public property or anywhere accessible to or visible from the public, including smoking, vaping, eating, or drinking it.

Chico bans gatherings of 20 or more people that cause a substantial neighborhood disturbance, defining it to include noise complaints, and holds hosts and property owners civilly…

Chico bans sitting or lying on public sidewalks, curbs, or streets in commercial areas from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with fines up to $300 for repeat violations, under Municipal Code §…

Chico bans skateboards, roller skates, and scooters, defined as 'coasting devices', from most public streets, downtown sidewalks, parking structures, and the municipal center, allowing…

In Chico's central traffic and business districts, pedestrians must cross only at a marked crosswalk: jaywalking there violates Municipal Code §10.35.030, though the rule doesn't…

Restaurants in Chico, California need a public works license to put tables and chairs in the sidewalk right-of-way, capped at two converted parking spaces.

Chico requires an administrative use permit before hosting a carnival, fair, festival, flea market, or swap meet lasting up to 10 days, or longer for arts, crafts, and agricultural…

Chico regulates a block party as a 'public assembly' under Chapter 14.50, requiring a public works permit filed at least 5 business days before a street is closed to traffic.

Chico requires a public works department permit before any parade closes a city street to traffic, filed 5 to 25 business days ahead depending on whether the route is city-designated.

Chico requires a director or park commission permit before hosting any private or public event in a city park facility, with filing deadlines up to 85 days out.

Chico waives its right-of-way encroachment permit for homeowners removing parkway turf to install water-efficient landscaping, if six listed conditions are met.

Butte County requires a construction permit, a Use Permit, CEQA review, and an approved management plan before anyone may build a recycled water (wastewater) pond in the unincorporated…

Chico prohibits any non-storm water discharge into the city's storm drain system unless specifically exempted, enforcing the ban under Chapter 15.50 of the Municipal Code to protect…

Before issuing any grading or building permit, Chico requires construction operators to submit an erosion and sediment control plan (ESCP) with site-specific best management practices…

Chico requires new and substantially improved buildings in special flood hazard areas to elevate the lowest floor at least one foot above the base flood elevation, with stricter rules…

Chico bars any development in a special flood hazard area that doesn't meet the city's adopted floodplain standards, and building permit applications there must include elevation and…

In the Unique Agriculture (-UA) overlay zone that supports Butte County's farm-tour and agritourism operations, Butte County Code of Ordinances Section 24-45(D)(5) bars tour buses and…

Butte County Code Section 38A-6 requires every parcel in the unincorporated area to maintain three defensible space zones around buildings: Zone 0 from 0 to 5 feet, Zone 1 from 5 to 30…

The California Coastal Act, Public Resources Code sections 30000 through 30900, requires Coastal Development Permits for nearly all work in the coastal zone and gives the Coastal…

Chico requires a plumbing permit before installing, removing, altering, repairing, or replacing plumbing equipment in any building, structure, or premises, with narrow exemptions for…

Chico requires large family day care homes to have a fire extinguisher and smoke detectors and pass a City inspection for Housing Code and Fire Marshal compliance.

Chico requires a separate electrical permit for installing, altering, repairing, replacing, or remodeling any electrical equipment in a building, with narrow exemptions for portable…

Chico requires five building-official inspections during construction: foundation, slab/underfloor, frame, lath/wallboard, and final, before work may proceed past each stage.

Chico, California enforces the 2025 California Green Building Code (CALGreen) as its local green building standard, adopted by reference under Chico Municipal Code § 16R.16.010 for all…

Chico's Traditional Neighborhood Development standards require fire sprinklers in any building on an off-network street more than 150 feet from the neighborhood's Emergency Response…

Chico requires a basic building permit for any alteration, repair, improvement, or remodel of a building or structure, with only a short list of minor exemptions under the Municipal…

Under Butte County Code Section 26-94, dwellings built through the county's Limited Density Owner-Built Rural Dwelling program must have carbon monoxide alarms installed to the current…

Selling food or beverages from a city street or sidewalk in Chico requires a permit, and permits are limited to the central business district with strict buffer distances from schools…

Chico requires a mobile food vendor permit, valid for two years, before operating a food truck or trailer on private property in a non-residential zoning district.

