Butte County CA Superior Court: Case Search & Records
The Superior Court of California, County of Butte provides online case access, court calendars, traffic/criminal payments, tentative rulings, electronic filing and copy-request options. The right route depends on whether you need a case number search, a party-name lookup, a traffic payment, a copy or certification, or in-person help at the Oroville or Chico courthouse.
Independent public-information guide reviewed September 2026. Verify live portal availability, filing rules, fees, hearing dates, courthouse counters and access limits on the official court website before relying on a record.
What Can You Search Through the County of Butte Superior Court?
Butte Superior Court records are court records: civil, small claims, unlawful detainer, probate, family law, criminal, traffic, juvenile, court calendars, tentative rulings, payments, and case-copy requests. They are not the same as County Clerk-Recorder records such as birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates or real estate recording documents.
Start with Case Information. Use the case number when you have it; otherwise search carefully by party name where available.
Use the court’s copy request form and submit by mail or in person to either courthouse.
The court lists the Civil/Probate Division at the North Butte County Courthouse, 1775 Concord Avenue, Chico.
The Oroville courthouse page lists criminal and juvenile contact lines for case-specific routing.
Local Rule 21 makes eFiling mandatory for several categories and permissive for others.
The court’s copy form says the court does not provide marriage, birth or death certificates; those go to county/vital-record custodians.
How to Search Butte County Superior Court Cases Online
The court’s website offers Case Search / Case Information through its online services. The portal can help you locate public case information, calendars, hearings, payments and some viewable documents when access is permitted by California court-record rules.
Case-number search micro-steps
- Open the official Butte Superior Court website.
- Select Case Search or go to Online Services and choose Case Information.
- Use the case number first if you have one from a notice, citation, order, filing receipt or attorney letter.
- Copy letters, year numbers, hyphens and suffixes exactly as shown.
- Open the result and compare case type, party names, filing date, department and latest docket activity.
- Do not rely on a single docket line; later orders, dismissals, judgments or amended entries may change the meaning.
Name or hearing search micro-steps
- Use name search only when the case number is not available.
- Try legal name, former name, business name, middle initial or spelling variation.
- Compare case type and filing date before assuming a same-name match is the right person.
- For hearing information, use court calendars or hearing search where the portal offers it.
- Remember that some information may be limited online even when it is available at the courthouse.
- When a record matters for legal, licensing, immigration or employment use, order a certified copy or verify with the court.
How to Request Butte Superior Court Records and Certified Copies
To request case copies, Butte Superior Court’s records request form asks users to complete as much case information as possible and submit the form by mail or in person to either courthouse. The form also says requests are processed in the order received and to allow at least three weeks.
Copy only
Use when you need an ordinary court document copy and certification is not required.
Clerk’s certificate
Use when an agency or legal process requires court authentication.
Higher authentication
Use only when the receiving authority specifically asks for exemplification.
| Copy request item | Published Butte court detail | What to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| Plain copy | $0.50 per page | Case number, party names, document title and filing date where possible. |
| Certification | $40.00 plus $0.50 per page | Ask clearly for certification and identify the exact document. |
| Certified dissolution judgment | $15.00 | Family-law case number, party names and judgment date if known. |
| Exemplification | $50.00 | Confirm the receiving agency actually requires exemplification. |
| Search fee | $15.00, with an additional $15.00 for each search exceeding 10 minutes | Narrow the case year and party details to reduce search time. |
| Mail request | Include a check payable to Butte County Superior Court and a self-addressed stamped envelope with adequate postage | Write “not to exceed” and an amount on the memo line as the form instructs. |
- Download the court’s official copy request form.
- Identify the case type: civil, probate, criminal or family.
- List the case number, party names, dates of birth where requested, and filing date if known.
- For each document, list the document title and filing date, then check copy, certification or exemplification.
- Mail or deliver the form to the Oroville or Chico courthouse with payment instructions followed exactly.
- If urgent, briefly explain the emergency in the urgency field, but do not assume immediate processing.
