Butte County, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Under California Government Code section 65595, every local agency was required to either adopt a local water-efficient landscape ordinance at least as effective as the state Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) or be governed by the MWELO by default. Butte County's unincorporated area does not have a stand-alone WELO chapter in the County Code, so MWELO (23 CCR sections 490-495) applies on its own terms: it covers new construction landscapes of 500 sq ft or more and rehabilitated landscapes over 2,500 sq ft when a permit, plan check, or design review is required, and it imposes Maximum Applied Water Allowance limits, turf-area caps, soil-management requirements, and high-efficiency irrigation design. The 2040 General Plan Water Resources Element adds Policy W-P2.11, which states that 'Landscaping projects shall use native plants that will continue to be viable in the area under long-term drought conditions,' and Conservation & Open Space Policy COS-P8.2 directs that 'New landscaping shall promote the use of xeriscape and native tree and plant species.' Outdoor irrigation schedules (day-of-week, hours, drought-stage cutbacks) come from the resident's retail water supplier - Cal Water (Chico/Oroville), Del Oro Water Co., Paradise Irrigation District, Thermalito Irrigation District, South Feather Water & Power, and various mutual water companies, each operating under its own approved rate schedule and drought contingency plan.