Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest and crime counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Butte County, California, has about 208,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Butte County depends on where the incident happened: the Butte County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county, the agency that reports for the city inside a city. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the California Public Records Act requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the sheriff's reports, the cities' reports, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Butte County public records, Butte County arrest records, Butte County warrants, Butte County inmate search, Butte County criminal records, California arrest records and California inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Butte County
The report of an incident is released by the agency that took it; the court and the jail hold their own records of the same event, but not the report.
In Butte County that is the Butte County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and the agency that reports for a city where the city has one of its own.
The FBI's agency list also places two state agencies, one other agency and one campus police department in Butte County, each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Butte County Sheriff's Office
The Butte County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 249 violent and 508 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 2,289 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at buttecounty.net/1723/BCSO-Booking-Logs (page title: BCSO Booking Logs | Butte County, CA), a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 429), so open it in a browser.
Reports from the City Agencies in Butte County
The five cities the FBI lists in Butte County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Chico: 683 violent and 1,894 property crimes reported for 2025; 2,459 arrests reported for 2025. The Chico police records page is at chicoca.gov/documents/City-Services/Public-Safety/Police-Department..., phone (530) 895-4911 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Oroville: 174 violent and 706 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,304 arrests reported for 2025.
- Paradise: 35 violent and 96 property crimes reported for 2025; 409 arrests reported for 2025. The Paradise police department's page is at paradiseca.gov/police/custom-contact-page/police-department-contact..., phone (530) 872-6161 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Gridley: 26 violent and 110 property crimes reported for 2025; 253 arrests reported for 2025.
- Biggs: 52 arrests reported for 2019.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
How Many Reports: Butte County in 2025
The five agencies in Butte County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,167 violent and 3,314 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the five agencies in Butte County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,714 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the California Public Records Act Requires
The California Public Records Act sets the rules: an answer within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances, at a charge of the direct cost of copying only, not staff time, from the agency that holds the report.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at buttecounty.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_rs/(S(ferqnzodzx441polcrxxomxw))/Suppo... (page title: Butte County, CA | Public Records Center).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Butte County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Butte County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the California Public Records Act the answer is due within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances.
How long does an agency in Butte County have to answer?
Under the California Public Records Act, within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances. It may charge the direct cost of copying only, not staff time.
How do I get a report from the Butte County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the California Public Records Act the answer is due within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances.
Is this the official Butte County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.