California Remote-Access Rules: What Butte Can and Cannot Show Online
California court-record rules explain why a case may be searchable online while the actual document image is not available remotely. Rule 2.503 requires electronic access to certain records when feasible, but also limits public remote access to many sensitive categories. Rule 2.507 explains what public electronic calendars, indexes and registers of actions must include—and what information must be excluded.
| Record type | Remote public access issue | Practical next step |
|---|---|---|
| Family law | Public remote access to many Family Code records is limited under California Rules of Court. | Use the courthouse or authorized access/copy process when documents are not visible online. |
| Juvenile | Juvenile records are restricted and often require special authorization. | Use the JV.030-related process or Juvenile Division instructions. |
| Criminal | Public remote access to criminal documents is limited; indexes/calendars may show less than courthouse records. | Use the official request process or contact the Criminal Division for record-copy questions. |
| Guardianship / conservatorship | Some probate-related records are courthouse-access-only or otherwise restricted. | Check with Probate or use the official copy-request form. |
| Sealed or confidential record | Sealed-by-order or confidential-by-law records are not public just because a case exists. | Do not try to bypass restrictions; ask the court what authorized-access process applies. |
| Date of birth / financial identifiers | Rule 2.507 excludes date of birth, financial information, Social Security numbers and other sensitive data from electronic public displays. | Use case number, party role, filing date and document history to verify a match. |
Civil, Probate, Family, Criminal and Traffic Records in Butte County
Search and copy steps work best when you know the case category. Butte’s Civil Division page says the Civil Division at the North Butte County Courthouse handles all civil matters, including small claims, unlawful detainer, limited civil and unlimited civil cases for the entire county.
| Case or service type | Butte-specific route | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Small Claims | Civil Division / North Butte County Courthouse | The court’s civil page lists under $12,500 as small claims. |
| Limited Civil | Civil Division / civil case search and forms | The court’s civil page lists $1 to $35,000 as limited jurisdiction civil. |
| Unlimited Civil | Civil Division / civil case search and filings | The court’s civil page lists over $35,000 as unlimited jurisdiction civil. |
| Unlawful Detainer / eviction | Civil Division, but remote public access can be restricted by California law | Do not assume a missing online result means no filing exists. |
| Family Law | Family Law contact and Family Court Services at North Butte County Courthouse | Family records may have remote-access restrictions. |
| Probate | Probate contact and Civil/Probate Division in Chico | Public probate tentative rulings may be available through the portal or court page. |
| Criminal | Criminal contact line and case-copy route | Criminal history records are not the same as court case copies. |
| Traffic / infractions | Pay Traffic Tickets, Make Payments and MyCitations where eligible | Use the citation or case number and check payment alternatives before the due date. |
Butte Superior Court eFiling Rules and Practical Filing Notes
Butte’s court website states that it accepts electronic filings in Civil, Family, Probate, Criminal, Traffic, Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Dependency cases. Local Rule 21 explains which categories are mandatory and which are permissive.
Civil, probate, family and juvenile dependency
Local Rule 21 requires eFiling for juvenile dependency, all civil, all probate and all family law matters, subject to exemptions and limitations.
Exempt but encouraged
Self-represented parties are exempt from mandatory eFiling under the local rule but are encouraged to participate voluntarily.
Criminal, traffic and juvenile delinquency
The local rule permits eFiling in case types not listed as mandatory, including criminal, traffic/infractions and juvenile delinquency matters.
Traffic Tickets, Criminal Payments and MyCitations in Butte County
The court’s home page links to Pay Traffic Tickets and the Make Payments service for criminal and traffic cases. Butte also offers the statewide MyCitations ability-to-pay tool for eligible infraction cases.
Use the court’s official Pay Traffic Tickets / Make Payments route and search by case or citation details.
MyCitations can be used to request a reduction, payment plan, more time to pay, or community service based on financial need.
If a payment or court date is near and the online system is unclear, contact the court before the deadline.
Butte’s payment guide notes that the court does not use the letter “O” in case numbers.
- Open the official Butte Superior Court website.
- Choose Pay Traffic Tickets or Online Services > Make Payments.
- Search using the case number or citation number exactly as shown.
- Review payment alternatives before submitting a payment.
- If eligible and based on financial need, review MyCitations options for reduction, time to pay, payment plan or community service.
- Save the payment confirmation and check whether any court appearance, proof or compliance task remains.
