Butte County Rent Increase & Rent Control Guide 2026–2027: Chico, Oroville, Paradise, Gridley & Biggs

The short answer

For Butte County housing covered by California's Tenant Protection Act, the California Attorney General's current chart places the county in the 'All Other Counties' group and lists an 8.6% statewide ceiling for increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. The statutory formula is 5% plus the applicable cost-of-living change, capped at 10%, and coverage or an exemption must still be checked for the specific rental.

As verified September 23, 2026, the Attorney General's current local rent-cap chart does not list Butte County, Biggs, Chico, Gridley, Oroville or Paradise as having a general long-term residential rent-stabilization cap. The current County and city housing, planning and code resources reviewed for this guide likewise did not publish one general local apartment or house rent-cap percentage. That is a careful current-source finding, not a permanent guarantee: local laws can change, specialized housing can have separate rules, and emergency or subsidized-housing requirements may apply.

Start with the exact jurisdiction: five incorporated communities plus unincorporated Butte County

Butte County's official jurisdiction guidance identifies five incorporated jurisdictions: the cities of Biggs, Chico, Gridley and Oroville, and the Town of Paradise. Each has its own local building and planning services. Butte County provides those services for the unincorporated jurisdiction, including communities such as Durham, Magalia, Forest Ranch and Cohasset.

A mailing address that says Chico, Oroville or another community does not by itself prove which local government has jurisdiction. Before serving or evaluating a rent increase, confirm the street address against the County's city-limits or GIS resources. Then identify the housing type, first-occupancy date, ownership structure, subsidy or deed restriction, lease terms and any property-specific rule before deciding which rent-limit analysis applies.

California Tenant Protection Act: 8.6% for the current Butte County period

The California Attorney General's current statewide chart lists an 8.6% Tenant Protection Act ceiling for the 'All Other Counties' category for increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. Butte County is not in the separately calculated Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego or San Francisco-area groups, so 8.6% is the current state-law ceiling for covered Butte County housing during that effective-date window.

The 8.6% figure is not an automatic entitlement and it does not apply to every rental. The Attorney General explains that coverage generally reaches most California rental housing more than 15 years old, while statutory exemptions can include certain newer housing, qualifying individually owned single-family homes or condos when exemption conditions are met, some owner-occupied duplexes, dormitories and certain restricted affordable housing. Mobilehome arrangements also require special care because a mobilehome rented from park management and a homeowner renting only a mobilehome space are treated differently under state law.

No general Butte County residential rent-stabilization percentage was verified in the current primary sources reviewed

The California Attorney General's current local rent-increase chart summarizes many city and county rent-stabilization ordinances and does not list Butte County or Biggs, Chico, Gridley, Oroville or Paradise. The current local government housing, planning, code-enforcement and municipal-code resources reviewed for this September 23, 2026 update also did not publish one general long-term residential rent-control percentage for those jurisdictions.

This guide intentionally does not convert that research result into a claim that no local protection can ever apply. The Attorney General itself warns that its chart is informational and that cities and counties can have housing protections other than rent caps. Local ordinances can also change between updates. Recheck the exact city or County code immediately before acting, and separately review mobilehome parks, deed-restricted or subsidized housing, leases with special restrictions, and any emergency-related rules.

Incorporated-city rules and unincorporated County rules are separate

Butte County's Development Services guidance is explicit that County Planning serves the unincorporated area and cannot process local permits for properties inside Oroville, Chico, Paradise, Biggs or Gridley. That same jurisdiction boundary is important for rental compliance: a County page does not automatically answer a City of Chico or Town of Paradise question, and a city code does not automatically govern an unincorporated Durham or Magalia property.

The County's short-term-rental program illustrates the distinction. Butte County Ordinance Number 4159, effective April 25, 2019, requires an administrative permit for covered short-term rentals in the County's unincorporated jurisdiction, and the County defines the short-term category around stays of 30 days or less. This is a lodging/land-use rule, not a general long-term rent cap, and incorporated cities handle their own local requirements.

Where to verify city-specific housing and property issues

For a Chico address, the City of Chico publishes Housing Division, Building Division and Code Enforcement contacts. For an Oroville address, the City publishes Code Enforcement, Building and Business Assistance/Housing Development resources and direct access to its municipal code. The Town of Paradise maintains a Housing Department and a certified 2022–2030 Housing Element focused heavily on rebuilding, affordability and housing preservation after the Camp Fire.

