Butte County, CA Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered waterway
- Butte Creek, PG&E facility to county line
- Covered roads
- Honey Run Rd & Centerville Rd rights-of-way
- Duration
- Year-round, not seasonal
- Default penalty
- Up to $1,000/6 months, Sec. 1-7(a)
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 3941, 10-24-06
Summary
Along Butte Creek between the PG&E hydroelectric facility above Centerville Dam and the county's southern boundary, Section 7-9.2 bans drinking or carrying an open alcoholic container in the creek bed, on its banks between the high and low water marks, or while wading or bathing. The same ban covers set stretches of Honey Run Road and Centerville Road right-of-way, both popular swimming and picnic corridors.
(a)In the geographic area along Butte Creek and between the PG&E hydroelectric facility above Centerville Dam and the southern boundary of Butte County, it shall be unlawful for any person to consume any alcoholic beverage or possess any opened alcoholic beverage container within dry areas of the bed and banks of Butte Creek, between the low and high water marks (including gravel bars), or while wading or bathing in the waters of Butte Creek.(b)It shall be unlawful for any person to consume any alcoholic beverage or possess any opened alcoholic beverage container, within the right-of-way area of Honey Run Road, from a point 1.51 miles distant from the intersection of Honey Run Road and The Skyway, easterly to a point 4.54 miles distant from the intersection of Honey Run Road and The Skyway, said point being approximately one-tenth ( 1/10 ) of a mile northeast of the driveway to Butte County fire station #26.(c)It shall be unlawful for any person to consume any alcoholic beverage or possess any opened alcoholic beverage container, within the right-of-way area of Centerville Road, from its intersection with Honey Run Road northeasterly 5.41 miles to its intersection with Helltown Road.
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
2 creates three separate no-alcohol zones. First, along Butte Creek between the PG&E hydroelectric facility above Centerville Dam and the county's southern boundary, it is unlawful to consume alcohol or possess an open container in the dry bed and banks of the creek between the low and high water marks, including gravel bars, or while wading or bathing in the water. 54 miles east of that intersection, near Butte County Fire Station 26. 41 miles, from its intersection with Honey Run Road northeast to its intersection with Helltown Road.
1 defines 'right-of-way' as the full publicly maintained roadway width, including any unpaved shoulder and vegetation cleared for sight distance, and defines 'bather' broadly to include anyone floating, swimming, wading or bodysurfing with or without a flotation device other than a sail- or motor-propelled one. The ban applies year-round rather than to a single holiday weekend, unlike the county's separate Sacramento River open-container rule.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 7's boats-and-waters provisions carry no chapter-specific fine schedule, so a Section 7-9.2 violation defaults to the county's general penalty under Section 1-7(a): a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both. This differs from the separate Sacramento River open-container ban in Section 7-9.4, which caps its own Labor Day weekend fines at $100 to $500.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I drink alcohol while swimming in Butte Creek?
Does the Butte Creek alcohol ban cover the road, not just the water?
Is this ban only in effect on holiday weekends?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Butte County
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