Butte Superior Court Locations, Phones and Local Routing
Butte Superior Court lists two courthouse locations: the Butte County Courthouse in Oroville and the North Butte County Courthouse in Chico. Use the official locations page before visiting because division counters, calendars, parking and phone routing matter.
| Location | Address | Common route |
|---|---|---|
| Butte County Courthouse | One Court Street, Oroville, CA 95965-3303 | Main line, appeals, court administration, criminal, juvenile justice, juvenile dependency and jury contact routes are listed for this courthouse. |
| North Butte County Courthouse | 1775 Concord Avenue, Chico, CA 95928 | Civil, Court Compliance, Family Law, Jury, Mediation, Probate and Traffic contact routes are listed for this courthouse. |
Before visiting, confirm three details
No Butte Court Record Found? Use This Recovery Path
A no-result screen does not always mean no case exists. It may mean the wrong search field, a case-number formatting issue, a same-name problem, a restricted case type, a confidential record, a courthouse-only document, or a non-court record held by another county office.
| Problem | Likely reason | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Case number returns nothing | Formatting issue, wrong county, zero/letter confusion or non-public case type. | Check the original court notice and remember Butte case numbers do not use the letter “O.” |
| Name search has too many matches | Common name and limited public identity details online. | Compare filing date, case type, party role, hearing history and case number. |
| Document image not visible | Document may be courthouse-access-only, confidential, sealed, restricted or not available remotely. | Use the copy request form or ask the correct division what access is allowed. |
| Family, juvenile or criminal document unavailable online | California remote-access rules limit public internet access to these categories. | Use authorized access or official copy-request instructions. |
| Need marriage, birth or death certificate | Those are not Superior Court records. | Contact the Butte County Clerk/Recorder or Public Health Vital Records as appropriate. |
| Need criminal history | A court case copy is not the same as a statewide criminal history record. | Use local law enforcement or the California Department of Justice route as the court’s copy form indicates. |
| Need official proof | A portal result or screenshot is not necessarily a certified court record. | Request a certified copy, certified dissolution judgment or exemplification as required. |
Common Butte Superior Court Record Terms
Official Butte Superior Court Links Used in This Guide
These links are included because they help complete real court tasks. Use official court and California Courts pages before relying on third-party record websites.
Butte County Superior Court Case Search & Records FAQs
1. What is the official Butte County Superior Court website?
The official website is butte.courts.ca.gov. Use it for case search, court calendars, tentative rulings, payments, eFiling information, forms, self-help resources, courthouse locations and official court notices.
2. How do I search a Butte County Superior Court case online?
Open the official Butte Superior Court website and use Case Search or Online Services > Case Information. Search by case number first when possible. If you only have a party name, compare case type, filing date, party role and docket activity before relying on a match.
3. Can I view every Butte court document online?
No. California Rules of Court limit public remote access to many categories, including family, juvenile, guardianship, conservatorship, mental health and criminal records. Some documents may require courthouse access or an official copy request.
4. How do I request copies from Butte Superior Court?
Use the court’s Records Request Form. Complete as much case information as possible and submit the form by mail or in person to either the Butte County Courthouse in Oroville or the North Butte County Courthouse in Chico.
5. How much does Butte Superior Court charge for copies and certification?
The court’s copy request form lists copies at $0.50 per page, certification at $40 plus $0.50 per page, certified dissolution judgment at $15, exemplification at $50, and a $15 search fee, with an additional $15 for each search exceeding 10 minutes.
6. How long does a Butte court copy request take?
The court’s copy request form says requests are processed in the order received and to allow at least three weeks. If there is an urgent matter, the form provides an urgency field where you can briefly state the emergency.
7. Where are the Butte Superior Court courthouses?
The Butte County Courthouse is at One Court Street, Oroville, CA 95965-3303. The North Butte County Courthouse is at 1775 Concord Avenue, Chico, CA 95928. Check the official locations page before visiting because division routing matters.
8. Which courthouse handles civil matters in Butte County?
The court’s Civil Division page states that the Civil Division at the North Butte County Courthouse in Chico handles all civil matters, including small claims, unlawful detainer, limited civil and unlimited civil cases for the entire county.
9. Does Butte Superior Court provide marriage, birth or death certificates?
No. The court’s copy request form states that the court does not provide marriage, birth or death certificates and directs users to contact the Butte County Clerk for those records.
10. Can Butte Superior Court give legal advice?
No. Court staff can provide procedural and records information, but they cannot tell you what to file, what legal strategy to use, or how a judge will rule. For legal advice, contact a qualified attorney or a legal-help organization.