In California, theft generally becomes a felony once the value of what was stolen passes $950. That figure comes from Penal Code 487 and was locked in by Proposition 47 in 2014, which made clear that any theft of property worth $950 or less is petty theft and a misdemeanor.1California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 490.2 But the dollar amount is only part of how much theft is a felony in California. Certain kinds of property, prior convictions, and how multiple thefts can now be combined all let prosecutors file felony charges at amounts well below $950, and sometimes at any value at all.
The $950 Dividing Line
Penal Code 487(a) defines grand theft as the taking of money, labor, or property worth more than $950.2California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 487 – Grand Theft Anything at or below $950 is petty theft. The threshold is strict: an item valued at exactly $950 is still a misdemeanor, and it takes $951 to open the door to a felony charge.
Proposition 47, passed in November 2014, added Penal Code 490.2 to the books. That section says any theft of property valued at $950 or less is petty theft and must be charged as a misdemeanor, regardless of what other statutes might say.3Judicial Council of California. Frequently Asked Questions About Proposition 47 A handful of carve-outs survive, and recent ballot measures have added new exceptions, but $950 remains the baseline.
Crossing $950 Doesn’t Guarantee a Felony
Grand theft is what California lawyers call a wobbler. Prosecutors can file it as either a felony or a misdemeanor, and the decision turns on factors like total value, criminal history, sophistication of the scheme, and whether the victim was vulnerable. A first-time offender who took $1,100 in merchandise is in a different position than someone with prior theft convictions who ran a $5,000 scheme against elderly victims.
Even after a felony charge is filed, Penal Code 17(b) lets a judge reduce a wobbler to a misdemeanor at several points in the case, including sentencing and when granting probation.4California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 17 As a felony, grand theft typically carries 16 months, two years, or three years in county jail and a fine of up to $10,000. As a misdemeanor, the ceiling drops to one year in county jail and a $1,000 fine. Petty theft tops out at six months in county jail and a $1,000 fine.5California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 490
When the $950 Threshold Doesn’t Apply
Several categories of theft are automatically grand theft under Penal Code 487, no matter how little the property is worth.
- Firearms. Stealing any firearm is grand theft. Penal Code 490.2 specifically excludes firearms from the $950 petty-theft rule, and the penalty runs to 16 months, two, or three years in state prison rather than county jail.1California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 490.2
- Automobiles. Taking any motor vehicle is grand theft under Penal Code 487(d)(1), regardless of its age or condition.2California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 487 – Grand Theft
- Theft directly from a person. Pickpocketing, purse snatching, and similar offenses where property is taken off someone’s body qualify as grand theft under Penal Code 487(c), whatever the value.2California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 487 – Grand Theft
- Farm and aquaculture products. Stealing crops, livestock, or aquaculture products worth more than $250 from a farm or commercial operation counts as grand theft, a much lower bar than $950.2California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 487 – Grand Theft
- Employee theft. If an employee steals from an employer and the total reaches $950 or more over any 12-month period, the entire amount can be charged as a single grand theft, even if each individual taking was small.2California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 487 – Grand Theft
The firearm and automobile rules surprise people. A teenager who takes a $300 broken-down car or an old rifle from a garage is facing the same grand theft exposure as someone who steals a brand-new vehicle.
Repeat Offenses Can Make Low-Value Theft a Felony
Proposition 36, passed by voters in November 2024, rolled back part of Prop 47’s protection for repeat offenders. Theft of property worth $950 or less can now be charged as a felony if the person has two or more prior convictions for certain theft-related crimes, including shoplifting, burglary, or carjacking. The sentence for that felony can reach three years in county jail or state prison.6Legislative Analyst’s Office. Proposition 36
Prop 36 also allows felony sentences for theft or property damage to be extended by up to three additional years when three or more people committed the crime together, a provision aimed at organized retail theft rings.6Legislative Analyst’s Office. Proposition 36
Separately, Penal Code 666 has long allowed enhanced penalties for petty theft when the defendant has certain serious prior convictions, such as violent felonies or sex offenses requiring registration. Under that statute, a petty theft can be punished by up to a year in county jail or time in state prison.7California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 666
Multiple Small Thefts Can Now Be Added Together
Before 2025, someone who committed a string of small thefts from different stores often faced only a stack of misdemeanors because no single theft crossed $950. AB 2943 changed that. Effective January 1, 2025, prosecutors can add up the value of stolen property across separate incidents, different victims, and even different counties to reach the $950 grand theft threshold.8Governor of California. New in 2025: Cracking Down on Retail Theft and Property Crime
In practice: someone shoplifts $400 from a store in Los Angeles, then two weeks later takes $600 from a different store in San Diego. Before AB 2943, those were two separate misdemeanors. Now a prosecutor can combine them into a single $1,000 grand theft charge, with felony exposure. The thefts do not need to be part of a shared plan.
Shoplifting Has Its Own Rules
California treats shoplifting as a standalone offense under Penal Code 459.5. Entering an open commercial business with the intent to steal merchandise worth $950 or less is shoplifting, and it is a misdemeanor.9California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 459.5
If the intended theft exceeds $950, or the store is closed when the person enters, the conduct is burglary instead. Burglary is a far more serious offense, with sentencing that can reach years in state prison.10California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 461 The $950 figure is the hinge between a shoplifting misdemeanor and a burglary felony.
How Property Value Is Calculated
Because so much turns on the $950 line, the value of stolen property is often the most contested fact in a theft case. California uses “fair market value,” meaning the highest price the item would reasonably sell for on the open market at the time and place it was stolen.11California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 484 – Theft Defined
For new retail merchandise, the price tag usually settles the question. Used goods are harder. Courts look at comparable sales, expert appraisals, and the item’s condition. A laptop that retailed for $1,200 two years ago might have a current fair market value of $700, which drops the charge from grand theft to petty theft. Defense attorneys regularly challenge inflated valuations.
Stolen services are valued at the contract price or, absent a contract, their reasonable market rate. For financial documents like checks or promissory notes, the value is whatever money could be collected or lost if the document were used.12California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 492
Why the Felony-Misdemeanor Line Matters So Much
Jail time and fines are the start, not the whole story. Federal law prohibits anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year of imprisonment from possessing firearms, and a felony grand theft conviction triggers that ban. California adds its own restrictions, including a ten-year prohibition for certain wobbler convictions even when ultimately sentenced as misdemeanors.13Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Most Frequently Asked Firearms Questions and Answers
Professional licensing boards in fields like nursing, teaching, real estate, accounting, and law treat theft as a crime of dishonesty and routinely deny or revoke licenses on that basis. For non-citizens, a felony theft conviction can lead to deportation or inadmissibility. California employers can ask about felony convictions for most positions once a conditional offer has been made, which makes job searches substantially harder.
That is why the wobbler nature of grand theft, and the possibility of a Penal Code 17(b) reduction, often matters more than the sentence itself.4California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 17 Whether a conviction stays a misdemeanor or hardens into a felony shapes voting rights during parole, firearm eligibility, a professional license, and in some cases the ability to remain in the country.