Butte County, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- License issuer
- Butte County Sheriff
- Annual fee
- $500 first table, $100 each additional
- Hours
- Closed 5:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. daily
- One per address
- No more than one card room per address
- License limit
- One card room per person, non-transferable
Summary
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 sets the fee at $500 a year for one table plus $100 per additional table, and Sec. 15-85 caps hours, bans minors and intoxicated patrons, and forbids rake-offs from pots.
It shall be unlawful to operate a card room in violation of any of the following regulations and rules:(a)Location. Not more than one card room shall be located at any one address...(c)Minors. No minors shall be permitted at any card table, nor shall participate in any game played thereat.(d)Hours of operation. All card rooms shall be closed at 5:00 a.m. and shall remain closed until 9:00 a.m. Card rooms may operate seven (7) days a week.(e)Police inspection. All card rooms shall be open to police inspection during all hours of operation...(j)"Cuts" of pots. The operator of a card room shall establish a reasonable time-charge to customers and there shall not be permitted any "rake-off' or "cut" of any pots or bets.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
Article III of Chapter 15 permits draw and lowball poker only in a licensed card room or in truly private, invitation-only home games (Sec. 15-70). Sec. 15-71 defines a 'card room' as any space with a table furnished for card play that is available to the public, exempting bona fide nonprofit or fraternal clubs. Sec. 15-72 makes operating an unlicensed card room unlawful; Sec. 15-73 requires the applicant to submit a sworn application to the sheriff disclosing everyone financially interested, plus fingerprints and a photograph.
Sec. 15-74 lets the sheriff deny a license if the applicant was convicted of a narcotics offense, a theft felony, or any crime of moral turpitude within the past ten years, or is not of good moral character, appealable to the board of supervisors within ten days. Sec. 15-75 limits any one person to a single card room license, non-transferable. Sec. 15-77 requires daily operation at least eleven months a year or the sheriff must revoke the license. Sec. seven days a week, require the doors stay unlocked to the public and open to police inspection, bar intoxicated persons, prohibit any house 'rake-off' or 'cut' of pots beyond a posted time-charge, and require a work permit under Sec. ' Sec. 15-86 clarifies the county cannot license any game prohibited under Penal Code § 330, including banking and percentage games.
Violations & Fines
Article III sets no stand-alone penalty, so operating in violation of these rules defaults to the Sec. 1-7 general penalty: a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 in fines, up to six months in county jail, or both. Independently, the sheriff may suspend or revoke a card room license or employee work permit under Sec. 15-84 for any ground that would justify denying an initial application, or for failing to comply with Article III, subject to appeal to the board of supervisors within ten days.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Butte County
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