Chico limits mobile food vendors, food trucks and trailers, to non-residential zoning districts, with a two-year permit issued by the Community Development Director under Chapter 19.23…

Chico protects specific native tree species by size, plus any tree tied to a development approval, before removal is allowed.

Chico lets residents nominate landmark trees for Heritage Tree status, triggering a recorded notice and removal protection.

Chico requires a Bidwell Park and Playground Commission permit to plant or remove any tree or shrub in the street parkway strip, under the city's Tree Law.

Chico caps noncommercial (including political) signs on residential property at four, four square feet each, displayed up to 120 days a year.

Chico limits window signs to 25% of window area citywide, dropping to just 10% in the DN and DS downtown zoning districts.

Chico confines digital reader boards to assembly-use sites or the CS zoning district, requires static images, and imposes a brightness cap.

A Butte County resident can post one garage sale sign without any permit. Section 24-101(A)(10) allows "one (1) garage sale sign at the residence where the garage sale is taking place…

Butte County limits freeway signs to businesses serving the "freeway-motoring public." Section 24-106(A) requires the sign to sit on the same parcel as the business, within 800 feet of…

Chico's zoning tables set a 20-ft. front and side setback in the RS district (10 ft. sides in RS-20), a 20-30 ft. rear setback, and tighter 10-15 ft. front setbacks in the denser R1…

Chico caps the share of a residential lot that buildings may occupy: 40% in the RS district, up to 60% in R2, 65% in R3, and 75% in R4, under the Title 19 zone development-standards…

Butte County Code of Ordinances Section 24-20(C) and Table 24-20-2 cap primary structure height at thirty-five feet across every residential zone in the unincorporated area, from the…

Chico parks restrict fires and grills to designated masonry or metal fireplaces, pits, or grills: charcoal briquettes and portable propane barbecues are allowed only there, with…

Chico requires outdoor barbeques and smokers to sit 10 feet from structures, stay uncovered, and be kept off unprotected combustible balconies.

Chico treats stationary barbecues, fire pits, and built-in outdoor cooking equipment as accessory structures, requiring them to meet the same 3-foot setbacks as sheds and pools under…

Chico sets business license tax by classification: most businesses pay a per-employee tier, but specific business types (hotels, cardrooms, waste haulers) pay flat or…

Chico requires every used sharp to go straight into a sharps container after first use, bans tossing needles in household trash, and makes improper disposal a misdemeanor.

Chico's nuisance-abatement code declares overgrown vegetation that harbors rats or vermin a public nuisance property owners must correct, enforced through a Director abatement order…

Every retail food facility in unincorporated Butte County must post a color-coded placard, green for pass, yellow for conditional pass, red for closed, within five feet of the front…

Minors under 18 in Chico may not loiter unaccompanied in public places between 10 or 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., under Chico Municipal Code § 9.56.010, with exceptions for work, errands, or…

Chico parks, greenways, and open spaces close 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., except City Plaza and Upper Bidwell Park, which close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Chico requires new-development solar collectors to be placed in the least visible location and screens wall- or ground-mounted panels from public view, though California's Solar Rights…

Butte County requires a building permit for small residential rooftop solar systems but processes it through an expedited, streamlined track under Code § 26-103. The Building Official…

California Civil Code section 714 makes any HOA covenant, deed restriction, or governing document provision that effectively prohibits or restricts a solar energy system void and…

Chico protects historic sites through a Landmark designation, not a "cultural monument" label, requiring City Council approval on Board recommendation.

Chico allows only two garage or yard sales per property in any 12-month period, each capped at three consecutive days, under the zoning code's temporary-use rules for residential zones.

Chico's Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax Law charges guests 10% of the rent on any hotel stay under 31 days, collected by the operator and remitted to the city monthly.

Chico adopted the 1991 Uniform Housing Code by reference, with local amendments, to set minimum habitability standards, structural safety, ceiling heights, and sanitation, for…

California evictions run through the unlawful detainer process. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 1161, nonpayment requires a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit (excluding weekends and…

Civil Code 1946.2 requires landlords statewide to have just cause to terminate tenancies of qualifying tenants who have lived in a covered unit at least 12 months.

