Butte County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, north of the state capital of Sacramento. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 203,171. The county seat is Oroville. Butte County is the "Land of Natural Wealth and Beauty." Butte County is watered by the Feather River and the Sacramento River. Butte Creek and Big Chico Creek are additional perennial streams, both tributary to the Sacramento.

It is the site of Feather Falls, the sixth largest waterfall in the United States. The county is the home of California State University, Chico and of Butte Community College. There are four major hospitals and the State of California defines Butte County as being inside Health Service Area 1. A special district, the Butte County Air Quality Management District, regulates airborne pollutant emissions in the county. It does this following regional regulations, state, and federal laws. .