Paynes Creek is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tehama County, California. It is 23 mi east of Red Bluff. Its ZIP code is 96075 and telephone prefixes follow (530-597-xxxx), which is shared with the town of Dales, about 9 mi to the west. Paynes Creek sits at an elevation of 1949 ft. The 2020 United States census reported Paynes Creek's population was 54.