California Civil Code § 1954 limits when a landlord may enter a rented home. Except in emergencies, abandonment, or with tenant consent, the landlord must give reasonable written…

California sets no fixed dollar or percentage cap on rent late fees, but a late fee in a residential lease is treated as liquidated damages. Under Civil Code § 1671, such a fee is…

To end a California month-to-month tenancy, a tenant gives 30 days' written notice. A landlord gives 30 days if the tenant has lived there under a year, or 60 days if a year or more…

California limits annual rent increases statewide to 5% plus the local change in the cost of living, capped at 10%, under the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB-1482). It also lets…

California requires written notice before raising a month-to-month tenant's rent. Under Civ. Code § 827, increases of 10% or less in 12 months need 30 days' notice; increases above 10%…

As of July 1, 2024, California landlords may collect no more than one month's rent as a security deposit, regardless of whether the unit is furnished. The deposit, minus any lawful…

California adverse possession requires five years of continuous, open, hostile possession AND payment of all property taxes during that period under Code of Civil Procedure § 325. A…

Chico's municipal code requires exterior lighting to be shielded or recessed so glare stays on-site, directed downward and away from neighboring properties, with full cutoff fixtures…

Within the Butte Creek Canyon (-BCC) overlay zone, Butte County Code of Ordinances Section 24-34.1(D)(7)(b) goes beyond the countywide outdoor lighting article by requiring full…

Chico shields existing and future commercial farm operations from nuisance claims by neighbors, as long as the farming was lawful and not already a nuisance when it started, under…

New development next to commercial crop production along Chico's Sphere of Influence must keep at least 100 feet of separation from any habitable structure, per Chico Municipal Code…

Chico's tree preservation ordinance specifically excludes Ailanthus, commonly called tree of heaven, from the definition of a protected tree, so removing one doesn't require a permit…

Qualifying new landscape projects in Chico must stick to non-invasive plant species drawn from the state WUCOLS classification list, rather than high-water, weedy, or invasive plants.

Front yards in Butte County's urban residential zones must be planted, not paved. Section 24-115(A)(1) requires plants selected from a county-approved list of "native and non-native…

Chico allows an extra 5% density bonus beyond what California's state law requires, or up to 10% for projects that skip incentives and meet every objective development standard, per…

Running a card room anywhere in Butte County requires a sheriff-issued license under Sec. 15-72, with fingerprinting, a background check and a good-moral-character finding. Sec. 15-76…

California Penal Code § 326.5 lets only tax-exempt nonprofits, mobilehome park associations, senior groups, and school-affiliated charities run bingo, and only under a local city or…

California law exempts private home card games from gambling regulation entirely. Penal Code § 337j(e)(2)(D) excludes any card game played in a private home or residence from the…

California has no legal sports betting, in stores or online. Penal Code section 337a criminalizes bookmaking, pool-selling, and placing or accepting any bet on the result of a sporting…

Butte County bars solid-waste collection vehicles from operating within 500 feet of residentially zoned land before 5:30 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m., and prohibits collection outright on…

Once Butte County's code enforcement identifies a violation, Section 41-2 gives the violator at least thirty days to comply after a courtesy notice, and if that lapses, a formal…

Butte County's code enforcement program, set out in Chapter 41, polices violations across eighteen separate chapters of county code, from zoning and building to sewage disposal, water…

Butte County has no dedicated data-center ordinance. In the unincorporated county a server facility is an industrial use, allowed in the Light Industrial (LI), General Industrial (GI)…

Unlike many rural counties, Butte County has a codified Noise Control Ordinance. Section 41A-7 caps noise at sensitive receptors at 50 dBA Leq daytime and 40 nighttime in non-urban…

Butte County's Zoning Ordinance does not enforce homeowners association covenants, conditions and restrictions. Section 24-5(D) leaves CC&R enforcement to private parties, while the…

California HOAs may levy regular and special assessments, charge late fees and interest, record liens, and ultimately foreclose on delinquent owners under the Davis-Stirling Act. State…

California's Davis-Stirling Act gives every HOA member the right to inspect and copy association records under Civil Code § 5205. Boards must produce current-year records within 10…

California voids any HOA governing-document clause that effectively bans or unreasonably restricts a clothesline or drying rack in an owner's exclusive-use backyard. Civil Code Section…

