What Should You Expect at the Butte County Courthouse?

Butte County's criminal cases are heard at the Butte County Courthouse in Oroville, One Court Street, Oroville, CA 95965, where the Criminal Division's own line is (530) 532-7011. The county's other courthouse, the North Butte County Courthouse in Chico, does not hear criminal matters.

Which courthouse hears a criminal case in Butte County?

Butte County runs two courthouse buildings, but only one of them, in Oroville, has a criminal courtroom that hears felony and misdemeanor cases countywide.

The court's own website describes the Oroville Criminal Division as handling criminal cases "for the entire county," and the Chico courthouse's own phone list names civil, court compliance, family law, jury, mediation, probate, and traffic lines, with no criminal number among them. If you were arrested anywhere in Butte County, including Chico or Paradise, plan on Oroville for a criminal court date unless a notice to appear or the court itself tells you otherwise. Both courthouses keep window hours Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the Oroville courthouse has free parking in two lots on its south side and wheelchair ramps at the main entrance.

How do you look up a Butte County criminal case online?

Butte County Superior Court uses a single public portal for case information, and no account is required to search it.

1. Go to the Butte County Case Search portal, a Tyler Technologies Odyssey site.
2. Search by case information using the on-screen tools; the court's own site says not to use the portal's "Register" option to try to create an account, because none is needed to look up a public case or hearing.
3. Date of birth will not appear in a result. California Rule of Court 2.507 bars the court from displaying it.
4. Expect an occasional CAPTCHA. The court's own FAQ says automated collection of portal data is not supported, so a human search is the only reliable option.
5. Criminal case numbers created after February 19, 2016 carry a two-letter code: CF for a felony, CM for a misdemeanor, and CI for an infraction, which can help you confirm you have the right case.

For custody information rather than a case number, see our Butte County Jail guide; for other counties, see our courthouse and jail guides by county.

What happens at your first court date in Butte County?

At the first court date, the arraignment, the judge tells you the charge and your right to a lawyer, asks for a plea, and can set or change bail.

California law sets an outside limit for reaching a judge when someone is held in custody after an arrest, and Butte County Superior Court keeps its own dated bail documents.

Penal Code section 825(a)(1) requires that "the defendant shall in all cases be taken before the magistrate without unnecessary delay, and, in any event, within 48 hours after his or her arrest, excluding Sundays and holidays." If those 48 hours run out while court is not in session, the deadline extends clear through the end of the next court session on the following court day (Penal Code section 825(a)(2)). For an arrest on a Wednesday after that day's court session has ended, the deadline is the following Friday, if neither day is a court holiday. This is a deadline for reaching a judge, not a charging deadline, and not a promise of release.

Butte County Superior Court's 2026 Jail Bail Schedule for Offenses Committed Within the County of Butte, adopted under Penal Code section 1269b(c)(d) and effective January 1, 2026, sets a bail figure for every felony and misdemeanor it lists. (A separate document effective the same day, the 2026 Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule, covers only traffic, boating, and similar regulatory fines, not a general arrest.) A schedule figure only sets a starting point. Once a judge actually fixes bail at an appearance, that amount controls instead (Penal Code section 1269b(b)), and the California Supreme Court held in April 2026, in In re Kowalczyk, that money bail must generally be set in an amount that is "reasonably attainable" for that person, though not necessarily easily affordable, following In re Humphrey's 2021 rule that a judge setting money bail must consider the person's ability to pay and whether nonfinancial conditions of release could reasonably protect the public and the victim or reasonably assure that the person returns to court. The same decision also limits when a judge can refuse bail outright: outside a capital case, denial is allowed only for the narrow set of offenses in California Constitution article I, section 12(b) and (c). See how California bail amounts are set and what happens at an arraignment for the fuller picture across the state.

Can you appear remotely in a Butte County criminal case?

Sometimes, but only with a judge's advance approval, and state law itself keeps several proceedings in person no matter what the court locally allows.

Butte County Superior Court's own page on remote appearances says they "may be authorized in select circumstances and in certain proceedings" under Penal Code section 977.3, and that "judicial approval is required for all remote appearances." To ask for one, a party files the court's Request for Remote Appearance and Order, Form GR.060, at least five court days before the hearing. Once approved, the party schedules the actual video link through CourtCall's Remote Court Scheduler website; a new meeting link is needed for every hearing, even in an ongoing case. State law sets its own limits on top of that local process: in a misdemeanor-only case the defendant may generally appear by video with their agreement, except that in a domestic violence case they must be present, not just through a lawyer, for arraignment and sentencing, and a judge may order presence in a DUI case; in a felony case, the defendant must generally be physically present at arraignment, the plea, the preliminary hearing, trial testimony, and sentencing unless they personally waive that right, and no defendant may appear remotely for a jury or court trial, or at a felony sentencing except in postconviction relief proceedings or where other law allows (Penal Code section 977). A witness, interpreter, court reporter, victim, or agency representative who needs the court to arrange their own remote appearance calls the relevant case-type division directly instead of using the scheduler.

