Alturas (formerly, Dorris Bridge, Dorris' Bridge, and Dorrisville) is the county seat of Modoc County, California, United States. Alturas is located on the Pit River, east of the center of Modoc County, at an elevation of 4370 feet (1332 m). As the county seat, the town is a home to regional government offices, including a California Highway Patrol office and a state Department of Motor Vehicles office. Modoc Subdivision track of the Union Pacific Railroad, and the Lake County Railroad, serve the area. The population was 2,892 at the 2000 census, and the ZIP code for the community is 96101.