Civil Code section 4735 voids any HOA rule that bans low-water plants, turf replacement, or artificial turf, and bars fines for cutting back watering during a declared drought…

Civil Code § 4745 voids any HOA covenant or governing-document rule that prohibits or unreasonably restricts installing an EV charging station in an owner's unit or designated parking…

Civil Code § 4705 bars every California homeowners association from limiting a member's display of the United States flag on their own lot or within their exclusive-use common area…

California law caps homeowners association fines at $100 per violation or the amount listed in the association's published penalty schedule, whichever is less. Civil Code section 5850…

A California homeowners association cannot foreclose on a member’s home over unpaid dues until the delinquent assessments alone reach $1,800, or until the assessments secured by the…

Civil Code § 4741 bars every California homeowners association from adopting or enforcing a rule that prohibits, or unreasonably restricts, renting out a separate interest, and sets a…

California sets a statewide minimum wage floor under Labor Code 1182.12, $16.90 per hour for all employers as of January 2026. Local governments are not preempted and may set higher…

California's Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act under Labor Code 245-249 mandates paid sick leave for nearly all employees statewide. SB 616 (2023) raised the minimum to 40 hours…

California regulates concealed carry weapons licenses statewide under Penal Code 26150 through 26225. Senate Bill 2 (2023) imposes uniform sensitive-place restrictions and applicant…

California preempts most local firearm regulation under Government Code 53071 and Penal Code 25605, reserving licensing, registration, and manufacture authority to the state. However…

California broadly prohibits open carry of firearms statewide under Penal Code 25850 (loaded firearms in public) and Penal Code 26350 (open carry of unloaded handguns). The prohibition…

California prohibits carrying loaded firearms in vehicles statewide under Penal Code 25400 and 25850. Unloaded handguns transported in private vehicles must be in a locked container or…

Sobriety checkpoints are lawful in California and stopping at one is a statutory obligation, not a courtesy. Vehicle Code § 2814.2(a) requires a driver to stop and submit to a sobriety…

California is one of the few states that answers this by statute rather than by case law alone. Penal Code § 148(g) says that photographing or making an audio or video recording of a…

California has no general stop-and-identify statute. The old Penal Code § 647(e), which required a person lawfully detained to give "credible and reliable" identification, was held…

California has no statute that requires you to consent to a search of your car, and none that requires an officer to warn you that you may refuse. What the Legislature and the voters…

California prohibits grocery stores and large retailers from providing single-use plastic carryout bags under Public Resources Code 42280-42288, enacted by SB 270 (2014) and ratified…

California restricts expanded polystyrene food containers statewide through SB 54 (2022) packaging requirements under Public Resources Code 42040-42081. The law mandates that…

California Public Resources Code 42270-42273, enacted by AB 1884 (2018), prohibits full-service restaurants from providing single-use plastic straws unless requested by the customer…

California prohibits sale of tobacco and vapor products to anyone under 21 statewide under Business and Professions Code 22958, enacted by SBX2-7 in 2016. The Tobacco 21 standard…

California bans retail sale of most flavored tobacco products statewide under Health and Safety Code 104559.5, enacted by SB 793 (2020) and upheld by voters via Proposition 31 in…

California works from a closed list: Vehicle Code section 24003 says no vehicle may carry any lamp or illuminating device not required or permitted by the code, so an accessory light…

California measures dash cam placement in square inches. Vehicle Code section 26708(b)(13) lets a video event recorder occupy a seven-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield…

Lane splitting is lawful in California. Vehicle Code section 21658.1, added by AB 51 in 2016, defines it as driving a motorcycle with two wheels in contact with the ground between rows…

California does not let you put a cover over your license plate. Vehicle Code section 5201(c) allows exactly two things: a full car cover on a lawfully parked vehicle, and a license…

No section of the California Vehicle Code makes it an offense for a private motorist to own, carry or use a radar detector. The prohibition in Vehicle Code section 28150 reaches only…

California permits metal studded tires only between November 1 and April 30, and only where the studs are tungsten carbide or another suitable material and the metal touching the road…

California never publishes a "legal VLT" for front side windows because it does not permit aftermarket darkening there at all. Vehicle Code section 26708(d) allows only clear…