Access Chico Booking Records
Chico 72 hour booking records are generated by the Chico Police Department and the Butte County Sheriff's Office. The city has its own police force that handles arrests within city limits. Booking goes through the Butte County jail system. The county sheriff runs the jail and posts booking logs online. The Butte County booking log shows recent bookings from all agencies in the county, including the Chico PD. These records are public and free to search. No login is needed.
Chico Booking Quick Facts
Chico Booking in Butte County
Chico is in Butte County, in the northern Sacramento Valley. It is the largest city in the county. The Chico Police Department handles arrests in the city. After an arrest, the person is taken to the Butte County Jail in Oroville for booking. That jail is the main detention facility for the county. The sheriff's office operates it and manages all booking records.
Butte County is a smaller county compared to the major metros in Southern California or the Bay Area. The jail holds a few hundred people. But the booking rules are the same statewide. Every arrest creates a record. That record is public. The county posts booking logs on its website, which makes finding recent arrest data easier than in many other counties.
Chico PD is the biggest law enforcement agency in the county. A large share of the bookings at the Butte County Jail come from Chico PD arrests.
Chico Police Department
The Chico PD is at 1460 Humboldt Road, Chico, CA 95928. The department handles patrol, investigations, and special operations for the city. When officers make an arrest, the person is transported to the Butte County Jail about 25 miles south in Oroville. That drive takes around 30 minutes. The booking process starts once the person arrives at the county jail.
Chico PD also maintains a CrimeGraphics page that shows crime and arrest data. This tool maps incidents and can give you a general picture of arrest activity in the city. It is not the same as a booking search, but it provides context for where arrests are happening in Chico.
Call the Chico PD at (530) 897-4900 for information about recent arrests. Staff can confirm if someone was picked up and where they were taken.
Butte County Booking Logs
The Butte County Sheriff posts booking logs on the county website. These logs show recent bookings with names, charges, and dates. The data comes from all agencies that book people into the county jail. That includes the Chico PD, the Oroville PD, the Butte County Sheriff, the California Highway Patrol, and other agencies operating in the area.
The logs are updated regularly. They are one of the more accessible county-level booking resources in Northern California. You can view them from any web browser. No account or fee is needed. For most people looking for a recent Chico arrest, the county booking log is the first and best place to check.
California Penal Code 851.5 ensures that all people booked into the Butte County Jail receive their phone call rights during the booking process.
This law gives every person booked at the county jail three free calls within three hours. It applies to all Chico PD arrests that go through the Butte County system.
Chico Booking Law
Government Code 7923.610 makes all booking records in Chico public. It requires the Chico PD and the Butte County Sheriff to release booking data. The information includes the person's full name, charges, bail amount, date and time of booking, and the facility. No reason is needed to ask for this data.
Penal Code 851.5 protects the arrested person's right to phone calls. Within three hours of booking, every person gets at least three free calls. Those calls can reach a lawyer, a bail bond company, or a family member. The Butte County Jail must provide these calls without any cost.
Together, these two laws cover both sides of the booking process. The public has a right to see the data. The arrested person has a right to make calls. Both apply from the moment someone is booked at the county jail after a Chico arrest.
How Chico Arrests Work
A Chico PD officer makes an arrest and transports the person to the Butte County Jail. The drive to Oroville is about half an hour. At the jail, staff take fingerprints and a photo. They log the name, date of birth, charges, and bail. Bail follows the Butte County bail schedule.
Misdemeanor arrests often end with a cite-and-release. The person gets processed and then goes home with a court date. No extended stay. A booking record is still created. For felony charges, the hold is longer. The person stays in jail until bail is posted or a judge reviews the case at a hearing. The first hearing comes within 48 hours of arrest, excluding weekends and holidays.
- Transport from Chico to Butte County Jail in Oroville
- Standard booking with fingerprints and photo
- Bail set by Butte County schedule
- Cite-and-release for many misdemeanors
- Booking log posted on county website
Request Older Chico Records
The county booking log covers recent entries. For older records, file a written public records request. Send it to the Chico PD records division or the Butte County Sheriff, depending on which agency has the file. Include the person's full name and an approximate date of arrest. The agency must respond within 10 days. Printed copies may carry a fee.
The California DOJ handles statewide criminal history requests for broader searches. Those cover all agencies in California but take longer to process. For a recent Chico booking, the county log or a phone call to the PD is the fastest route.
Nearby City Booking Records
Chico is the largest city in Butte County and one of the biggest in the northern Sacramento Valley. The nearest large city with a booking records page is Sacramento to the south.
Sacramento and Roseville are both in the greater Sacramento area. They have their own police departments and jail systems. Redding is to the north but does not have a city page on this site. Each city's page covers the local booking process and how to search for records.