In California, you generally have to steal more than $950 worth of property for the theft to be charged as a felony. That figure, set by Proposition 47 in 2014, is the dividing line between petty theft (always a misdemeanor) and grand theft (which prosecutors can file as either a misdemeanor or a felony). Several exceptions let prosecutors file a felony at much lower amounts, and recent changes under Proposition 36 made repeat theft convictions far easier to charge as felonies regardless of value.
The $950 Grand Theft Line
Penal Code 490.2 says that taking property worth $950 or less is petty theft, punishable only as a misdemeanor.1California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 490.2 Anything above $950 qualifies as grand theft under Penal Code 487.2California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 487
Grand theft is a “wobbler.” The prosecutor chooses whether to file it as a felony or a misdemeanor based on the facts and your record. Someone with a clean record who steals $1,000 of merchandise might see a misdemeanor filing. Someone with prior theft convictions could face a felony on the same facts.
When Theft Is a Felony at Any Dollar Amount
The $950 rule has carve-outs that let the charge jump to grand theft no matter how little the property is worth.
- Firearms. Stealing any gun is grand theft, and Penal Code 490.2 expressly excludes firearms from the petty-theft threshold. Firearm theft is a straight felony with no misdemeanor option.1California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 490.2
- Theft directly from a person. Taking something off someone’s body, like grabbing a phone from their hand or picking a pocket, is grand theft regardless of value. This is distinct from robbery, which requires force or threats.2California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 487
- Farm products and aquaculture. The threshold drops to $250 for crops, livestock, and commercial seafood or aquaculture products.2California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 487
- Prior serious felony or sex-offender status. If you have a prior conviction for a serious or violent felony, or you are required to register as a sex offender, a theft of $950 or less can still be prosecuted as a felony.1California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 490.2
Car theft is listed in Penal Code 487(d) as grand theft, but the California Supreme Court held in 2017 that Prop 47’s $950 threshold applies to stolen vehicles. If the car is worth $950 or less, the theft is petty theft.3Justia Law. People v. Page That matters only for older or damaged vehicles; most cars sit well above the line.
Repeat Theft Convictions Under Proposition 36
California voters approved Proposition 36 in November 2024, and it changed the calculation for anyone with a theft history. Penal Code 666.1 now creates a new offense: with two or more prior theft-related convictions, a new petty theft or shoplifting charge becomes a wobbler that can be filed as a felony.4California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 666.1
The qualifying prior convictions reach broadly. They include petty theft, grand theft, burglary, robbery, carjacking, receiving stolen property, shoplifting, identity theft, vehicle theft, and elder theft. There is no time limit on how old those priors can be.4California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 666.1
The practical result: before Prop 36, a string of petty thefts generally stayed at the misdemeanor level as long as each one came in under $950. Now, the third theft-related conviction opens the door to a felony even if the item was worth $20.
How the Value of Stolen Property Is Calculated
Since the $950 line decides so much, how the property gets valued matters. California law uses “fair market value,” meaning the highest price the item would reasonably sell for between a willing buyer and a willing seller at the time of the theft.5California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 484 That is not the original retail price, and it is not sentimental value. A two-year-old laptop that retailed for $1,200 might carry a fair market value of $700, which would keep the charge at petty theft.
For stolen services or labor, the law uses the contract price first; if there is no contract, the going rate for that type of work controls.5California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 484 For farm products, prosecutors can prove value using wholesale prices for crops of the same variety and weight on the day of the theft.2California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 487
Adding Up Multiple Thefts
Prosecutors do not have to treat each theft as a separate charge. When a series of thefts stem from one plan or scheme, the values can be added together to cross the $950 grand theft line. Penal Code 487(e) allows this aggregation even when the thefts involve different victims or occur in different counties.2California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 487
An employee skimming cash from a register is the classic example. Each individual theft might be $50 or $100, but if the total exceeds $950 within a 12-month period, the employee faces a single grand theft charge rather than a stack of misdemeanors.2California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 487
AB 2943, which took effect in 2025, expanded this aggregation rule. Prosecutors can now combine stolen property values across multiple victims and across county lines, and consolidate the charges into a single case in one county.6State of California. New in 2025: Cracking Down on Retail Theft and Property Crime Evidence that thefts are “related” can include the same defendant, substantially similar methods, or incidents within a 90-day window.
Felony Theft Penalties
The consequences of landing on the felony side of the $950 line are substantial.
For most grand theft convictions filed as felonies, the sentence is 16 months, two years, or three years in county jail.7California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 489 The judge picks from those three terms based on the circumstances and your record. Filed as a misdemeanor, grand theft tops out at one year in county jail.
Grand theft of a firearm is treated more severely. The sentence is 16 months, two years, or three years in state prison, not county jail, and there is no misdemeanor option.7California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 489
For repeat offenders convicted under Penal Code 666.1, a first felony conviction under that section can mean up to three years in county jail. A second conviction under 666.1 can carry a state prison term.4California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 666.1
On top of jail time and fines, California courts must order full restitution to anyone who suffered an economic loss from the theft. Restitution covers the replacement cost of stolen or damaged property, and the court keeps the order open if the full amount cannot be calculated at sentencing.8California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 1202.4 Restitution is mandatory and separate from any fine. Returning the stolen property does not end the obligation; the victim can still recover related losses like lost business or security costs.