How do you request an interpreter in a Butte County criminal case?

File the court's Request for Interpreter form, Form SS01, with the clerk's office; the court provides interpreters at no cost for all court proceedings.

Butte County Superior Court's own Request for Interpreter form, Form SS01, goes to the clerk's office; a request for a sign-language interpreter instead uses the statewide Request for Accommodations by Persons with Disabilities form, MC-410, routed to the court's ADA Coordinator. The Interpreter Coordinator tries to schedule the language you need and may use a telephonic interpreting service if no one can appear in person, though not being able to schedule one does not excuse a missed court date, so give as much notice as you can and cancel at least 24 hours ahead if a hearing is postponed. The court's own request form is the practical step, but the underlying right is broader and does not depend on it: the California Constitution, article I, section 14, guarantees an interpreter throughout the proceedings to anyone charged with a crime who cannot understand English, and in a criminal case the interpreter's pay is a charge against the court, not the defendant (Evidence Code section 752(b)(1)).

Who is Butte County's district attorney, and how do you get a court-appointed lawyer?

The Butte County District Attorney's office is at 25 County Center Drive, Suite 245, Oroville; a defendant who cannot afford a lawyer asks the court to appoint one.

If you cannot afford a lawyer, ask the court to appoint one at arraignment: the judge must tell you of your right to counsel (Penal Code sections 858 and 859), and Penal Code section 987 requires the court to appoint counsel for a defendant who wants a lawyer and cannot afford one. The Criminal Division's line above can direct you once your case is open. Butte County Superior Court's own self-help program, SHARP, can be reached at (530) 532-7015, Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and its own page lists help with family law cases, guardianships, evictions, small claims, name and gender changes and restraining orders, with no criminal case type named.

Does Butte County have collaborative or treatment courts?

Butte County Superior Court's own materials name specific calendars for several diversion and treatment programs, separate from its ordinary criminal calendar.

The court's Order for 2026 Court Assignments lists Collaborative Court Calendars for cases referred to and accepted into Drug Court, HIDE (High Intensity Driving under the Influence Enforcement), Domestic Violence, Veterans Treatment Court, Mental Health Diversion and Military Diversion. Ask a criminal defense lawyer directly whether a specific charge could qualify for one of these programs.

Talk to a lawyer about your Butte County case

If you or a family member faces a criminal case in Butte County, talk to a lawyer before the arraignment date in Oroville. The Law Offices of David S. Chesley offers a free, confidential consultation, available 24 hours a day, with payment plans and service in Spanish. Call (800) 755-5174, request a free consultation online, or read the firm's Chico criminal defense page.

Frequently asked questions

Does the North Butte County Courthouse in Chico handle any criminal cases?

No. Its own phone list names civil, court compliance, family law, jury, mediation, probate, and traffic lines, with no criminal number among them. An arrest anywhere in Butte County, including Chico, is a matter for the Oroville courthouse.

Do I need an account to search the Butte County case portal?

No. The court's own site says an account is not required to search for public cases or hearings, and asks visitors not to use the portal's "Register" option to apply for one.

How much is bail in Butte County?

Butte County Superior Court's 2026 Jail Bail Schedule for Offenses Committed Within the County of Butte, effective January 1, 2026, sets a starting amount by offense. A judge can set a different amount at arraignment, and money bail must generally be reasonably attainable for that person (In re Kowalczyk, 2026).

Can a witness testify remotely in a Butte County criminal case?

Sometimes. Penal Code section 977.3 lets a witness testify remotely in a misdemeanor or felony proceeding, except a felony trial, with the parties' consent on the record and the court's consent. The court's remote page tells witnesses and other non-parties to call the case-type division to schedule an approved remote appearance.

Can I get an interpreter at the Butte County clerk's counter or on the phone?

Yes. The court's language access page says a telephone interpreter for help at the counter, or when you call the court, can be requested out loud when you need it, without Form SS01. On a call, someone who speaks enough English joins briefly to tell the clerk which language you need.

Do I need a lawyer at my first Butte County court appearance?

You have the right to one. The judge must tell you about your right to counsel at arraignment (Penal Code sections 858 and 859), and if you want a lawyer and cannot afford one, Penal Code section 987 requires the court to appoint counsel.

Can I see more of a Butte County criminal case at the courthouse than online?

Yes. The court's case-information FAQ says the public computers at the Chico and Oroville courthouses also show public documents the court may not display on the internet; California Rule of Court 2.503(c) puts records in a criminal proceeding in that courthouse-only group.

What if I cannot find my courtroom at the Butte County Courthouse?

Call the Criminal Division at (530) 532-7011. The Oroville courthouse has free parking in two lots on its south side and wheelchair ramps at the main entrance.