Biggs and Gridley are also separate incorporated cities. Butte County's official business-license and jurisdiction pages link users to each city's own government resources. When a proposed rent increase depends on a local ordinance or registration requirement, use the incorporated city's current code or clerk/housing office rather than assuming the unincorporated County rule controls.

Housing assistance, vouchers and community resources in Butte County

The Housing Authority of the County of Butte administers public-housing and Section 8-related programs and publishes current applicant, waiting-list and project-based-voucher information. Its housing inventory and program pages cover communities including Chico, Oroville, Gridley/Biggs and Paradise. Voucher or project-based tenancies can have program-specific rent-reasonableness, approval and notice requirements in addition to ordinary state rent-cap analysis.

Butte County also directs residents to the Community Action Agency of Butte County for housing and community-development programs, utility-payment assistance and weatherization. The County's Community Development pages contain additional housing and wildfire-recovery resources. These assistance programs do not establish a general market-rent percentage, but they can be important when a renter needs support or when a housing provider participates in a regulated program.

Written notice and timing are separate compliance requirements

California's Attorney General states that a residential rent increase must be delivered through formal written notice; a call, text or email by itself is not enough. For an increase of 10% or less, landlords generally must provide at least 30 days' notice before the increase takes effect. For an increase of more than 10%, the general notice period is 90 days. These timing rules are separate from the percentage cap.

For a Tenant Protection Act-covered Butte County rental during the current 8.6% period, the statewide percentage limit will ordinarily be more restrictive than the over-10% notice category. But a mathematically correct increase can still have a defective effective date, delivery method or lease conflict. Subsidized housing, local programs, emergencies or other specialized rules can add requirements, so keep the amount calculation and the notice-compliance analysis as two separate checks.

Wildfire and emergency conditions deserve an extra verification step

Butte County continues to maintain wildfire recovery and housing-resource pages because the county has experienced major disasters. California's Attorney General explains that a qualifying state or local emergency declaration can trigger separate anti-price-gouging protections for rental housing. Those protections are declaration- and date-specific; this guide does not assume that a particular emergency cap is active for a property without checking the current proclamation or extension.

If a rental, temporary housing arrangement or proposed increase is connected to a recent fire or other declared emergency, check the Governor's and local government's current emergency orders in addition to the Tenant Protection Act and any local ordinance. Do not rely on an expired disaster order merely because recovery work is still underway.

Landlord-tenant disputes and eviction help in Butte County

The Superior Court of California, County of Butte, operates the SHARP Self-Help Assistance and Referral Program. SHARP provides free legal information and assistance with court forms to unrepresented people and expressly includes evictions among the matters it handles. The Court currently lists phone and in-person service hours on its Self-Help page.

The Court's Civil division also explains that unlawful detainer is the court process used to decide the right to possession. A landlord should not substitute lockouts, utility shutoffs or removal of a tenant's belongings for the court process. Renters who receive an eviction filing should use current court self-help resources promptly because response deadlines can be short.

Practical checklist for renters, landlords and property managers

Start with the exact street address and confirm whether the property is inside Biggs, Chico, Gridley, Oroville or Paradise, or in unincorporated Butte County. Identify whether the rental is a conventional apartment or house, a qualifying single-family home or condo, newer housing, subsidized housing, a mobilehome arrangement or a short-term rental. Record the current rent, proposed rent, proposed effective date and all increases during the prior 12 months.

For conventional covered housing, compare the proposal with the current 8.6% Tenant Protection Act ceiling for increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. Then recheck the applicable city or County code, confirm any exemption, verify the 30- or 90-day written-notice timeline as applicable, and review the lease and any subsidy or emergency restrictions. Keep a compliance file with the official sources, calculation, notices, proof of service and supporting records.

Max Rental Tools can help with the rent-increase calculation, rent ledger and notice workflow, but the official government sources linked below should control the legal verification step. If the address or housing type creates uncertainty, stop before serving a notice and verify the governing jurisdiction and program first.

Verification date and official Butte County resources

This cornerstone was verified on September 23, 2026. The 8.6% statewide figure is tied specifically to increases taking effect August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. Do not carry that percentage into a later effective-date period without checking the California Attorney General's then-current chart.

For local verification, use Butte County's jurisdiction/GIS and Development Services resources for unincorporated addresses; use the applicable incorporated city's current code, housing, planning or code-enforcement office for city addresses; use the Housing Authority of the County of Butte for voucher/public-housing program questions; and use Butte Superior Court SHARP for court self-help. Recheck these sources immediately before relying on a proposed increase because local rules and program requirements can change.