Butte County, Calif. -- Marijuana growing season is approaching and Butte County wants to make sure growers know how to stay in compliance with county ordinances.
Butte County's pot-growing ordinance was put into place four years ago and the code enforcement division is continuing to take regulations to a new level.
If you do plan on growing this summer, there are laws you have to follow.
There are two ordinances enforced in Butte County, Chapter 34A and 34C.
34A deals with medical marijuana. You can grow up to 150 square feet depending on your parcel.
Those who are growing medical marijuana need to own the property where the growing is taking place. Growers can also have a written lease with the actual property owner.
34C is the adult-use, also known as recreational, which is 6 plants per parcel. It is important to know this is not per person in the household.
For recreational grows, no more than six plants may be planted, cultivated, harvested, dried or processed on a private residence.
"We get complaints from all over the county. We get them over the phone, email. Each officer is assigned to a county, if they get a complaint from that area, they'll go out and start their investigation," said Chris Jellison, Manager of the Code Enforcement Division.
If properties with marijuana grows violated the ordinances, there is a $500 fine per day for the first 72-hour period.
The fine increases to $1,000 per day until the compliance is met.
For the second year in a row, this year, the Board of Supervisors placed liens on the properties of owners who violated the ordinance. One of the liens was as high as $89,000.
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