California unincorporated profile
Outside the boundaries of incorporated cities and towns, the Tehama County government is the planning and permitting lead agency. That means county zoning, county building codes, and county environmental review apply directly — without a separate city layer. The county rules most likely to catch a project applicant off guard are listed below.
These Tehama County rules apply directly to projects in unincorporated areas of the county, with no city-level overlay.
The county prohibits all commercial cannabis cultivation and operations — a local policy that affects how rural agricultural parcels can be used and creates due diligence requirements for buyers expecting to operate commercially.
The Dixie Fire burned into portions of eastern Tehama County, and post-fire erosion, debris flow risk, and habitat recovery requirements apply to projects in the affected burn scar — constraints that do not apply to the rest of the county.
The county adopted its first comprehensive noise ordinance only recently — projects that were analyzed under the prior condition of no formal ordinance may need to revisit noise findings if permits haven't been finalized under the new rules.
Free — no signup required
Enter an address and get an instant environmental profile — protected species in range, local ordinances, and the review topics your project triggers.
Screen an addressSource: Headlands Environmental — environmental site screening for California. Rules summarized from publicly available county codes and planning documents; project review counts indexed from the State Clearinghouse. For authoritative requirements, consult Tehama County directly.