Blog · October 14, 2026 · California
Using the Paradise Zoning Map
A parcel's zoning district shapes building, splitting and business use near Oroville.
Main page: Butte County, CA GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
Platbookmapper is an Amazon Associate. If you buy through an Amazon link on this page, we earn a commission. The link is a product, not the county map.
If you have a specific use in mind for land near Oroville, check the Paradise zoning map before anything else: a district label can make or break the plan. In this Paradise guide: which office sets the rules for a lot, how to match a parcel to its district, and when a variance or rezoning comes up.
Which office controls the Paradise zoning map
Within municipal limits, zoning usually comes from the municipality, so a lot in Paradise answers to that map. For rural land toward Oroville, the county's ordinance, if any, takes over; the county planning or zoning office can confirm. To find out which side of the line a parcel is on: ask whether the parcel near Gridley is inside the boundary.
Where the parcel data lives
Begin with the Butte County parcel viewer; it covers every tax parcel around Chico and Gridley. If you're looking near Chico, put in a street address, an owner's name or a parcel number, and the viewer zooms to the match. In and around Gridley, the record panel normally shows the owner of record, acreage on the tax roll, a parcel ID and sometimes recent sales.
What the map can't tell you
The acreage figure is an assessed number; just a licensed surveyor sets the real boundary on land around Gridley. Records update in batches, so a recent sale near Biggs might lag behind.
Legal descriptions in California
California uses the Public Land Survey System, so rural legal descriptions near Biggs cite section, township and range. Each section is nominally a mile square, about 640 acres, with 36 sections to a township, though real sections near Oroville vary in size. Write down the legal description for the tract near Gridley when you talk to a surveyor.
Field tips
Most viewers work in a phone browser, which helps when you're standing on land near Oroville, though signal can drop in rural spots. A screenshot of the parcel near Biggs with its ID helps when you meet an owner or agent.
Paradise and the county around it
Paradise lies within Butte County, California, which means parcel data comes from the county. For a parcel near Gridley, city or town hall handles things like zoning, permits and utilities within town limits, while the county keeps the tax map. Acreage past the town limits near Biggs generally falls under county rules instead.
Recorded documents worth pulling
For anything that matters, get the recorded deed from the County Recorder; the parcel line is a drawing of it, whether the land is near Gridley or elsewhere in the county. With a lot near Gridley, have ready the book and page listed on the parcel record and the lookup takes minutes.
Zoning is only step one
Even when zoning allows a use near Biggs, a building permit is a separate step; septic or sewer and driveway access are often reviewed too.
Offices that can help
Anything recorded against property around Oroville are with the County Recorder, usually searchable by name or document number. Building or septic questions for a lot near Oroville are for the local planning and health departments, town or county, depending on location.
How to look up the district
Some planning offices post the Paradise zoning map as a PDF; others answer by phone or email. With a lot near Chico, short codes on the map aren't self-explanatory, so read the ordinance chapter for each; the letters vary from place to place.
Calling planning staff
Have the parcel ID ready and describe the plan for the lot near Biggs; staff can point to the right section of the ordinance. Also ask whether the lot near Oroville is a legal lot of record, because nonconforming lots can carry limits.
Rules tied to a district
For a home near Chico, each district lists what's allowed outright and what needs approval. For a parcel near Biggs, overlays, whether historic, floodplain or corridor, can add rules on top of the base district.
Butte County in a few facts
Oroville holds the county offices, where most land records are kept. You'll also find Chico, Biggs, and Gridley. Roughly 207,172 people call Butte County home (Census estimate, 2023) spread over some 1,636 square miles. Features like Butte Sink National Wildlife Refuge make handy reference points on the map near Oroville.
Asking for an exception
If the land is near Oroville, expect an application, a fee, notice to neighbors and a public hearing.
Quick answers
What is a variance in Paradise?
For most people, variances near Biggs are usually decided by a board after a hearing; ask staff about the standards.
What are setbacks for land near Chico?
In most cases, the district rules for Paradise list front, side and rear setbacks.
How do I rezone land near Oroville?
For most people, the governing body near Oroville decides after hearings; planning staff can outline the steps.
How can I look up zoning in Paradise?
It depends, but find the parcel near Oroville on the Butte County parcel viewer, confirm whether it's inside Paradise limits, then ask that planning office for the district; many towns post the map online.
What's the tax parcel number used for near Gridley?
It's the number the County Assessor uses to track a tract near Biggs; copy it before you call anyone.
Open the official Butte County, CA parcel map See it in the Platbookmapper directory
Not a survey. County GIS and tax parcel maps are assessment and planning layers. They are not a substitute for a recorded plat, deed, or licensed survey, especially for fences, setbacks, or boundary disputes.