Butte County will address ordinance on camping

OROVILLE » During Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, District 5 Supervisor Doug Teeter brought attention to a number of issues resulting from an ordinance adopted in the aftermath of the Camp Fire, and directed Butte County staff to come up with solutions to some of these issues.

Chapter 53 in the Butte County Code was adopted and later extended to December 2021 by the board in response to the fire. The purpose of the ordinance was to allow residents to live on their properties where a structure was damaged or destroyed due to the fire, as long as the property had been cleaned of fire ash and debris.

But for some dry camping on their own properties, or in other instances involving people renting properties, a number of issues have arisen.

Teeter said he recently toured an area with a Butte County Sheriff’s Office deputy and observed a number of code violations consistent with complaints from residents.

He said there were parcels where trash and other debris were in public view, and in some cases, created a public health hazard for neighbors.

Rather than relying on citizen complaints, Teeter suggested the county take a more proactive approach. He also directed staff to come up with solutions for those who “play the system” with Butte County Code Enforcement.

“The current code enforcement, there's time allowed, and then if you fix the problem that case is closed,” Teeter said. “You can go back to your ways, and then it's a new case. You can perpetuate no compliance just because of the loophole in the system. I'd like staff to come up with some creative ideas on how to solve that.”

District 1 Supervisor Bill Connelly, whose district was impacted by the recent North Complex West Zone fires as well as the Camp Fire, said he would prefer a complaint-driven approach, adding his district is more spread out than others in the county.

Teeter said he understood Connelly's concerns, and suggested taking amore specific approach to parts of his district, rather than the county as a whole.

“If we're reliant on people to pay attention to (violations), I worry that a lot of folks could end up abusing that,” Teeter said. “I don't say everywhere in the county, it's just specific, and if you want it just specific to Magalia, I would rather that.”

Both Connelly and Teeter also supported the idea of a “three-strike” system where an individual receives two warnings and on the third warning, he or she is off a property.

Teeter said he met someone dry camping on a parcel whowas renting froman owner, and directed staff to return with solutions to hold owners accountable.

“I don't think it's right that they're under the dry camping (code). If you're a landowner making money you should bemaking things right, and not just going, ‘here's a place to dry camp,'” Teeter said.

Teeter also mentioned the Paradise Pines Property Homeowners Association in Magalia, where a number of homes were lost to the Camp Fire. He said the association is “grappling” with what to do with people who are struggling.

This newspaper previously reported on size restrictions in the Property Owners' Association creating a hindrance for rebuilding.

The association voted in 1995 to increase the minimum size of a home to 1,200 square feet.

Some of the smaller homes built prior to 1995 burned in the Camp Fire. Several people who wanted to rebuild have been denied a permit from the Property Owners' Association because of the size of their proposed build, several members of the association told this newspaper.

“I think it would be wrong if the homeowners association has rules, we have rules and we're not aligned,” Teeter said. “I think that association has been doing a good job of being compassionate and I'd like our board to understand what their situation inside is.”

Following the end of the discussion, Chief Administrative Officer Andy Pickett said county staff would take those directions and return to the board with potential solutions at a later date.