Butte County, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

Section 16-17, in Article II of Chapter 16 governing Bidwell River Park, states plainly that it is unlawful to camp in the park and separately bars parking a house trailer there for longer than six hours in any calendar month. The park is managed by the county's Director of Public Works under Section 16-12, who also controls related permissions: Section 16-18 requires written permission from that office before building or placing any structure in the park, and Section 16-14 requires the same permission before removing earth or soil or performing any excavation.

Sanitation is addressed directly by Section 16-15, which makes it unlawful to throw or deposit garbage, filth, glass, broken ware, hay, straw, dirt, rubbish, or plant cuttings anywhere in the park, and Section 16-16 confines fires to locations the Director of Public Works has designated and posted. Because Chapter 16 sets no specific dollar penalty for camping, sanitation dumping, or unpermitted structures in Bidwell River Park, the general penalty at Section 1-7 applies, making these misdemeanors. The park itself is defined by Section 16-11's metes-and-bounds description along the Sacramento River, Chico Creek, and the Lindo Channel (Sandy Gulch), and was dedicated to public recreational use under Section 16-10.