Butte County, CA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Sit-Lie Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited
- Sitting, lying, sleeping on sidewalks
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Butte County only
- Exceptions
- Disability, parade viewing, benches
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine / 6 months jail
- Enacted by
- Ord. No. 1075, 1-27-70
Summary
Sitting, lying or sleeping on any public highway, alley, sidewalk or crosswalk in unincorporated Butte County is unlawful under Sec. 15-14(b), unless the person is physically disabled, watching a legally conducted parade, or resting on a lawfully installed bench. The rule sits inside the county's broader loitering ordinance and carries the general penalty for undesignated Code violations.
It shall be unlawful for any person to:...(b)Sit, lie, sleep in or upon any public highway, alley, sidewalk or cross-walk or other public way for pedestrian travel, unless:(1)Necessitated by the physical disability of the person,(2)Reasonably necessary in order to view a legally conducted parade, or(3)On a bench lawfully installed for such purpose.
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
Section 15-14, adopted by Ord. No. 1075 in 1970 and tracing to Code 1952 § 95, makes it unlawful in the unincorporated area for any person to sit, lie or sleep in or upon any public highway, alley, sidewalk, crosswalk or other public way for pedestrian travel. The prohibition has exactly three carve-outs: the conduct is necessitated by the person's physical disability, it is reasonably necessary to view a legally conducted parade, or the person is on a bench that was lawfully installed for that purpose.
Because this subsection applies only inside unincorporated Butte County, it has no bearing on sidewalks within Chico, Paradise, Gridley or Biggs, which enforce their own municipal codes. Section 15-14 carries no penalty clause of its own, so enforcement falls to the countywide default in Sec. 1-7, which treats any Code provision that declares an act unlawful without specifying its own penalty as a misdemeanor. Deputies from the Butte County Sheriff's Office are the enforcing agency for this chapter, consistent with how the county handles the rest of Chapter 15's public-order offenses.
The rule predates and is distinct from the county's separate camping and vehicle-dwelling restrictions found in Sec. 24-75, and it does not reach conduct on private property.
Violations & Fines
Section 15-14 sets no penalty of its own, so a violation defaults to the Sec. 1-7 general penalty: a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment in county jail for up to six months, or both. Section 1-7(c) further provides that every day a violation continues is charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to sit on a sidewalk in Butte County?
Does the sit-lie rule apply inside Chico or Paradise?
What is the penalty for violating Sec. 15-14?
Can someone rest on a bench under this rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Butte County
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