The Commercial Kitchen Standard

California Jurisdiction

Butte County commercial kitchen compliance

California's 29th-largest county by commercial kitchen population. Butte County Public Health Department, Environmental Health Division is the authority. Here's the methodology, the thresholds, and the fire code overlay.

Authority chain

Butte County → Butte County Public Health Department, Environmental Health Division → California Retail Food Code

Butte County sits in California's mid-range by population. Inspection cadence and methodology track the state framework with local agency-specific implementation. Chico Fire: (530) 897-5151. Paradise Fire: (530) 877-8585. Camp Fire history = heightened inspection awareness in this county.

Standard 01

Food Safety

Authority

Butte County Public Health Department, Environmental Health Division

Phone
530-552-3880
Scoring type
Major Violation Count
Grading type
Color Placard

Methodology

Placard-based program (Butte County Code Chapter 18B, adopted May 6, 2014). Three-state placard issued at conclusion of each routine inspection or re-inspection: Green PASS, Yellow Conditional PASS, or Red CLOSED. Green issued when no more than one major violation is observed AND that violation is mitigated or corrected during the inspection. Yellow issued when (a) two or more majors are observed, OR (b) a compliance agreement for non-major correction is violated, OR (c) the same single major has been observed in three consecutive inspections. Red issued when any major violation poses an imminent health hazard that cannot be mitigated or corrected during the inspection. No numeric score is produced; placard color is the sole grading output. Closure is determined by Red placard issuance (imminent health hazard) or by CalCode permit suspension/revocation after failed phased-intervention sequence. Authority: California Retail Food Code (Cal Code) + Butte County Code Chapter 18B. Inspection framework details (68 inspection items across 51 base numbers with split categorization) are captured per the November 18, 2025 Field Inspection Guide.

Primary source

Butte County Retail Food Field Inspection Guide (2025-11-18) + Butte County Green-Yellow-Red Placard Program Informational Packet (2022-06-10)

Last verified by JIE: May 21, 2026

Published inspection data for Butte County is mirrored on ScoreTable, direct from the agency.

Standard 02

Fire Safety

Authority having jurisdiction

CAL FIRE/Butte County Fire Department - Fire Marshal Bureau

Phone
(530) 538-7111
Fire code edition
2025 CFC
NFPA 96 edition
2024
Hood cleaning default
Quarterly
Permit type
Operational Fire Permit — annual renewal, pass/fail

Hood cleaning frequencies

Frequencies enforced by CAL FIRE/Butte County Fire Department - Fire Marshal Bureau per NFPA 96 (2024).

Cooking volume / typeFrequency
Solid-fuel cookingMonthly
High-volume / 24-hour / charbroil / wokQuarterly
Moderate-volumeSemiannually
Low-volume / seasonal / place of worshipAnnually

Local amendments adopted

CAL FIRE contract. City of Chico Fire Dept and Oroville Fire are separate AHJs within city limits. NOTE: Paradise Fire Dept serves Town of Paradise — post-Camp Fire reconstruction has elevated fire code scrutiny significantly.

Hood cleaning enforcement

MODERATE-HIGH — post-Camp Fire scrutiny elevated county-wide

Reference

Frequently asked

Who inspects commercial kitchens in Butte County?
Butte County Public Health Department, Environmental Health Division is the food safety authority for Butte County. Reach them at 530-552-3880. California Retail Food Code (CRFC) provides the statutory base; the agency conducts inspections, scores them per local methodology, and posts results to the public.
How are inspection results communicated in Butte County?
Butte County Public Health Department, Environmental Health Division documents inspections per color placard methodology. Results are available to the public through the agency's published portals.
Who enforces fire and hood-cleaning rules in Butte County?
CAL FIRE/Butte County Fire Department - Fire Marshal Bureau is the fire authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). They enforce 2025 CFC and NFPA 96 (2024 edition) for commercial kitchen exhaust. Hood cleaning default frequency: quarterly.
What fire code edition applies in Butte County?
2025 CFC is the adopted edition. NFPA 96 (2024) governs commercial kitchen exhaust systems. Local amendments: yes.
Where can I verify Butte County inspection records?
Primary source: https://buttecounty.net/publichealth. EvidLY ScoreTable mirrors the latest jurisdiction-published results at https://www.getevidly.com/scoretable/california/butte.
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